Conor Dwyer of the USA will swim the 200 IM in the final of a major international competition for the first time after defeating Roberto Pavoni of Great Britain in a swim-off to end the Day 4 evening session of the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia.
Dwyer jumped out to an early lead, and was over a second ahead at the halfway point, 54.88 to 56.09. Pavoni came back on Dwyer in the second half of the race, but the gap proved insurmountable, with Dwyer just winning 1:58.18 to 1:58.26.
Both men dropped time in this swim-off, after having tied in the semi-finals with a time of 1:58.54.
After years of being blocked by the likes of Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Tyler Clary, Dwyer will race tomorrow in his first World Championships 200 IM final. He had previously competed in the 200 free here in Kazan, but missed the final after finishing ninth in the semi-finals.
Dwyer will join fellow USA swimmer Ryan Lochte in the final of the 200 IM. Lochte is the favorite, having recorded the fastest time in both the preliminary and semi-final heats today.
While Dwyer has no more individual events this week, Pavoni has one more chance to make finals, as he’ll be swimming the 400 IM on the final day of the meet.
Kudos to the photographer, that is one of the greatest swimming photos ever.