2013 World Champs Trials Time Standards Posted; They’re Faster (U.S. Open/Jr’s Also Posted)

 USA Swimming has posted the time standards for the 2013 World Championship Trials (which doubles as the country’s major National Championship meet for the year – hence the relay standards).

The meet will be held from June 25th through June 29th in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Qualifying period runs from March 29th, 2012 through June 17th, 2013.

• To see the standards to qualify for the World Championships in Barcelona, click here.
• To see the standards for the 2013 U.S. Open, click here (updated 9/27).
• To see the standards for the 2013 Summer Junior Nationals, click here.

These times already show the expected tightening-of-the-reigns from USA Swimming after a massive Olympic Trials meet that left marathon preliminary sessions and crowded warmup pools.The differences in relevant events are marked in parenthesis next to the standard.

When a shortened qualifying period is used in conjunction with tightened standards, a much smaller meet begins to emerge. For example, in the women’s 50 free, with the Olympic Trials standard at 26.39 as it was, 191 American swimmers hit the qualifying time (though obviously not quite that many swam it). Under the new standard, that number is almost halved over the same period to 99.

Not all cuts are quite that drastic. Take the men’s 200 fly for example. Previously, 164 was cut to 112, but still without factoring in such a short qualifying period, things are going to get very tight for qualifying.

These extra swimmers won’t be totally excluded from the summer’s festivities: the U.S. Open standards are very similar to last year’s Olympic Trials standards.

Note that the Trials will be open only to Americans.