Americans Choose Bulldog Vreeland for Finals Relay; Ye Swims for CHina

The Americans have chosen Shannon Vreeland and Dana Vollmer to join teammates Missy Franklin and Allison Schmitt on the finals group for the 800 free relay.

Vreeland earned this spot on the strength of an impressive prelims swim, where on a rolling start she split a 1:57.04. The Georgia Bulldog swimmer has had a great long course season, and was 5th-fastest among Americans coming into this meet.Vollmer was chosen, apparently, on the strength of her third-place finish at the Olympic Trials. Though she had the slowest split among the Americans at prelims, she is, on paper, easily one of the four best in this distance.

The Americans have again decided to lead off Missy Franklin, just as they did in the 400 free relay. They will anchor with Vreeland’s teammate Schmitt, who already has the individual 200 free gold, and an Olympic Record, in her pocket.

1. Missy Franklin
2. Dana Vollmer
3. Shannon Vreeland
4. Allison Schmitt

The Australians, in a bit of a surprise, have chosen Alicia Coutts for their finals relay on the basis of her top form. The four will be Alicia Coutts, Bronte Barratt, Melanie Schlanger, and Kylie Palmer.

1. Bronte Barratt
2. Melanie Schlanger
3. Kylie Palmer
4. Alicia Coutts

Coutts has been swimming extremely well at this meet, with two individual medals already, but doesn’t seem to have swum a 200 free this season. Her best ever is a 1:57.72 from 2011’s World Championship Trials, though, and so with her improvements she could very well be a 1:56. She’s got a great 100 free, and her silver medal in the 200 IM shows that she has the endurance to swim a good 200. She didn’t swim on this relay at the World Championships either, though, and it’s still an interesting decision to choose a swimmer who hasn’t swum the race yet this year.

The Canadians chose not to use their biggest star Julia Wilkinson on their relay, and remain with the same quartet that took the 3rd seed this morning. Wilkinson was on this relay when they finaled in 2008, though the 200 free is not her best event and she has the 100 semi-finals before this relay.

France has chosen to lead-off Camille Muffat as compared to anchoring her this morning. That means Missy will, at least, have someone to push her the whole way, and Muffat should be in the lead when she hands off to the second swimmer. The Italians have left Pellegrini as their anchor.

The Brits have also left Rebecca Adlington off of this relay. She was their 4th-best 200 freestyler in-season this year, but without a chance at a medal seeming likely, she will save energy to defend her 800 free gold.

China could make their move as they’ve put Shiwen Ye on their 800 free relay. After such fast closes in the freestyle leg of their IM’s, fans have been clamoring to see what she can do in an individual freestyle race. She could be the secret weapon that puts them in this race. Their four:

1. Shija Wang
2. Shiwen Ye
3. Liu Jing
4. Yi Tang