Women’s 400 IM
Texas A&M sophomore Cammile Adams is one of the more under-the-radar National Teamers, but she continues to get better. She posted a 4:38.80, her lifetime best by 4 seconds, despite being in the midst of full training, to win the women’s 400 IM on day two of the Austin Grand Prix.
Adams specializes in the “tough races” – the 400 IM, the 200 fly, and the distance freestyles. Those strengths showed up in this 400 IM. She took a huge lead on the butterfly leg by going out in a 1:02.0. She pushed further ahead on the backstroke leg, before giving a ton back to Katie Hoff on the breaststroke (four seconds). Adams pushed through a great freestyle leg, however, to take the win.
Hoff would touch 2nd in an also-good 4:39.74.
Men’s 400 IM
Michael Phelps took his 2nd win of the meet in the men’s 400 IM, with a winning mark of 4:16.95. With the other two fastest 400 IM’ers in American history Ryan Lochte and Tyler Clary sitting this race out, Phelps took a dominating win in 4:16.96, with the runner-up Conor Dwyer well back in 4:21.16.
Phelps, like we saw from Adams in the women’s race, all-but-ended this race on the butterfly leg with a split of 56.6. He, however, didn’t let anyone get close to him, as he had the fastest backstroke and butterfly legs as well. A few of his competitors made up some tenths on the freestyle leg, but his lead was so huge that it was irrelevant.
This is the first time we’ve seen him swim this race in long course in over a year, but he looked solid. Probably not strong enough to make it an obvious decision to go back to the 400 IM. The last time was at the 2010 Pan Pac Championships, where he was only a 4:15. This does show us that he is again in very good shape, which is good news for his summer.
Canada’s Andrew Ford took 3rd in 4:21.99. That’s an outstanding time for him (the best in-season mark of his career).
Women’s 200 Free
Allison Schmitt took day two of this meet relatively easy – instead of three difficult events, she had only two: the 200 free and the 50 free. She took advantage of that lighter schedule and swam a brilliant 200 free time of 1:55.83. Combined with her 400 free from Friday, there’s no denying that Schmitt is on fire. That’s the third-best time of her career, just .01 behind what she went at the Minnesota Grand Prix, and again faster than she went at the World Championships. To go two in-season 1:55’s in two months is crazy good (and maybe even unprecedented?). The only thing she has left to prove in 2012 will come in London.
Missy Franklin took 2nd in 1:57.86, and Katie Hoff was strong in 1:59.34 on a back-to-back effort.
Men’s 200 Free
Ricky Berens used a similar tactic in the 200 free as he did in yesterday’s 100, but whereas on Friday it led to only a runner-up finish, in this 200 it carried him to a win. He and Matt McLean swam even through the first 100 meters, and as McLean pushed the pace on the third leg, Berens let him go. But he roared back on the last 50, closing in 26.85, to take a win in 1:47.92. McLean was a tenth back in 2nd in 1:48.02.
Michael Klueh and Charlie Houchin took 3rd and 4th in 3:51.23 and 3:51.77, respectively.
Dave Walters went out very hard in this race (a 51.99 opening), but couldn’t hold on. He finished 6th in 1:50.91. Ryan Lochte swam a 1:50.45 for 5th.
The top-finishing teenager was Cal sophomore Jeremy Bagshaw in 1:51.91.
Women’s 200 Back
Missy Franklin is good at a lot of events, but this 200 backstroke might be her best. She put up a very good 2:08.18 to take her first win of the meet. As evidence of the huge leap she made over the summer, she cut over a second off of her time from this same meet last season.
The Americans don’t have great depth in this race, which opened the door for 6 international swimmers to place in the race’s top-8. That includes Great Britain’s Georgia Davies in 2:11.10. That makes her an even more dangerous competitor for the British Olympic squad – this swim was within a tenth of her lifetime best. She’s a sprinter by trade, so watch her 100 on Sunday for a big swim, possibly even breaking the minute barrier and challenging Coughlin and Franklin.
Kendyl Stewart, who will swim at USC in the fall, placed 3rd in 2:11.60. Laure Manaudou placed 5th in 2:12.52 to match her prelims swim identically. That’s by two seconds her best time in the race since her own return from retirement, though this is unlikely to be her focus event at the Olympics.
Men’s 200 Back
Tucson Ford’s Matt Grevers continues to push in this 200 back as though he might give Tyler Clary a big push at the Olympic Trials, with a winning time of 1:57.76. That ranks among the top-four times of his career. Clary was entered in this meet, but has been absent (likely related to his rotator cuff injury at the Duel in the Pool), which might leave an easier path than in the log-jammed 100.
The young 16-year old Ryan Murphy of Bolles in 1:58.69. That’s two-tenths away from his lifetime best from the Pan Am Games. Lochte took 3rd in 1:59.53, with another young backstroker Jacob Pebley 4th in 1:59.64.
Nick Thoman (2:00.65), Eric Ress (2:01.05), and Arkady Vyatchanin (2:01.59) finished at the bottom of the A-Final.
Women’s 50 Free
SwimAtlanta’s Amanda Weir completed her sweep of the sprint freestyle events by winning the women’s 50 in 25.23. That swim wasn’t quite as good as her win in the 100, but was still a solid kick-off to her 2012 season. She might have had a bit of a tweak in her training focus from being a 50-freestyler to gunning for a spot in the individual 100, as well as the 400 free relay.
Madison Kennedy took 2nd in 25.43, and former LSU swimmer Jane Trepp took 3rd in 25.52.
Colorado Stars teammates Kara Lynn Joyce (25.90) and Missy Franklin (25.95) finished 6th and 7th. Natalie Coughlin won the B-Final in 25.76.
Men’s 50 Free
There was a ton of great swims in this men’s 50 free, led by Nathan Adrian’s win in 21.94. After a disappointing World Championship meet without any medals, Adrian has been very fast at just about every meet since. This swim was only .01 off of the mark he went in Shanghai, and if he can hit his taper at the right meet this year, he could easily be in the 21.5-21.6 range that it will take to medal at the Olympics.
France’s Fred Bousquet, another swimmer who is currently a favorite to medal, took 2nd in an equally impressive 22.05.
But the real buzz continued to come from Anthony Ervin, who skimmed a few hundredths off of his prelims time with a 22.27 for 3rd place. Among the swimmers he bested in this race were Josh Schneider (22.31), Nick Brunelli (22.86), and Cullen Jones (22.87), who will be in the group that gives him the biggest battle for an Olympic spot in the 50 free, presumably behind Adrian.
Phoneix Swim Club/South African swimmer Roland Schoeman 5th in 22.50. He seems to be recovering well from his forearm injury, and that was significant as the 31-year old was able to beat his much younger teammates Gideon Louw (22.51) and Graeme Moore (23.17). That’s a big psychological advantage over the two he will be fighting for a spot on South Africa’s Olympic Team, both in the 50 and in the 100 freestyles.
With young male swimmers developing typically so late, the top teenage finisher, Canada’s Luke Peddie, can’t be ignored. He’s only 18, but still went a very good 23.64 to tie for 20th. He’s not close to a full taper, but is one of the best young sprinters in the world.
no one has ever done it?
Dawn Fraser did it almost 50 years ago already, and could have won 4-peat has she been allowed to swim.
And had there been 200 free event, Fraser would have three-peated that as well.
Egerszegi also did it.
Re: 3 peat Olympic goldstar, that is the ultimate accomplishment in this sport, no one has ever done it. Many have tried, but none succeeded, .aybe phelps is humming for it, but he’s taking on the greatest challenge yet, good luck buddy, u need it
I agree with Frank. Michael Phelps is the most competitive in the world.
All this talk about “phelps doesn’t have anything to prove anymore” doesn’t wash with michael, because clearly he wants more.
Maybe michael wants to do it so lochte cant win and beat his record? Anyone think of that? As good of friends as they are we have to remember theyre extreme rivals, and it wouldnt surprise me if phelps did it just so no one can match his spot in history.
I think it’s too late because Phelps has nothing to prove in the 400 IM – he’s two times Olympic champion and WR holder and, like John26 said, the only goal to him could be a new WR, but he is not in shape do it, so I don’t see the point of it.
aswimfan,
I wasn’t implying that Phelps is going to have to swim a WR to win the event. I was saying that’s the only scenario where I think it would convince him to swim it. imo, if Lochte doesn’t get the WR this year (which, I agree with you, I can’t see him break 405), he probably never will, because I think he’s going to start taking on other events like the 100back and 100free more seriously.
To be honest, I dont think in Phelps’ mind, Kitajima is going to win the 100breast. I’m sure one of Lochte and Phelps wanted to be the first to break a WR in the postsuit era: they talked about it in the… Read more »
MIss5:
Why is it too late for phelps to swim the 400 IM in the olympics?
Has there been trials for men 400 IM that I didn’t know of?
Phelps doesn’t have to break the WR to win the 400 IM.
I don’t think Lochte will break 4:05
400 IM is in the first day when Phelps has nothing else. Also, it will give him the chance to become the first male swimmer to win an event in three olympics in the first day. He’s too much of a competitive person to pass up that chance.