With the European Championships kicking off in less than 20 days, re-live some of the action building up to the big event in the form of British swimmer Ben Proud‘s furious 50m free from last month. Competing at the 2018 Sette Colli Trophy, World and Commonwealth Games champion Proud threw down a mighty mark of 21.16, taking gold at the meet while establishing a new British national record.
Video courtesy of Swimming Channel.
Additionally with his performance, Proud slid into the top spot in this season’s world rankings, as well as checked in as the 4th fastest performer in history. The 23-year-old Energy Standard athlete sits only behind world record holder Cesar Cielo and France’s Frederick Bousquet, who both went sub-21 with the super-suits, and American Caeleb Dressel, who swam the fastest textile time ever last summer to win World Championships gold in 21.15.
Proud will compete against the likes of Russia’s Vlad Morozov, Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev and Dutchman Jesse Puts, among many others, in Glasgow to keep his impressive time-dropping streak alive en route to attempting to stand atop the European Championships podium.
I dunno, pausing at 0:20, it looks like Proud got more distance off his start than the lane 8 guy, and his entry angle was far and away the best in the field. Seemed to be loosing momentum just a little before his breakout, but overall, that was a killer start. Certainly killed Fratus next to him.
Actually, I thought his first stroke was a bit late, but it seems to work for him. Does anybody know if he always does the transition that way?
Dressel does very well getting his arms into streamline position while moving forward. It actually seems like getting his arms high behind his back (with a negative shoulder angle) as his legs are pushing off the blocks pushes more force back into the blocks and gives him a better leap forward.