Katie Grimes Splits 29.17 On Final 50 To Hit 4:05.18 400 Free At Pro Swim

2023 PRO SWIM SERIES – FORT LAUDERDALE

• March 1-4, 2023
• Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Prelims/Finals
  • Prelims: 9:00 AM (EST)
  • Finals: 5:00 PM Wednesday, 6:00 PM (EST) Thursday-Saturday
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• Day 1 Finals Recap
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En route to the gold medal at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series, Katie Grimes swam the 7th-fastest time by a 17-18-year-old American in history. She posted a 4:05.18 to win the event, placing herself between Erin Gemmell and Chloe Sutton in the all-time age group rankings.

All-time USA 17-18 400 Freestyle Rankings

1. Katie Ledecky – 3:58.37
2. Katie Anderson – 4:02.20
3. Janet Evans – 4:03.85
4. Cierra Runge – 4:04.55
5. Allison Schmitt – 4:05.05
6. Erin Gemmell – 4:05.07
7. Katie Grimes – 4:05.18
8. Chloe Sutton – 4:05.19

In addition to this being a high-ranking swim for Grimes, she also had a notably fast closing 50, which won her the race. She was 5th overall at the 350-meter mark, behind Siobhan Haughey, Claire Weinstein, Leah Smith, and Ella Jansen. On the last lap, Grimes pulled out some major speed, closing with a 29.17 to get into the lead and touch first.

Not only was the split faster than everyone else in her heat, but it was significantly faster than the average closing speed amongst the world’s top 400 freestylers.

A 29.17 would have been the fastest closing split out of any finalists at the 2022 World Championships. The fastest time there on the last lap was Lani Pallister‘s 29.72, while Katie Ledecky (29.91), Summer McIntosh (29.99), and Leah Smith (29.96) all got under 30 as well.

Katie Ledecky, who holds six of the top 10 times in history rarely closes her quicker than a 29.17 and usually hovers around 29-mid to 29-high. There are certainly exceptions considering that Ledecky split a 28.99 on her closing 50 in December 2022 en route a 3:59.71. She also split a 28.92 on her 3:56.46 and a 29.12 on her 3:57.36.

During Ariarne Titmus‘ world record-breaking swim of 3:56.40 in 2022, she swam a 29.28 on her final 50. Like Ledecky, however, Titmus has provided some blistering final 50s, including in Tokyo when she finished off with a 28.67 on the way to a 3:56.69 and an Olympic gold medal. Grimes’ 29.17 would have been the 3rd-fastest in Tokyo behind Titmus’ 28.67 and Ledecky’s 29.12.

So even though Grimes swam roughly 9 seconds slower than Ledecky and Titmus’ fastest times, her final lap was right around where theirs were.

This is a bit of a new approach for Grimes that has developed in the last 10 months or so. In her previous best time, a 4:05.77 from last year’s PSS stop in Mission Viejo, she closed in 30.58. At last year’s International Team Trials, though, she split 29.94 en route to a 4:06.67 – a relatively-fast closing split given the final time.

In Knoxville, where she was just 4:09.47 in finals, she split 29.79 on the last 50, so it appears as though this is definitely an area she’s putting a concerted effort into.

It’s interesting to see a closing split at this level from a swim still short of what will medal at major international meets, though it would have easily made the final at last summer’s World Championships. If Grimes can hold onto that speed, it will be an incredibly important asset once she gets her PB down to the low-4:00 range.