North America: No Ledecky or Ruck Keeps Medal Count Low on Day 4

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
• Meet site
• Competition Schedule
• FinaTV Live Stream
• Entry Lists
• Results

Night 4 of the FINA World Aquatics Championships only yielded one new medal for North American swimmers, but placed 8 in the finals tomorrow.

With not a single entry in the men’s 800 freestyle we skip ahead to the finals of the women’s 200 freestyle, where only Canadia Penny Oleksiak represented. Oleksiak’s teammate Taylor Ruck raised eyebrows when she scratched the 200 freestyle prelims yesterday to focus on the 100 back finals, where she finished outside of the medals in 4th.

Another notable scratch in the women’s 200 freestyle came from American Katie Ledecky, who withdrew from the finals of the 1500 as well due to sickness. Ledecky and Ruck are North America’s best 200 freestylers and the top 200 freestylers from their respective federations, the United States and Canada. Since Ruck is reportedly not sick we should expect to see her on Canada’s 4 x 200 freestyle relay. Ledecky would be an automatic ‘A’ relay team member for the United States under normal conditions, but we haven’t received an update on her health, so any of three things is possible:

• She sits the relay out;
• She swims the prelims as a test to see if she is well enough for finals/the 800 prelims Friday;
• She and the coaches and team doctors decide she is ready to race and put her on the finals team.

Supposing Ledecky does not swim the 4 x 200 freestyle relay at all, the United States can still put together a fast team with the any combination of Leah Smith, Allison Schmitt, Gabby DeLoof, Mallory Comerford, Simone Manuel, Katie McLoughlin, Katie Drabot, Ella Eastin, Hali Flickinger, Melanie Margalis, or Ally McHugh. If Ledecky foregoes the relay all together then she will get one more day of rest before the prelims of the 800 freestyle, which begin Friday morning.

Regardless of whether Ruck swims the prelims of the 4 x 200, she will have to get up and race the prelims of the 100 freestyle tomorrow.

Other Day 4 News:

• Both Caeleb Dressel and Blake Pieroni advanced to the championship final of the men’s 100 freestyle, where Dressel is the top seed with a 47.35. Peironi also got under 48 for the first time in prelims with a 47.87.
• Kathleen Baker and Olivia Smoliga advance to the finals of the women’s 50 backstroke. Baker is the top seed with a 27.62, within 2/10ths of her best time and the American Record, which is currently owned by Smoliga.
• Hali Flickinger and Katie Drabot take the top 2 seeds going into the final of the women’s 200 fly. The two Americans were the only women under 2:07 today, and it’s hard to imagine neither of them at least making the podium tomorrow.
• Chase Kalisz and Abrahm DeVine both advance to the final of the men’s 200 IM, where Kalisz will look to defend his 2017 world title.
• The United States was knocked down a step but still won silver in the mixed 4 x 100 medley relay. Caeleb Dressel blasted a 49.33 butterfly split in the finals–the fastest 100 LCM butterfly split in history.

North America – Day 4 Medal Table: