Michael Phelps, after the last stop of the USA Swimming Grand Prix series in Charlotte, promised a “full schedule” for Santa Clara.
Though entries are non-binding, at least in that regard he has delivered.
See the full psych sheets here.
Phelps is entered in the 100 free, the 100 fly, the 200 free, and the 200 IM for Santa Clara. Two of those races, the 100 free and the 200 IM, will be his first cracks since making his comeback from retirement in Mesa two months ago.
While we can’t over-react to his schedule as any hint of what Phelps plans to race at U.S. Nationals, it’s a safe presumption that he will have at least 3 events at nationals, when including relay qualifying attempts. This will be the first time since his return that he will swim more than two days (or more than three sessions) of a meet, with the potential to swim as many as 6 depending on scratches.
We will have a full recap next week as the meet draws nearer, but here’s a few other quick observations:
- Missy Franklin, in her first Grand Prix action of the season, will swim 6 events: the 100/200 free, the 100/200 back, the 200 IM, and the 100 fly. Those first 4 are not unexpected, but living up to a promise when she went to Cal, she’s expanding her range into some different events. Though, that still doesn’t include a 400 free, despite being the NCAA runner-up in the 500 yard free equivalent.
- No tease from Ryan Lochte this time. He’s scratched out pre-psych sheets while dealing with a bad knee.
- Maya DiRado seems to have made the full transition to butterfly. She was a very good 200 backstroker before surprising to make the Worlds team in the 200 fly last summer. In Santa Clara, her first Grand Prix of the year, DiRado has 7 entries: 100/200 fly, 200/400 free, 200/400 IM, and the 200 breaststroke. She’s also got a shot at making the Pan Pacs team in the IM’s, so that 200 breaststroke is important from a training perspective, but the fact that she’s entered in that race and no backstrokes speaks volumes to her paradigm shift.
- Canadian Ryan Cochrane will be down for the meet. That should make for the best distance test yet for Connor Jaeger since completing his collegiate season.
You talk about the psych sheet but you didn’t post it.
So here’s the psych sheet.
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/1d30e694-c4c3-4361-9cf6-813f8ee3f139/2014%20Santa%20Clara%20GP%20-%20Psych%20Sheet.pdf
Finally we’ll see Missy in long course! 😎
I missed her very much at the Grand Prix meets this year.
Finally we’ll see Miss Smoliga in long course! 😎
MP and all NBAC swimmers will probably swim very good times. They are generally used to swimming fast after high-altitude training at Colorado Springs. Hopefully MP will swim the 200 IM, just to see. Chase Kalisz wants to swim a PB in the 400 IM. Allison Schmitt, like Camille Muffat, is back at a very high level. Can she, as Muffat did it 2 days… Read more »
i think Phelps will swim the 200 IM to test his endurance. he is seeded 1st in this event!
M-200 free & W-200 free will be the races to watch in Santa Clara. so excited. 😀
Sweet guys… He’s entered in 4 events and I’m sure he’ll scratch 3 of them. Wouldn’t be anything new
😆 😆 😆 😆
you meant prelims or finals??
if he can post some good times in his prelims races then it’s okay to scratch the unwanted final(s)
everyone’s done that, no big deal.
checked the psych sheets & saw Phelps is seeded 1st in both 100 fly & 200 IM….good signs here 😀
Go MP!
Go Michael!
Everyone in my family is rooting for you — our all-time favorite swimmer.
I am mostly excited to see what Missy can do in 200 IM after a year at CAL. If her breast and fly improved as much as I expected, she can do a lot of damage this summer if she swims it.
Scanned through the psych sheet. A few thoughts…
~ top 4 seeds in the men’s 200 free are NBAC swimmers, the top being Agnel. There’s a decent chance the other three (Phelps, Dwyer, McLean) form 3/4 of the US 4×200 this year. And while not likely, I’d guess there’s some possibility Tom Luchsinger could pull a crazy time drop and join them, making it an all-NBAC relay.
~ Conger and Bentz in their first Grand Prix of the year.
Ok, so only two thoughts. I’m tired.
200 IM definitely seems like an event Phelps can excel in. Assuming that Michael wants to stay away from distance events the next couple years, I really want to see him concentrate on the 100 free. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who feels like he has so much untapped potential in that event. We’ve got to see him swim it on relays..
Hell, he broke the American record in Beijing leading off. He’s already distinguished himself as the most accomplished butterfly swimmer ever (apologies Mel), so lets see him get after Adrian and Magnussen in 2016.
It’ll be interesting to see if Phelps sticks with the 200 IM. If Lochte isn’t able to swim this summer, that would leave the 200 IM pretty unsettled, after Dwyer, presumably.
Phelps is, in theory, the only guy that I think can challenge Hagino in the 200 IM this summer. Depends on his fitness and, like you say, whether or not he chooses to stick with it.
Maybe,.. if Hagino pulls a crazy schedule again.. he will only hurt himself again..
Time for the next generation to step. Bentz or Seliskar will challenge Dwyer for that second spot. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them clips him either.
My prediction was correct! 🙂