Racing this weekend at a dual meet between club teams DC Wave and Nation’s Capital (NCAP), Pan American Games gold medalist Phoebe Bacon kicked her way to a 53.94 in the 100 yard backstroke.
Bacon’s best time in the 100 yard back is a 51.18, but in that race she had the benefit of ‘using her arms.’ In this particular meet, she opted to swim the race (almost) entirely with her legs. Unlike many of these swims, which are done almost entirely underwater and are therefore not legal times, Bacon surfaced on each length before 15 meters, meaning that the time will go down as an official swim. The only points of the race where she used her arms was in a complete stroke cycle into each turn.
In spite of going full legs in the swim, she was the fastest 100 backstroker of the day in the mixed-gender event, tying NCAP 14-year old Kris Lawson who also went 53.94.
As shown in the video below, Bacon dolphin kicked to about 15 meters off each wall, popped up while still dolphin kicking, before switching to a few meters of flutter kick going into her turns.
Bacon, a member of the US National Team, won a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in the women’s 100 meter backstroke. Bacon, who is the 6th-ranked recruit in the country in the class of 2020, is committed to the University of Wisconsin – which is incidentally the current team of the fastest 100 yard backstroker in history, Beata Nelson. While Nelson is still 2 seconds faster than Bacon in the 100 yard back (49.18 vs. 51.18), Bacon’s best time in long course is faster by almost the same margin (59.02 vs. 1:00.92).
Bacon also swam the 100 free in 50.29 – with her arms.
Phoebe Bacon‘s 100 yard backstroke kick, courtesy Neo Matsuyama:
Just attention to detail…backstroke does not have a stroke cycle (2nd paragraph, last sentence). Better expressed will be..“using arms to complete a legal turn” . Breaststroke is the only stroke in which the rule book mentions a stroke cycle (arm pull, leg kick in that order).
While “stroke cycle” might not be used in official rule books, it’s a pretty common way for coaches to describe a full cycle of any of the four competitive strokes.
Looked like a 53.94 to me
That’s just awesome!
She’s going to make someone quit the sport doing that. How many national team female backstroker’s our swimming for USA? Olympic Trials is going to be real interesting.
This is such a flex lol
At first I thought “kicking a 53” meant just chilling, but no it’s actually kicking it. It’s incredible to see her swim in person. At our allstars meet for the summer league she went a 56.71 scm without the new wedges and destroyed all the boys swimming. I’m honestly a little disappointed she’ll probably miss a lot of the season for OTs and maybe the Olympics if she’s lucky
She has a chance behind Smith… Baker and Smoliga will be tough, but she definitely has the improvement curve bending in her favor at the moment
The depth of US women’s backstroke is amazing right now. Incredible to think of the talent that will be watching the Olympics from home. The Aussie women are not quite as deep, but 3 into 2 doesn’t go (Atherton, McKeown, Seebohm). No wonder Madi Wilson is concentrating on freestyle!
She’s a bit of a hometown hero for me so I’m definitely biased, but she’s been pretty heavily improving in the 100. I’m hoping that because she’s so young and she’s been focusing more on lcm that she has more room in her skill ceiling still. Smoliga looks like she’s been stuck around 58.7 since 2017 so that might be around her cap. I think Bacon has it in her to beat that. The big question is Kathleen Baker and if she can recover from her injury enough to get back to her 58 flat, maybe even 57 high self. Of course you still have Stadden, Berkoff, and Beata Nelson in the picture.
Do backstrokers in the MCSL still do a start by holding onto the legs of a teammate on deck? That’s how we did our starts in the 80’s.
Yep. Still start holding onto the legs of teammates, no blocks. I feel like she could have gone 55 with a wedge. I feel like we have so much talent in the Mcsl is unbelieveable
“Can you be my legs?”
Is this a legal swim with the few dolphin kicks done above the surface?
Yep. So long as you’re on your back and surface at 15 meters, in backstroke you can use whatever form you like.
It’s probably not as well known as it should be that really the only requirement in backstroke is that you stay on your back except on the turns. If you think you can go faster with a double-arm pull and a breaststroke kick, go for it!
Yeah, although now everyone should be a lot more familiar with the concept because of the “Lochte Rule,” I would imagine that everyone didn’t actually make the connection between that and regular backstroke events.
Impressive