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Commentary by Jeff Commings
Katie Meili’s 1:06.50 to win the 100 breaststroke today at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte showed why USA Swimming did the wrong thing in choosing the world championship team last summer.
Meili placed fifth in the 100 breast at last summer’s nationals, good enough to qualify for the Pan American Games team, but would things be different if the selection meet were held this summer? Meili’s time today would have won at last summer’s nationals by one hundredth of a second, and don’t think for a second that Meili doesn’t know that. I doubt Meili was fully rested for tonight’s swim, which portends some great things for this summer. I am sure Micah Lawrence and Jessica Hardy will represent the Stars and Stripes very well in the 100 breast in Kazan at world championships, but could Katie Meili have been the better choice?
This reminds me of the situation involving Matt Grevers at the 2010 nationals. Though regarded as the top backstroker in the country at the time, he placed fourth at the 2010 nationals, missing out on that summer’s Pan Pacific championship and the world championships the following year. Grevers did qualify for the 2012 Olympic team and won gold in the 100 backstroke. Though Meili would have to drop a lot of time to contend for the gold medal at the world championships, I wonder if she’ll put together the fastest time among the American women in the 100 breast this summer. Anything in the 1:05 range will make her an instant contender for a spot on next year’s Olympic team, shedding the label of “outside possibility” that she’s had for a while.
Since joining SwimMAC Carolina’s Team Elite a few years ago, Meili has continually improved. Her best time in 2012 was 1:09.68, and she’s chipped away at her personal best every year since then, and it looks like she is starting to get into serious contention at the right time. As was the case with Grevers in 2011, Meili is surely going to use this year as fuel to make the big leap forward in 2016.
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Could Natalie Coughlin be making a return to the 100 backstroke? Since not making the 2012 Olympic team in the event, Coughlin turned her focus almost exclusively to freestyle. She has raced backstroke in a few in-season meets, but always said freestyle was the new primary stroke for her. She made the Pan American Games team in the 50 and 100 freestyles, but it looks like the two-time 100 back Olympic champ is toying with the idea of adding that event to her schedule again.
Coughlin swam a 100 back time trial today, and almost broke 1:00 with a 1:00.08 in Charlotte. Yikes! That’s extremely fast, and probably one her fastest in-season swims in her career. She had gone 1:00.20 earlier this year, but the fact that Coughlin has now swum the 100 back twice in the span of a few months makes me believe she wants to return to the event that made her a superstar.
Why not? What harm would it do? Yes, the competition will be fierce in Omaha next summer, but the 100 back would be her first event of Trials. It would allow her to shake off the jitters (yes, even 12-time Olympic medalists get nervous) and be fully ready for the sprint freestyles. And if she magically makes the team in the 100 back, then it becomes a nice bonus.
I don’t like the early pick system. Time will tell. Look at college football. Early season picks… Hmmm
Is Tim Phillips really USA’s best #2 for Worlds in 100fly? I haven’t seen him post any big times this year. Where is he in his training?