Chris Guiliano Swims 47.49 100 Freestyle in Time Trial, Becomes Fifth-Fastest American Ever
An incredible week at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C., saw Notre Dame junior Chris Guiliano win ACC titles in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle while leading the Fighting Irish to second place in the team competition, their highest finish since joining the ACC a decade ago. Guiliano swam a time of 40.62 in the 100 free to become the third-fastest performer in history, and his 400 medley relay anchor split of 40.17 was the second-quickest ever. Notre Dame concluded the meet by scoring an upset win in the 400 free relay.
With his work for the college team done for the weekend, Guiliano returned to the Greensboro Aquatic Center Sunday morning for a long course time trial, and he knocked a half-second from his best time in the 100-meter free. Swimming in a heat where no other swimmers broke 50 seconds, Guiliano clocked 47.49 in the event, breaking his previous best time of 47.98 from his runnerup finish at U.S. Nationals last June. Guiliano split 22.85 on the way out and came back in 24.64.
The time is actually quicker than Pan Zhanle swam to win the world title in the 100 free last week, although it’s obviously worth noting that Pan went 46.80 for a new world record leading off China’s 400 free relay earlier in the week.
The swim makes Guiliano the fifth-fastest American in history, with only Caeleb Dressel (46.96), Jack Alexy (47.31), David Walters (47.33) and Ryan Held (47.39) having gone faster. Guiliano now moves ahead of legendary figures Michael Phelps (47.51), Nathan Adrian (47.52) and Jason Lezak (47.58) on the all-time list, and the swim reinforces his status as a favorite to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team this summer, with an individual berth in the 100 free very much within the realm of possibility in addition to a likely relay spot.
Before that, Guiliano will turn his attention to the NCAA Championships, where he will battle for titles in all of his events but especially the 100 free, where the likes of Alexy, Josh Liendo and Jordan Crooks will await in what is sure to be one of the meet’s most anticipated races.
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