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The first stop of the Arena Pro Swim Series is taking place this week at the University of Texas in Austin. If the psych sheets are any indication, this year’s meet promises to be lightning quick. It’s the first major meet on American soil this quadrennial, and despite the fact that even the Texas Longhorns decided not to swim in a meet at their own pool, the field is still exceptional.
We won’t get treated to watching Sarah Sjostrom swim a 100 butterfly time that would have won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics like we did last year, but names like Daiya Seto, Penny Oleksiak and Josh Prenot are more than enough reason to tune in this Friday.
When comparing the performances at the Austin Pro Swim Series in 2013-the last time athletes were coming down from an Olympic year-it’s easy to see how much faster swimming has gotten in the past four years. When Missy Franklin won the 100 freestyle at this meet four years ago she was the only swimmer to dip beneath 55 seconds. This year, five athletes have a legitimate shot at bettering Missy’s 54.68 done in 2013.
In the men’s 400 IM, there are a number of men that should look to better the 4:20.36 done by Tyler Clary from 2013, including the aforementioned Seto and American Sean Grieshop.
What’s more impressive than faster performances by the world’s best swimmers is the significant increase in the quality of competition the Pro Swim Series has seen in recent years. In the same 100 freestyle that Franklin won four years ago, it took a 57.58 to qualify for the A-Final in the event. Heading into this meet, 29 women hold seed times under 57 seconds in the 100 freestyle. Swimming has gotten quicker and athletes have responded by producing faster results to remain competitive.
The world cup series has made swimming for a living increasingly viable and racing top competition all the more attractive. This is not an entirely new phenomenon. Santa Clara Swim club hosted one of the first international, in season meets like this 49 years ago. It remains one of the largest meets of its kind, often drawing swimmers from Australia and around the world to the Bay Area. Swimming has only been helped by giving the best of the best the chance to compete head to head.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Austin Pro Series this year is the opportunity to see the sport’s young talent continue to find its footing. The Canadian women are establishing themselves as a global swimming power and Oleksiak, Taylor Ruck, Rebecca Smith, and Mary Sophie-Harvey will all be in Austin. Of that group, Sophie-Harvey set a personal best in the long course 400 IM early last month, signaling that she could be in for a strong showing.
Michael Andrew may challenge for a win the 100 butterfly. While girls like Lucie Nordmann and Alex Walsh are not likely to challenge for wins this week, both could find themselves on senior national teams in the next several years. Even in a post-Olympic year, fans should expect quality performances and should look forward to the promise of a new Olympic cycle.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
This will be a great experience for PAC’s girls who are traveling to Austin tomorrow. Swim fast and don’t forget to have fun ??♀️