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Michael Weiss and Reed Malone had strong swims at the Pan American Games and World University Games, respectively, last month, and stepped up to represent the United States today in the 800 free relay prelims at the world championships.
Their splits were good enough in the morning heats to convince the Team USA coaches to put them on the finals relay tonight with Ryan Lochte and Conor Dwyer. For Weiss, his prelim split of 1:46.14 marked a major reversal from his performances at Pan Ams, where “nothing went according to plan.” He was able to refocus for Kazan and get ready for his relay duty.
“I really enjoy the second taper,” he said. “I usually go better off it.”
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After the drama surrounding the disqualification and subsequent reinstatement of the American 800 free relay at Pan Ams due to tape on Weiss’ fingers, he said there is no issue to worry about going into finals.
“All that’s over,” he said with a laugh. “I can finish one last hard time and be ready to go.”
Malone didn’t have an easy debut at the world championships, having to race Australian legend Grant Hackett in his heat. Though Hackett got the better of him, Malone said he was thrilled to have the chance to race one of the best.
“It was a dream come true,” he said. “It was kind of surreal. I think I let it get the best of me a little bit today, but it was an amazing experience and I’m never going to forget it.”
Malone had the task of putting together the prelim swim a month after a series of great performances at the World University Games, including a gold in the 200 freestyle. He didn’t worry about what needed to be done, saying he put complete trust in Trojan Swim Club coach Dave Salo.
“I let him work his Salo magic,” he said. “It ended up working out. I wanted it to be a little bit faster, but we got the job done.”
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