Olympic Team Trials: A 100 Butterfly to Remember; 3 Stars, 3 Races

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

As someone who’s favorite event is the 100 butterfly – to swim and watch – the women’s final of the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials did not disappoint. It was a thrilling race from start to finish.

What I find to be most fascinating about this race is the fact that the top three swimmers swam completely different races.

First off, the world record Gretchen Walsh set in the semifinal was unbelievable. The speed with which she took the race out was astonishing, and the fact that she was able to hang on was equally impressive. I thought she was going to break 55 seconds to go 54, and she nearly did with her 55.18. Furthermore, taking out her final swim in 25.20 was absolute insanity. She faded a bit towards the end, but she got the job done, and is headed to Paris.

Second-place finisher Torri Huske swam a balanced race. Taking her race out in 25.93, Huske was out fast enough to be ahead of the rest of the field with Walsh. She was out pretty quick, but not to quick to keep her from closing well. Her second 50 split was 29.59, just over a half second faster than Walsh’s closing 50 meters. This allowed Huske to reel Walsh in a bit and secure her a spot on the Olympic Team. Overall, her race was a well-rounded mix of early speed and finishing speed to go a new best time of 55.52.

Finally, third-place finisher Regan Smith threw down a monster closing 50 to finish with a time of 55.62. Smith was out in 26.68 and was mixed in with the rest of the pack. However, she did not stick with them for long as she absolutely rocketed across the pool to chase down Huske and Walsh. She closed in 28.94. That is one of the fastest closing 50 splits for the 100-meter butterfly in history. Her 50 splits were only two seconds apart, utterly insane for a long course 100 fly. This was how she was able to go out with the pack and still go 55 mid.

This was an all-around great race from everyone in the field, but these three took the race to another level. There was something magical about watching Smith track down the two ahead of her like a predator stalking prey. It was thrilling.

I cannot wait to see what these women bring to the Paris Olympic Games after such an amazing Olympic Trials.

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