Editorial content for the 2019 USA Swimming National Championships coverage is sponsored by FORM Swim Goggles. See full event coverage.
Follow FORM on Instagram at @FORMSwim #swimwithform
Men’s 200 Breast (Reece Whitley)
At a time when the United States certainly needs a boost in the breaststroke events, Reece Whitley and Daniel Roy engaged in a quality duel, Whitley (Cal) getting the best of Roy (Stanford), his Pac-12 Conference rival. On the way to a winning mark of 2:09.69, Whitley split 34.17 over the final lap to pull ahead of Roy, who closed in 34.90 and posted a final time of 2:10.01.
Whitley and Roy were only .19 off of each other on the first 100, but it was Whitley’s strong finish that led him to his first national title. While Andrew Wilson looked solid in the 100 breast and 200 breast at the World Championships, the U.S. is in need of a spark in the discipline. In Gwangju, Russia’s Anton Chupkov set a world record of 2:06.12, an effort that is light years ahead of what is currently in the American arsenal.
Whitley is now the fifth fastest American this year as Roy was actually quicker at World University Games in July with a 2:09.50.
Taking the bronze and dropping .41 of a second from prelims was Joshua Matheny with a time of 2:11.02. In fourth was Daniel Cave (2:11.22), followed closely by Craig Benson (2:11.27) and Caspar Corbeau (2:11.54). Nicholas Quinn was seventh with a time of 2:11.77, with eighth taken by Brandon Fischer in 2:12.15.
With an illegal kick into his finish. I wouldn’t say he got the best of Roy. He just knowingly got away with one.
Shouldn’t the picture be of the one that won?