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Each month, Swimming World will partner with TritonWear to bring you our Swimmer of the Month. This month, we feature Michael Andrew (USA).
Who is Michael Andrew?
Michael Andrew is a 19 year old professional American swimmer who competes in every stroke. He races in fly, back, breast and free events individually, as well as in IMs and medley relays.
Michael is trained by his father in his backyard with Ultra Short Race Pace Training (USRPT). Michael has been swimming at international swimming competitions since 2015. In 2015, he was given the title of FINA Male Swimmer of the Meet at the 2015 FINA World Junior Championships. Most importantly, Michael recently won the 50 Free at the Pan Pacific Championships
Michael Andrew’s Claim to Fame
Prior to the Pan Pacific Games, Michael performed exceptionally well at the recently concluded 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships, where he won 4 senior national titles, beating out 3 Olympic medalists for the 100m breaststroke gold. He also smashed championship records in the 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke at the same meet.
Last year, he broke the world junior record in the 100m IM at the 2017 FINA World Cup. Some of his other notable achievement in the past year include:
- 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series: 4 Gold (100m Breast, 50m Free, 50m Fly, 50m Fly)
- 2017 USA Swimming National: 1 Silver (50m Free)
- 2017 FINA World Junior Championships: 3 Gold (50m Back, 50m Free, 50m Fly)
- 2016 FINA World Short Course Championships: 1 Gold (100m IM)
- 2015 Speedo Junior National Championships: 4 Gold (100m Fly, 100m Back, 50m Free, 200m IM)
Michael Andrew’s Metrics
We looked at Michael Andrew’s 100m breaststroke to analyze his metrics across 3 competitions (2016 Arena Pro Swim Series, 2016 Olympic Trials, 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships), see how his performance changed over time, and compare his metrics against the athletes he was racing against.
Michael swam significantly faster at the 2016 Olympic Trials and 2018 Phillips 66 Nationals than at the Arena Pro Series, clocking in a time over 4 seconds faster in the latter meets. Though the average speed of the heat was generally slower at the Arena Pro Series, Michael’s speed also fell below the average. Overall, the competition was faster at both the Olympic Trials and the 2018 Phillips 66 Nationals, but Michael rose to the occasion, generating more speed on average than the rest of the heat.
The increase in Michael’s speed at the Olympic Trials and Phillips 66 Nationals can be attributed to the increase in his DPS. His stroke rate across the 3 meets remained fairly the same, with only slight differences, but his DPS saw a large increase, resulting in improved speed. This was also reflected in his stroke – he took around 2 strokes less per lap at the Olympic Trials and Phillips 66 Nationals
His strategy across all 3 competitions was to take slower, but longer pulls. On average, he took each stroke between 0.1 – 0.2 seconds longer than his competitors, but also gained more distance with each stroke.
Takeaways
Good technique is key to a fast swim. Michael had a significantly slower stroke rate than his competitors, but he more than made up for this by swimming with the most efficiency. Given his stroke rate, poor form would not have resulted in his high DPS or speed.
That said, a good stroke rate definitely still matters. His high DPS could have easily produced bad results if his stroke rate had gone too slow. Finding the delicate balance between stroke rate and DPS allowed him to capitalize on the momentum from each of his strokes, pausing just the right amount in the recovery to maintain his speed.
here are plenty more insights to learn over on TritonWear’s Swimmer of the Month page. Check it out to learn more of Michael Andrew’s 100m breaststroke metrics here
Michael Andrew – this is awesome!
I will say one thing for Michael Andrew–never any silly motorcycle excuses like Dressel and very unlikely to bring negativity to the sport.
Thank you! TritonWear and Swimmingworldmagazine!
Swimming World must not have watched Cate Campbell swim….
Great job, Michael Andrew!
Awesome performances Congratulations young man
Congratulations