TYR Pro Series: Katie Ledecky Fires Off 1:55 Marker On Way to Title in 200 Freestyle
Less than a month before USA Swimming holds its International Team Trials in Greensboro, three-time Olympian Katie Ledecky made it clear her training in Gainesville, and under the watch of Anthony Nesty, is progressing nicely. After bypassing the 800-meter freestyle on the opening night of the meet, Ledecky put together a strong performance in the 200 freestyle at the TYR Pro Series stop in San Antonio.
Racing at the Northside Swim Center, Ledecky put together a wire-to-wire triumph and touched the wall in 1:55.66, which was good for a comfortable victory over Paige Madden (1:57.12). While Ledecky has been as fast as 1:54.66 during the 2022 season, the mark she put down in her latest tuneup swim bodes well for Greensboro, where the Team USA squad for this summer’s World Championships will be named.
A seven-time Olympic champion, Ledecky went through the 100-meter mark in 56.81, with Madden just a half-second back in 57.39. But Ledecky turned to her closing speed and endurance over the back half of the race to pull away. Third place went to Leah Smith in 1:58.55.
From one Olympic titlist to another, Lilly King looked sharp during a win in the 100 breaststroke, as she went 1:05.32 to narrowly better Germany’s Anna Elendt (1:05.58). King was nearly a second faster on her outward 50 during the final than she went in the prelims, and that early speed proved to be the difference as Elendt challenged down the stretch. With her time, Elendt lowered the German national record she set during the morning, which was 1:05.96.
Teenage sensation Claire Curzan, a 17-year-old Olympian bound for Stanford University, produced a dominant showing in the 100 butterfly. Curzan blazed to a swim of 57.02 to win by more than a second over Kelsi Dahlia, who touched in 58.73. Curzan has already been sub-57 this year and is headed for one of the best showdowns of Trials in Greensboro, where she’s expected to tangle with Torri Huske, Kate Douglass and Dahlia in the 100 fly.
In the final women’s event of the night, Olympic bronze medalist Hali Flickinger crushed the field in the 400 individual medley. Swimming 4:40.62, Flickinger won by more than 12 seconds. She was fourth in the 200 freestyle earlier in the night, behind a time of 1:58.90.
Event 3 Women 200 LC Meter Freestyle
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World: W 1:52.98 7/29/2009 Federica Pellegrini, ITA
American: A 1:53.61 7/31/2012 Allison Schmitt, USA Olympic Team
U.S. Open: O 1:54.40 6/25/2012 Allison Schmitt, North Baltimore
Jr World: J 1:55.11 7/28/2021 Mollie O'Callaghan, AUS
Pro Swim: P 1:54.40 4/9/2021 Katie Ledecky, Nation's Capital
Name Age Team Prelims Finals
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=== A - Final ===
1 Katie Ledecky 25 Una GSC-FL 1:56.19 1:55.66
r:+0.64 27.64 56.81 (29.17)
1:26.18 (29.37) 1:55.66 (29.48)
2 Paige Madden 23 Unattached-MR 2:00.44 1:57.12
r:+0.66 27.95 57.39 (29.44)
1:27.41 (30.02) 1:57.12 (29.71)
3 Leah Smith 26 Longhorn Aquatic 2:00.15 1:58.55
r:+0.72 28.23 58.02 (29.79)
1:28.28 (30.26) 1:58.55 (30.27)
4 Hali Flickinger 27 Sun Devil Swimmi 1:59.08 1:58.90
r:+0.71 28.37 58.53 (30.16)
1:29.00 (30.47) 1:58.90 (29.90)
5 Melanie Margali 30 Saint Petersburg 2:00.77 1:59.74
r:+0.68 28.38 58.51 (30.13)
1:29.32 (30.81) 1:59.74 (30.42)
6 Gabby DeLoof 26 Club Wolverine-M 2:01.75 2:00.55
r:+0.66 28.78 59.29 (30.51)
1:29.93 (30.64) 2:00.55 (30.62)
7 Anna Peplowski 19 Indiana Universi 2:01.65 2:00.81
r:+0.72 28.13 58.38 (30.25)
1:29.46 (31.08) 2:00.81 (31.35)
8 Beata Nelson 23 Wisconsin Aquati 2:00.69 2:02.33
r:+0.71 28.38 59.27 (30.89)
1:30.92 (31.65) 2:02.33 (31.41)
Event 5 Women 100 LC Meter Breaststroke
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World: W 1:04.13 7/25/2017 Lilly King, USA
American: A 1:04.13 7/25/2017 Lilly King, USA
U.S. Open: O 1:04.45 8/7/2009 Jessica Hardy, Trojan
Jr World: J 1:04.35 7/29/2013 Ruta Meilutyte, LTU
Pro Swim: P 1:05.32 4/8/2021 Lilly King, Indiana Swim Clu
Name Age Team Prelims Finals
==================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Lilly King 25 Indiana Swim Clu 1:06.30 1:05.32P
r:+0.69 30.60 1:05.32 (34.72)
2 *Anna Elendt 20 Univ of Texas-ST 1:05.96 1:05.58
r:+0.67 30.92 1:05.58 (34.66)
3 Annie Lazor 27 Indiana Swim Clu 1:08.07 1:07.05
r:+0.68 31.63 1:07.05 (35.42)
4 *Mona McSharry 21 Univ Tennessee-S 1:10.00 1:08.14
r:+0.67 32.50 1:08.14 (35.64)
5 *Nicole Frank R 18 Azura Florida Aq 1:10.79 1:10.71
r:+0.68 33.30 1:10.71 (37.41)
5 *Emma Sundstran 20 Univ Miami Hurri 1:11.71 1:10.71
r:+0.73 33.35 1:10.71 (37.36)
7 *Brearna Crawfo 19 Indiana Universi 1:11.89 1:10.75
r:+0.72 33.04 1:10.75 (37.71)
8 *Tjasa Pintar 25 Univ Tennessee-S 1:11.68 1:11.43
r:+0.71 32.96 1:11.43 (38.47)
Event 7 Women 100 LC Meter Butterfly
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World: W 55.48 8/7/2016 Sarah Sjostrom, SWE
American: A 55.66 6/14/2021 Torri Huske, Arlington Aquati
U.S. Open: O 55.66 6/14/2021 Torri Huske, Arlington Aquati
Jr World: J 56.46 8/7/2016 Penny Oleksiak, CAN
Pro Swim: P 56.38 2016 Sarah Sjostrom
Name Age Team Prelims Finals
==================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Claire Curzan 17 TAC Titans-NC 57.76 57.02
r:+0.62 26.37 57.02 (30.65)
2 Kelsi Dahlia 27 Cardinal Aquatic 58.89 58.73
r:+0.61 27.50 58.73 (31.23)
3 Kelly Pash 21 Univ of Texas-ST 59.65 58.87
r:+0.67 27.92 58.87 (30.95)
4 Emma Sticklen 19 Univ of Texas-ST 58.89 58.90
r:+0.64 27.33 58.90 (31.57)
5 Beata Nelson 23 Wisconsin Aquati 59.17 58.95
r:+0.71 27.82 58.95 (31.13)
6 Natalie Hinds 28 Una GSC-FL 59.85 59.37
r:+0.64 27.23 59.37 (32.14)
7 Dakota Luther 22 Unattached-GA 59.52 59.42
r:+0.68 28.01 59.42 (31.41)
8 Olivia Bray 20 Univ of Texas-ST 59.66 59.80
r:+0.71 27.86 59.80 (31.94)
Event 9 Women 400 LC Meter IM
==================================================================
World: W 4:26.36 8/6/2016 Katinka Hosszu, HUN
American: A 4:31.12 6/29/2008 Katie Hoff, North Baltimore
U.S. Open: O 4:31.07 6/19/2015 Katinka Hosszu, HUN
Jr World: J 4:38.53 8/20/2019 Alba Vazquez, HUN
Pro Swim: P 4:31.07 2015 Katinka Hosszu
Name Age Team Prelims Finals
==================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Hali Flickinger 27 Sun Devil Swimmi 4:50.14 4:40.62
r:+0.70 29.18 1:02.11 (32.93)
1:38.89 (36.78) 2:14.64 (35.75)
2:55.84 (41.20) 3:38.09 (42.25)
4:10.48 (32.39) 4:40.62 (30.14)
2 *Ching Hwee Gan 18 Indiana Universi 4:57.94 4:53.22
r:+0.61 32.24 1:06.76 (34.52)
1:45.25 (38.49) 2:21.82 (36.57)
3:05.60 (43.78) 3:48.19 (42.59)
4:21.58 (33.39) 4:53.22 (31.64)
3 Katie McCarthy 17 Edina Swim Club- 4:54.35 4:53.29
r:+0.81 30.49 1:05.88 (35.39)
1:44.52 (38.64) 2:21.45 (36.93)
3:05.40 (43.95) 3:49.21 (43.81)
4:22.55 (33.34) 4:53.29 (30.74)
4 Anna Freed 20 Indiana Universi 4:56.49 4:56.93
r:+0.73 30.48 1:05.92 (35.44)
1:43.30 (37.38) 2:19.44 (36.14)
3:03.99 (44.55) 3:49.25 (45.26)
4:23.88 (34.63) 4:56.93 (33.05)
5 *Nicole Frank R 18 Azura Florida Aq 4:59.97 4:57.54
r:+0.65 31.04 1:06.84 (35.80)
1:46.94 (40.10) 2:25.91 (38.97)
3:07.74 (41.83) 3:49.96 (42.22)
4:24.54 (34.58) 4:57.54 (33.00)
6 Ella Flowers 18 Rice Aquatics-GU 5:00.91 5:00.89
r:+0.65 30.84 1:06.65 (35.81)
1:47.68 (41.03) 2:26.89 (39.21)
3:08.39 (41.50) 3:51.03 (42.64)
4:26.76 (35.73) 5:00.89 (34.13)
7 Sierra Schmidt 23 Scottsdale Aquat 5:00.53 5:01.06
r:+0.73 30.91 1:05.98 (35.07)
1:45.22 (39.24) 2:23.37 (38.15)
3:08.85 (45.48) 3:55.15 (46.30)
4:28.55 (33.40) 5:01.06 (32.51)
8 Abby Grottle 20 Texas A & M Univ 5:01.98 5:08.66
r:+0.67 31.59 1:07.84 (36.25)
1:47.72 (39.88) 2:26.70 (38.98)
3:11.94 (45.24) 3:58.55 (46.61)
4:34.00 (35.45) 5:08.66 (34.66)
