U.S. International Team Trials: Michael Andrew Crushes 58.78 in 100 Breaststroke Prelims
Michael Andrew qualified for the World Championships with a pair of strong performances Thursday. He took second to Caeleb Dressel in the 100 butterfly, and just 15 minutes later, he broke the American record in the 50 breaststroke. He barely got ahead of Nic Fink to claim a spot on the World Championships team in that event. Now, Andrew and Fink will be the heavy favorites for a 1-2 finish in the 100 breast final.
In prelims, Andrew swam the fastest qualifying time with a mark of 58.78, about six tenths off his own American record of 58.14 set at Olympic Trials in 2021. fink was the only other swimmer to break the 1:00 barrier as he posted a time of 59.63. Fink ranks No. 2 all-time among Americans in the 100 breast, but he finished third in an exceptionally close final at Olympic Trials where the top three swimmers were separated by just seven hundredths. But this year, Trials runnerup Andrew Wilson has retired and veteran Kevin Cordes is not competing.
Indiana’s Tommy Cope was the next-fastest swimmer at 1:00.25, while Cody Miller, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 100 breast and a one-time American-record holder in the race, qualified fourth in 1:00.56. Charlie Swanson, who pulled off a surprise in the 200 breast when he tied with Fink to qualify for the World Championships, took fifth in prelims here at 1:00.61.
Zhier Fan finished sixth (1:00.64), and the last two finals spots went to Kevin Houseman (1:00.94) and AJ Pouch (1:01.22).
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