U.S. International Team Trials: Phoebe Bacon Touches Out Rhyan White in 200 Back, Takes Down U.S. Open Record
At the 2021 Olympic Trials, Rhyan White and Phoebe Bacon pulled off a significant upset in the women’s 200 backstroke as they finished first and second, respectively, and denied world-record holder Regan Smith the chance to compete in that event at the Tokyo Olympics. Less than one year later, White and Bacon again took the U.S. spots at the World Championships in the 200 back, but it was Bacon turning the tables and snagging the victory by just five hundredths. In the process, the two swimmers became the sixth and seventh-fastest performers in history, respectively.
Bacon took over the lead at the halfway point, and she held off a surging White at the finish, 2:05.08 to 2:05.13. Both swimmers knocked significant amounts of time off their previous lifetime-best marks, and Bacon actually dropped 1.3 seconds from her previous top time of 2:06.40 from the Tokyo Olympics. In that Olympic final, White finished fourth and Bacon was fifth, but in Greensboro, both swimmers surpassed the 2:05.42 that Kylie Masse swam while capturing the silver medal in that race.
“It was really fun. I love racing the 200 back, and I love racing the other women, so to go a best time right now is just great. I’m happy with it,” Bacon said. “The plan going into it was to race because sometimes I can get caught up in my own head and my plan. Tonight, talking with (Wisconsin coach) Yuri (Suguiyama), it was just go out there, have some fun, race some competitors and hope to have a good race.”
Smith, meanwhile, ended up third in 2:05.65, so she will not defend her world title in the event. Notably, Smith’s time was faster than White’s winning time in the 200 back from the 2021 Trials, but she was not able to catch up to Bacon and White down the stretch. In the world rankings for 2021, only Olympic gold medalist Kaylee McKeown (2:04.64) has recorded a time faster than what the three Americans swam in Greensboro Wednesday evening.
Cal’s Isabelle Stadden finished fourth here in 2:09.69, but she was more than four seconds off the pace of the top three swimmers. No one else in the field swam under 2:10.
Looking ahead to the World Championships, Bacon believes that she and White will be in a much stronger position this time around thanks to their experiences at the Olympics last year and their comfort in racing the 200 back together on the international stage.
“I think me and Rhyan have grown really close over the past few years just racing each other back and forth. This past summer was a great opportunity for us to learn for each other, both in training camp and racing each other again in the Olympics. Going into this summer, it’s going to be really exciting,” Bacon said. “Having Rhyan right there with me, it’s a comforting feeling. We can go into this event holding our heads up high and being excited and knowing that we belong there and we’re ready to race the rest of the world.”
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Way to go Rhyan!!!