Ryan Murphy calmly swam a race just good enough to earn the top seed.
But in the finals, he used a huge final turn to get to the wall in 1:55.03, more than a half second ahead of the field.
It has become a huge racing weapon.
“It is not like I go into the race saying, ‘Here is my weapon,’ but it is definitely something I work on every day,” Murphy said. “I go into practice every single day working on the details and turns are a part of that – but that is definitely not the only thing I am working on.”
Unlike the women’s 200 backstroke that was loaded with Olympians and champions, there weren’t many swimmers on paper that looked to give Murphy a run for the title.
“I had a plan going in. I wanted go nail the 75-125. Being hyper-critical, I felt a little disjointed and sometime that happens on taper. I am excited to have another three weeks to dial that in.”
It is the fifth time Murphy has qualified for world championships (he won a world title last year). He sees himself as one of the elder statesmen of the team now, something he saw first-hand the importance of when he was a younger swimmer.
“I still think of myself as a 20-year-old guy because it is really fun for me, but I was talking with Caeleb (Dressel) about this the other day. I feel like we are in the (Matt) Grevers-Nathan Adrian role, the guys who were older and captains when we were starting to get on teams – that is cool,” Murphy said. “I remember the way that I was viewing those guys and hanging on every word they would say. I don’t know what the younger guys think of me, but it is cool to think that maybe they are thinking of me like that.”
The second spot was still out there and a talented field rose to the occasion.
Cal’s Destin Lasco took the second spot in 1:55.63, a half second ahead of Jack Aikins and Daniel Diehl who tied for third in 1:56.04.
Lasco was beaming when he saw his finish.
“Look at Destin’s reaction after the race, that is what keeps me fresh,” Murphy said. “He is wicked underwater. I feed off of (the young kids’) energy every day. They are excited every day.”
Lasco, who made the team on the 100 free for the 400 free relay, brings a positive energy to everything he does, something that rubs off on the rest of the team.
“I don’t even know if I could tell you what happened. I just blacked out and let my body take over,” Lasco said. “That field was so fast. I was so glad to get my hand on the wall.”
Going to worlds with Murphy means even more to the Cal swimmer.
“It has always been a dream of mine to be on an international stage with that guy. I missed it twice and third time is a lucky charm,” Lasco said. “It goes back to not giving up. This is a step in the right direction toward 2024.”
Miguel Santos says CAL BEARS!!