What’s At Stake as Olympic Year Commences in Knoxville
The first Pro Swim Series meet of the year typically lacks much pizazz. The elite professional swimmers are just finishing up one of the hardest blocks of training of the year while the college-aged swimmers who comprise roughly half of most international squads are absent, their focus understandably on short course yards competition and the upcoming conference and national championship meets.
Not the case this year, with the Knoxville, Tenn., meet packed with big names deep in preparation for Olympic Trials. Sixteen of the 19 American swimmers who won individual medals at last year’s World Championships will be in attendance, including collegians Alex Walsh, Gretchen Walsh, Jack Alexy and Dare Rose, all of whom are also focused on defending their NCAA team championships this spring.
Maggie Mac Neil — Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
In addition, a handful of foreign nationals have chosen to open their Olympic year in Knoxville, including a trio of Canadian swimmers who have won individual gold medals at major meets, Summer McIntosh, Maggie Mac Neil and Penny Oleksiak.
This convergence of top talent has created a psych sheet that rivals or, in some cases, surpasses the entry lists for this summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials. For instance, the men’s 100 freestyle features seven swimmers seeded under 48 and 16 men at 48.50 or better. Of the Americans who have broken 48 in the last two years, all except Chris Guiliano are entered in the Pro Series meet.
Compare this field to the one we expect in Indianapolis in June. Subtract the Cayman Islands’ Jordan Crooks, Brazil’s Gui Caribe and Sweden’s Bjorn Seeliger, and add in collegians like Notre Dame’s Guiliano and Arizona State’s Jonny Kulow. That’s about all the differences. And at Olympic Trials, there will be a tooth-and-nail battle for spots in the top eight. It would be no surprise if big-name swimmers clock times around 48.2 or 48.3 in the semifinals but still miss out on the final thanks to sensational performances from their rivals.
Simply, that won’t happen at a Pro Series meet. Of course not. The psych sheet screams “Trials preview,” but in reality, the stakes are exceptionally low. Miss the A-final? No big deal. Depending on the event, you may still get quality competition in the consolation heat. When Caeleb Dressel showed significant progress in his comeback to top-level racing at last month’s U.S. Open, two of his three night swims came in the B-final.
But even the times, Dressel said, were of secondary importance.
“It’s always exciting to see fast times,” Dressel told NBC Sports at the U.S. Open. “It’s not something I need right now. Training’s been going great, so it’s a little cherry on top to see last night and tonight, some pretty good times. We’re in a good spot, but I didn’t really need to see anything. Training’s been great.”
The best swimmers based in the United States (and Canada) are traveling to the University of Tennessee this week not to light the world on fire but to gauge their progress. Long course racing against quality competition cannot be simulated in practice, so there is no substitution for a meet like this for any swimmer serious about contending at Olympic Trials.
Katie Ledecky — Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
The times, however, are a secondary focus right now. How the swimmers stack up might be very different from the final standings come June, with each swimmer coming in at a different spot in the training cycle. Poor performances here probably mean nothing in the long run. At the U.S. Open, Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke were nowhere close to their best times while struggling against rivals. Are we really concerned about two of the most reliable, clutch distance swimmers in history? Of course not.
That said, keep an eye out for breakthroughs. This is the Olympic year, after all, and we would not be surprised if some lesser-known swimmer announces their intentions to the world with standout swims this week or at future Pro Series stops in Westmont, Ill., or San Antonio, Texas. The status quo of American swimming might change significantly over the next few months with new athletes to consider as possibilities for Olympic spots. At the same time, we won’t discount about any veterans who swim further away from their best times in-season, their track records at the most important competitions already well-established.
Have your expectations accurately adjusted before over-scrutinizing results from this opening stop of the Pro Series, but on the other hand, this is the Olympic year. The Paris Games are in squarely in sight, and that brings some magic to the proceedings.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a real Olympic year. The 2020 Games were postponed to 2021 because of COVID-19, and the ensuing event in Tokyo was stripped of some of its luster due to the pandemic. For the first time in eight years, we are coming up on a normal Summer Games, and for opportunistic swimmers, the Knoxville Pro Series could be a spot to begin the final push.