2024 U.S. Olympic Selection
Women's 200m backstroke in numbers
- World Record: 2:03.14, Kayleigh McKeown (Australia) – 2023 NSW Championships
- American Record: 2:03.35; Regan Smith – 2019 World Championships
- U.S. Open Record: 2:03.80; Regan Smith (United States) – 2023 U.S. Championships
- World Junior Record: 2:03.35; Regan Smith (USA) – 2019 World Championships
- 2021 Olympic Champion: Kayleigh McKeown (AUS), 2:04.68
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champions: Ryan White2:05.73
- 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:13.59
- 2024 Olympic Qualification Time (“A” Cut): 2:10.39
Throughout the Olympic cycle, the women's 200-meter backstroke has been one of the most crowded events at the Games and has remained largely unchanged. In fact, last year The time to reach the 2023 U.S. Championship final was quicker than the time needed to reach the 2023 World Championship final.With multiple Olympic, World and NCAA champions in the mix, this event is sure to bring some big surprises. It reflects the results of the 2021 Olympic Trials.
Regan Smith Seeking Reparation
Previewing the same race three years ago ahead of the 2021 Olympic Trials, Regan Smith Smith was the clear favorite to win the event. As the reigning world champion and world record holder in the event at the time, he led the field by a significant margin with a personal best of 2:03.35.
Regan Smith (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
At the Olympic Trials, Smith looked very comfortable in the first two rounds and was top-seeded in both the heats and the semi-finals. In the final, Smith raced hard and looked to be chasing her own world record, but she lost steam in the final 100 meters and Ryan White He won the event in a time of 2:05.73. Phoebe Bacon White then held off Smith in 2:06.46 to win a close race for the second and final Olympic spot, edging out Smith's 2:06.79. White and Bacon went on to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in Tokyo, denying Smith a chance to compete for an Olympic medal.
2022 saw a similar unfolding. Bacon and White outperform Smith in 2022 International Team TrialsThis means she will not be on the 2022 World Championships roster in this event.
Shortly after his loss at the International Team Trials, Smith changed his training approach, moving to Arizona to train under Bob Bowman. As of early 2023, the move appears to have paid off for Smith. He broke Bacon's U.S. Open record in the 200m backstroke. His time of 2:04.76 was good enough to win the world title in 2022. Smith's drop continued into 2023. He ran a time of 2:03.80 at the U.S. Championships.The performance again set a U.S. Open record and marked Smith's return to the World Championships in the event for the first time since 2019.
Since then, Smith has made it clear that she feels more confident in herself and her chances of making a second Olympic team. Just a few days ago, She broke her own American record in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 57.51 seconds. At the Speed Grand Challenge meet. Though she did not compete in the 200 backstroke at that meet, she certainly made a case that she would be a favorite to win at Indianapolis later this month.
White & Bacon aim for back-to-back titles
Behind Smith, the battle for second place will be one of the most intense in the entire event. Phoebe Bacon and Ryan White The two will represent the United States in the event at both the 2021 Olympic Games and the 2022 World Championships. Currently, the pair rank as the second- and third-best Americans in the event during the Olympic Trials qualifying period with times of 2:05.08 and 2:05.13, respectively, at the 2022 International Team Trials, making them the favorites to fill the remaining spots.
Ryan White (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Bacon won a silver medal in the event at the 2022 World Championships, but finished fifth at the U.S. Championships with a time of 2:06.59, far from her personal best, and missed out on qualifying for the 2023 World Championships team. She recently completed her NCAA season at Wisconsin, where she won the NCAA title in the 200 backstroke with a personal best time of 1:48.23. Due to the NCAA season, the 2022 World Championship silver medalist hasn't competed in many long-distance races this season. However, she ran a season-best time of 2:07.24 at the Pro Swim Series in San Antonio in early April, placing her third in the nation for the 2024 season.
After graduating from the University of Alabama last spring, White announced that he would be joining North Carolina State University's professional team.White struggled to adjust to the transition early in the season but finished second at U.S. Championships in 2:05.77, earning a spot on the 2023 World Championship team. She credited her U.S. Championship time to her World Championship time but finished sixth in 2:08.43. White has only competed a few times since then, with her season best being a 2:07.38 run at the pro swim series at Westmont, which is the fourth-fastest time by an American this season.
Players trying to disrupt the party
Claire Curzan Curzan has been one of the top U.S. swimmers in the 100m backstroke for the last few years, but recently added the 200m backstroke to her roster. At the 2023 U.S. Championships, Curzan placed third in a big personal best of 2:06.35, despite illness hindering her competition, narrowly missing out on a spot in the event at the 2023 World Championships. Curzan was later selected for the 2024 World Championships team in all three backstroke events, where she swept the gold medals, including a personal best of 2:05.77 in the 200m, making it the second-fastest time by an American swimmer this season behind Smith. Bacon and White's best times still put them ahead of Curzan on the all-time list, but Curzan seems to have the advantage at this Olympic Trials meet. Especially since transferring to the University of Virginia last summer. Then he participated in a redshirt season in the NCAAs.
Kennedy Noble (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Kennedy Noble Another swimmer who has made waves in the event over the past year, who will compete in the 2023 U.S. Championships At the championships, Noble recorded a best time of 2:10.53 and placed 11th in her event. She shaved nearly four seconds off that time to finish fourth in the event with a time of 2:06.54.She qualified to compete in the Pan American Games, where she finished just short of her personal best time. He won the gold medal and set a new meet record in 2:08.03.Her time was the sixth-fastest by an American this season. She also had a strong performance at the NCAA Championships, where she took second place in the 200 backstroke (1:48.43) for North Carolina State. She had never broken 1:50 before the NCAAs and came into the meet with a personal best of 1:50.23.
If she chooses to enter this race, Katie Grimes Grimes may also be a favorite to win this event. Having already qualified for the open water swimming event in Paris, Grimes was the fifth-fastest American swimmer this season with a best time of 2:08.01 at the World Cup in Athens last October. However, while she could win this race, it seems highly unlikely that Grimes will compete in this event at the Trials. There are no significant overlaps in the events at the Trials, but in Paris, the 200m backstroke final will be held on the same day as the 800m freestyle preliminaries, and the semifinal will overlap with the 4x200m freestyle relay final. Given the large field, it is doubtful that Grimes will compete in this event.
Grimes' former teammate Bella Sims She's another swimmer who could have a strong showing here if she competes in the event. Like Grimes, Sims already has a very strong Olympic qualifying schedule in the middle and long distance freestyle events. Her season best is 2:11.39, which she set at the U.S. Open in December. It's unlikely Sims will compete in this event, as she doesn't appear to be targeting it.
Young stars to watch
From Smith Missy FranklinThe tournament is no stranger to young stars who have been working their way up the ranks to secure international spots, with several players likely to make it to the finals later this month.
Teagan O'Dell She is the reigning world junior champion in the event. She won the event last September with a personal best time of 2 minutes 8.09 seconds, which is currently the seventh-fastest by an American this season and the eighth-fastest beyond the 2021 Olympics. Jojo Ramey At the World Junior Championships, she placed second to O'Dell in a time of 2:10.08. LaMay placed seventh in the event at the 2021 Olympic Trials, running a personal best of 2:08.90 in the semifinals. If she can post a similar time, she'll likely advance to the finals in 2024.
Leah Shackley (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Leah Shackley Shackley is another contender who could make a name for himself. Shackley made his first appearance in early 2023, clocking a 2:08.42 in the 200 backstroke, ranking him as the second-best American in that event at the time. Though he failed to qualify for the U.S. Championships later that season, Shackley qualified for the 2023 World Junior Championships in the 50 and 100 butterfly, leaving the meet with multiple medals and a lot of confidence. Shackley's personal best is currently ninth among Americans since the 2021 Olympics, and his season-best of 2:08.87 is 10th in the country this season.
Other age groups to note are: Maggie Wanezek and Lila Bognerrecorded personal bests of 2:10.33 and 2:10.37, respectively, at the 2024 NCSA Championships. Charlotte Crush Although he hasn't competed in many long distance races recently, his best time of 2:09.71 makes him a favorite to win.
Other NCAA veterans are also trying to claim their spot.
Though the field is relatively young, there are many NCAA swimmers hoping to parlay their short-course success into the long-distance pool.
Isabel Stadden Staden is arguably the most well-known of those. The University of California swimmer has represented the U.S. on the international stage several times, with a best time of 2:07.28 in 2021. Her best time this season is 2:08.42 at the Pro Swim Series in Knoxville. Staden tied for sixth in the event at the 2023 U.S. Championships, clocking a time of 2:08.65, the same as Virginia's Staden. Riley Tiltman.
Tiltman is not expected to leave a swimming record after finishing 10th in the 200 backstroke (1:51.80) at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Earlier this year, Tiltman competed in her first and only distance event of the season, running 2:13.83 in the event.
Josephine Fuller The Tennessee swimmer recorded a personal best time of 2 minutes 8.80 seconds in the event, putting her in a good position with a month to go until the Trials. Fuller was one of the top NCAA backstroke swimmers this season after clocking a time of 1 minute 49.57 seconds at the national championships.
Another swimmer to watch is NC State's Katherine BerkoffThough she competed in the event at the 2021 Olympic Trials, Berkoff is more of a sprinter, so she may choose to target the sprint freestyle and backstroke events and remove the event from her schedule entirely.
verdict
At the end of the day, behind Smith, I think it will be very tough competition just to make the finals, and even those expected to finish in the top two may not even make it if they don't make the right adjustments.
TOP 8:
Dark Horse Pick: Audrey Deliveau – DeRiveau is only 14 years old, but she's already established herself as one of the best backstroke swimmers in the country. Having shaved nearly five seconds off her 2023 personal best, DeRiveau set a new personal best in the event just a few weeks ago of 2:10.36. Her time puts her comfortably in the semifinals and possibly even the finals at Indy.
