Day Two at US Nationals can be summed up in one word... 'odd'.
The two oddest moments from last night
1. Victory in the Men's 100m Backstroke goes to.... David Plummer?
This was billed as THE race of this competition. It had been the subject of more hype than any other. Natalie Coughlin's return to competition, Phelps coming back from defeat in the 200m Free last year, Ryan Lochte's new shoes .... nothing could compete with the prospect of the 100m Back final at US Nationals possibly being stronger than any other 100m Back race in the world this year.
The stage was set. One of the greatest backstrokers of all-time, Aaron Peirsol, had struggled all year, but in typical fashion returned to form just before the meet started. Nick Thoman broke the Short Course World Record at Duel in the Pool and was considered the heir apparent to Peirsol's throne. Uber-talented Matt Grevers swam 53.05 back in March at the Austin Grand Prix off a short taper. Peirsol, Thoman and Grevers were clear favourites but with Ryan Lochte possibly competing and Randall Bal, David Russell, Ben Hesen and NCAA Champ Eugene Godsoe threatening the race had some interesting possible connotations.
The one guy who seemingly didn't get a mention, David Plummer from Minnetonka Swim Club, upset them all. It was a fantastic job by Plummer. 53.60 is a world class time and he took his opportunity superbly.
Two questions. Why was Grevers nearly a second down on his time from the Austin Grand Prix? Will Liam Tancock's 52.85 time from British Nationals still be top of the world rankings following Europeans & Pan Pacs?
2. What happened to Michael Phelps on the 200m Fly?
Phelps was visibly 'off' during his 200m Fly. His start was poor (anytime you see him come up alongside his competitors you know its gone badly wrong). His first turn was average. His second turn was shocking and the third turn wasn't much better. For Phelps a time of 1:56.00 is pedestrian at best.
Mel Stewart summed it up best during commentary - 'I bet he's done that in practice before'. One question a lot of people want to know is how many practices has Phelps been to this year?
It was a strange night for Phelps. He turned it on in the 200m Free. 1:45.61 is a quality swim and notably is the fastest in the world this year so far, but for Ryan Lochte to get so close to Phelps was interesting. One of Phelps' biggest strengths is his ability to recover during a session. That 200m Free really took a toll on Phelps and he admitted as much during the post race interview after the 200m Fly.
Fortunately Natalie Coughlin was there to offer some normality to the evening's proceedings with victory in the 100m Back. She just doesn't lose this event at US Nationals. Elizabeth Pelton finished fourth and really needs to find her best form on the 200m Back if she's going to qualify for Pan Pacs.
For anyone interested in the prediction contest, I'm sitting in second right now. My plan is to do an Allison Schmitt, hang with the early pace before edging ahead on the final run in....
1. Reed 107
2. Tom (SpeedEndurance) 100
3. David "THE Swim Geek" Rieder 98
4. G. John 88
4. Matt 88
6. Rob 83
7. John 81
8. Andy 80
9. Chris "TAKE THAT!" DeSantis 73
9. Braden 73
11. Jerry 70
"One question a lot of people want to know is how many practices has Phelps been to this year?"
ReplyDeleteShockingly few. Bowman rated his fitness level right now at a 4 out of 10. August to October, basically no practice at all. From November to March, he maybe made it to a couple practices per week. It got a little better in March and afterwards, but apparently Phelps spent more time golfing in the two weeks before the Charlotte GP in May than he did swimming.