(This is a 50-swim-off-free-zone. You can read more about that here, and then show off your flashy predictive skills in the vote above.)
Psych Sheet – HERE
Results – HERE
Live Video - HERE
Return of Spoff (and fellow Brits)
This meet marks the first time Gemma Spofforth will be racing competitively since British Nationals. Despite securing her spot on the 100m Back, Spofforth clearly wasn’t at her best. It subsequently came to light that she was enduring yet more family tragedy as the competition took place.
It’s good to see Spofforth racing again after she complained in Manchester of a lack of race practice. That shouldn’t be an issue in Charlotte as she faces the sub-60 second likes of Missy Franklin, Natalie Coughlin, Elizabeth Pelton and Rachel Bootsma.
Regarding this competition, in Spofforth’s own salami and fennel infused words ‘…this weekend’s meet in Charlotte, the annual meet that we dread year after year, but for some reason I feel like we are getting slightly ready to swim faster this year than all previous.’
When it comes to in-season racing, swimming doesn’t get tougher than this.
Other Brits in action in Charlotte: fellow Floridians Steph Proud & Marco Loughran, Arizona’s Simon Burnett, Robert Holderness and Ian Hulme, now swimming for Club Wolverine in Michigan.
Other Highlights
• What shape is Amanda Beard in?
• What sort of form will Conor Dwyer be in after falling ill at what could have been a historic NCAAs?
• Just how good can Ireland’s Barry Murphy be in the 100m Breast?
• Checking in on the progress of Watchlist members Ryan Murphy, Sean Ryan, Lia Neal, Camryne Morris and Gillian Ryan.
• Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Chloe Sutton, Peter Vanderkaay, Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Jessica Hardy, Matt Grevers... you get the idea, this event is stacked with some of the best US swimming has to offer.
Thank you for the preview, Tom.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to many exciting races!!
Those swimmers chosen in 2010 for worlds must be getting a little nervous. Worlds are 6 weeks away & they have to deliver cold unless they can put out some quality times.
ReplyDeleteThere is Santa Clara but thats a relatively slow meet. At this stage relative to the OZZIE trials the best were within a .5 & 1.25 off pbs per 100mtrs.
Australians train quite close to USA methods- so on this parallel some US team members have some work to do.
I'm a bit perplexed at some of the times swum so far in Charlotte.
ReplyDeleteBoth Lochte and Phelps 1:49 in 200 Free finals??
Seeing as how others around the world are posting season-bests or career-bests, I'm confused as to whether they are collectively trying to hide something??
I know that Phelps has already gone 1:45 (or was it 46?) this season, but what about Lochte? Has he broken 1:48 yet???
Sorry as I was siting on the porch I recalculated now -Worlds.
ReplyDeleteThe Us swimmers have 8-9 weeks . Explains a bit more. pheww!
S
Lochte should be fine. He is infamous for normally swimming awfully slowly in training.
ReplyDeletePhelps is a little bit more perplexing. Even in his heavy training, he never swam this slow. Maybe he's somewhat tweaked with her training methods/style?