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The final night of finals at the 2017 arena Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis proved eventful as three different swimmers clocked the fastest time in the world in their respective events.
Molly Hannis and Adam Peaty both did so in their respective 100 breaststroke events, while Xu Jiayu set the pace with an impressive swim in the men’s 100 back. Peaty’s time doubled as a new U.S. Open record.
Finally, in the men’s 200 IM, Michael Andrew could not hang on for the win, but he had a nice consolation prize: breaking a four-year-old U.S. Open record in the event.
Women’s 200 Fly
Athens Bulldog’s Hali Flickinger took over the lead at the halfway point of the race and then extended her lead from there on her way to a victory. She had to hold off a strong last 50 from Nation’s Capital’s Cassidy Bayer, pulling into the wall in 2:09.49, not far off her season best of 2:08.77 from the Arena Pro Swim stop in Austin, where she swam a 2:08.77.
Bayer, competing in her first long course meet since the summer after suffering a knee injury, finished second in 2:10.16, good for seventh in the world rankings. Schroeder YMCA’s Hannah Saiz finished third in 2:11.32, just ahead of just ahead of Razorback’s Taylor Pike (2:11.39).
Great Britain’s Emily Large finished fifth in 2:12.76, and rounding out the field were Canada’s Katerine Savard (2:13.24), Japan’s Ayo Takano (2:13.33) and Cardinal’s Kelsi Worrell. (2:13.42).
Men’s 200 Fly
China’s Li Zhuhao completed a sweep of the butterfly events in Indy as he led from start to finish and blasted a time of 1:55.29. That time improved Li to third in the world for 2017 behind Masato Sakai (1:54.72) and Tamas Kenderesi (1:55.20).
Japan’s Daiya Seto used a strong back half to take second, finishing in 1:56.45. That’s well off his now-fourth-ranked 1:55.86 from Austin. Third went to Great Britain’s James Guy in 1:57.05.
Another Brit, Max Litchfield, touched fourth in 1:58.88, while Azura Florida’s Marcos Lavado (1:59.84), Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Andrew Abruzzo (2:00.29), Italy’s Giacomo Carini (2:00.45) and Italy’s Nicholas De Ferrari (2:01.18) rounded out the final.
Women’s 100 Breast
SwimMAC’s Katie Meili had a big lead over Tennessee’s Molly Hannis at the halfway point of the 100 breast final, but Hannis roared back on the second 50 and touched in 1:06.47 to take the win. That time marked the fastest in the world for 2017, faster than the 1:06.53 from Yulia Efimova a day earlier in Sydney.
Meili finished second in 1:07.00, good for fifth in the world rankings, while Iceland’s Hrafnhilder Luthersdottir took third in 1:07.94.
Great Britain’s Sarah Vasey was fourth in 1:08.03, just ahead of Canada’s Rachel Nicol (1:08.17). Another Brit, Chloe Tutton, took sixth in 1:08.40, and New York Athletic Club’s Breeja Larson (1:08.59) and Club Wolverine’s Miranda Tucker (1:08.68) were seventh and eighth, respectively.
Men’s 100 Breast
Great Britain’s Adam Peaty dominated the final of the 100 breast, as expected, and he finished in a time of 58.86, breaking Kevin Cordes’ U.S. Open record of 58.94 set at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. The time also improved on Peaty’s own top time in the world, previously a 58.94.
Badger’s Cody Miller finished second in 1:00.30, just ahead of Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi (1:00.33). Cordes ended up just behind in fourth with a time of 1:00.43. Those times now rank fifth, sixth and tied for eighth in the world this year.
Athens Bulldog’s Nic Fink and Brazil’s Felipe Lima tied for fifth in 1:01.00, just ahead of Canada’s Richard Funk (1:01.14) and Miguel De Lara Ojeda (1:01.63).
Women’s 100 Back
Club Wolverine’s Ali DeLoof swam under 1:00 in the women’s 100 back in Indianapolis, leading wire-to-wire on her way to a 59.82. That time ranks fourth in the world so far in 2017 behind Emily Seebohm, Kylie Masse and Mie Nielsen, all Olympic finalists in the event.
Great Britain’s Jessica Fullalove finished second in 1:00.29, good for sixth in the world rankings, and Italy’s Federica Pellegrini took a break from her typical freestyle events to swim backstroke, and it paid off with a third-place finish. Pellegrini clocked 1:00.78.
Also getting under 1:01 was 15-year-old Canadian Kayla Sanchez, who touched in 1:00.92. Two more Canadians finished fifth and sixth: Dominique Bouchard (1:01.34) and 200 back winner Hilary Caldwell (1:01.85). Tennessee’s Kira Toussaint took seventh in 1:02.13, just ahead of Newmarket’s Danielle Hanus (1:02.29).
Men’s 100 Back
China’s Xu Jiayu established a big lead off the start in the 200 back final and did not give back any of his early advantage. The Olympic silver medalist in the event, Xu finished in 53.04, moving past Matt Grevers’ 53.31 from January in Austin as the top time in the world this year.
As was the case in the 200 back on day two, Cal’s Jacob Pebley couldn’t catch up to Xu, but he still put up a strong time of 53.77 in finishing second. That time was good for the third-fastest time in the world in 2017. Meanwhile, Louisville’s Grigory Tarasevich, just two days removed from finishing up at the ACC championships in Atlanta, posted a fifth-ranked time of 53.96 to take third.
Japan’s Ryosuke Irie took fourth in 54.64, and joining him under 55 was Great Britain’s Chris Walker-Hebborn (54.90). Also in the final were New York Athletic Club’s Arkady Vyatchanin (55.16), Gustav Hokfelt (55.22) and Pike Peak’s Daniel Carr (55.98).
Women’s 200 IM
Athens Bulldog’s Melanie Margalis was behind Island’s Sarah Darcel after the butterfly leg, but she pulled away after that on her way to a dominant, 3.55-second victory. Margalis finished in 2:10.43, just behind Japanese swimmers Rikako Ikee and Ruma Imai. Margalis’ previous season best had been a 2:11.06 from the Austin Pro Swim Series meet in January.
Finishing second was Darcel in 2:13.98, and Great Britain’s Hannah Miley took fourth in 2:15.51. Just behind her was another Brit, Abbie Wood, who touched in 2:15.72.
China’s Ye Shiwen, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the event, finished fifth in 2:15.78, and she was followed by three swimmers all competing in their second final of the night: Island’s Hilary Caldwell (2:16.78), Canada’s Kayla Sanchez (2:18.15) and Club Wolverine’s Miranda Tucker (2:18.45).
Men’s 200 IM
Michael Andrew led for the first 195 meters of the race, going out under world record-pace with a 24.83 first 50, and he had a lead of more than a second at the halfway point. But Josh Prenot reeled him in with a 33.20 breaststroke split and then stormed home in 28.74, to Andrew’s 34.23 and 29.96.
Prenot, representing California Aquatics, touched in 1:58.93, the second-fastest time in the world behind Daiya Seto‘s 1:58.40.
Andrew finished second in 1:59.13, the third-fastest time in the world and a new Junior World Record, breaking the previous mark of 1:59.44 set by the USA’s Gunnar Bentz back in 2013.
Seto, after finishing second in the 200 fly earlier in the night, had to settle for third in 2:00.35.
Great Britain’s Duncan Scott (2:00.48) and Max Litchfield (2:00.57) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Also competing in the A-final were Missouri State’s Uvis Kalnins (2:02.53), Athens Bulldog’s Nic Fink (2:06.07) and Louisville’s Etay Gurevich (2:06.93).
Women’s 800 Free
16-year-old Argentinian Delfina Pignatiello posted the fastest time in the final heat of the 800 free, but her 8:38.49 was not quick enough to beat out the time put up by North Carolina Aquatic Club’s Ashley Twichell in the morning heats.
Twichell won the event with a 8:36.17, six seconds behind her top time this season, an 8:30.19 from the arena Pro Swim Series meet in Austin that ranks third in the world.
Pignatiello finished second, and Carmel’s Emma Nordin took third in 8:46.32, just ahead of Great Britain’s Isobell Griffiths, who ended up fourth in 8:46.47.
Mary-Sophie Harvey finished fifth in 8:47.11, while Japan’s Runa Kasahara (8:50.75), Eliot Kennedy (8:52.33) and Great Britain’s Leah Crisp (8:53.41) completed the top eight.
Men’s 1500 Free
Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Andrew Abruzzo has been a consistent presence in finals all weekend in Indianapolis, but he won his first event of the meet in the men’s 1500 free, winning a battle with Great Britain’s Tom Derbyshire and touching the wall in 15:13.95. The time moves the 18-year-old to eighth in the world rankings this year.
Derbyshire took second in 15:15.59, and he was followed by British teammates Stephen Milne (15:20.01) and Timothy Shuttleworth (15:22.08).
Mission Viejo’s Michael Brinegar finished fifth in 15:270, followed by Scarlet’s Johannes Calloni (15:31.26), Badger’s Zane Grothe (15:37.52) and Alexander Katelnikoff (15:41.58).
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