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SWIM-USA
Ledecky holds of Schmitt to win 200m free at US championships
IRVINE, United States, July 27, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Katie Ledecky clocked the
second-fastest time in the world this year to win the 200m freestyle at the
US swimming championships on Thursday, holding off the challenge of 2012
Olympic champion Allison Schmitt.
Ledecky touched in 1:54.60 — second only to her own 1:54.56 in June this
year — to add the 200m title to the 800m free crown she claimed on
Wednesday.
Ledecky led from start to finish, but the 28-year-old Schmitt, who
returned to competition in April for the first time since the Rio Olympics,
clung to her hip all the way to finish second in 1:55.82 and Ledecky looked
as pleased with Schmitt’s finish as her own.
She was already looking forward to teaming with Schmitt in the 4x200m
freestyle relay at the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo in August.
“I knew she was having a great swim the whole race, just having her right
there the whole time right next to me,” Ledecky said of Schmitt, a three-time
Olympian who stepped away from the sport after the Rio Olympics and only
resumed training last September.
“She’s just the most likeable person and such a great friend and such an
asset to Team USA. It’s going to be great to have her in Tokyo.”
Gabby Deloof was third in 1:56.55 and Leah Smith fourth in 1:56.93, all
securing berths for the Pan Pacs, which with this week’s meet will serve as
the qualifier for the 2019 world championships in South Korea — curtain
raiser to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Schmitt, who has used her experience struggling with depression to become
an outspoken advocate for mental health care, was buoyed by some supportive
pre-race texts from her old teammate Michael Phelps.
“I got paragraphs from Michael,” said Schmitt, who added she was
“ecstatic” to find herself headed to Pan Pacs after arriving in Irvine unsure
just what to expect from herself.
Josh Prenot, a Rio silver medallist who failed to qualify for last year’s
world championships, made a statement in the 200m breaststroke, winning with
the fastest time in the world this year of 2:07.28.
Andrew Wilson was second in 2:08.71, edging Will Licon by one one-
hundredth of a second.
MORE/MR/1016 hrs
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BSP-06
SWIM-USA-TWO-LAST
– Seliskar shines –
Andrew Seliskar turned it on in the second half to win the men’s 200m
freestyle in 1:45.70 — improving on the personal best of 1:45.77 he posted
in the heats to install himself as third-fastest in the world this year.
Blake Pieroni, winner of the 100m free on Wednesday, was second in 1:45.93
with Connor Dwyer third in 1:46.08.
Townley Haas, leader at the 100-meter mark, was fourth in 1:46.15.
Micah Sumrall won the women’s 200m breaststroke in dominant fashion,
posting the fourth-fastest time in the world this year of 2:22.06.
Sumrall, on the comeback trail after failing to make the Rio Games,
touched 1.26sec ahead of Bethany Galat in a field that saw Olympic 100m
breaststroke champion Lilly King settle for fifth.
A scintillating women’s 200m backstroke saw 16-year-old Regan Smith and
two-time Olympic medalist Kathleen Baker finish in a dead heat for first
place in 2:06.43.
The time was just outside Baker’s bronze medal-winning time of last year’s
world championships in Budapest — and a world junior record for Smith.
Ryan Murphy, whose three gold medals in Rio included the 100m and 200m
backstroke, powered through the final 50 to win the 200m back in 1:54.15 —
second-fastest of 2018.
Jacob Pebley held on to finish second in 1:55.68.
BSS/AFP/MR/1016 hrs