2010 Long Course World Championship

Over the course of the year, I merged the results of the four biggest long course international meets to create a list of virtual world champions for this year, a year without a long course world champs. As any swim geek like myself knows, this year has been a crazy one in swimming, from the outbreak of "Delhi Belly" at the Commonwealth Games to the two-per-country rule at the Pan Pacs and European Champs. With this list, I took the top two times from different swimmers from one country from any of the four meets , and the top-eight are the world championship final. Only finals times are considered on this list; relay lead-offs, and prelim/semi-final times do not count. Times swam at any other meet throughout the year (national championships, etc.) are not valid. This serves to mimic a World Championships, where nothing matters besides stepping up in the final heat. Without further ado, the list.

Women's Events

50 Free
1. Therese Alshammar, Sweden 24.45 (Europeans)
2. Jessica Hardy, USA 24.63 (Pan Pacs)
3. Hinkelien Schreuder, Netherlands 24.66 (Europeans)
4. Francesca Halsall, Great Britain 24.67 (Europeans)
5. Amanda Weir, USA 24.70 (Pan Pacs)
6. Dorothea Brandt, Germany 24.71 (Europeans)
7. Victoria Poon, Canada 24.76 (Pan Pacs)
8. Aliaksandra Herasimenia, Belarus 24.82 (Europeans)

100 Free
1. Francesca Halsall, Great Britain 53.58 (Europeans)
2. Natalie Coughlin, USA 53.67 (Pan Pacs)
3. Aliaksandra Herasimenia, Belarus 53.82 (Europeans)
4. Emily Seebohm, Australia 53.96 (Pan Pacs)
4. Dana Vollmer, USA 53.96 (Pan Pacs)
6. Yolane Kukla, Australia 54.02 (Pan Pacs)
7. Femke Heemskerk, Netherlands 54.12 (Europeans)
7. Tang Yi, China 54.12 (Asian Games)

200 Free
1. Federica Pellegrini, Italy 1:55.45 (Europeans)

2. Allison Schmitt, USA 1:56.10 (Pan Pacs)
3. Dana Vollmer, USA 1:56.47 (Pan Pacs)
4. Zhu Qianwei, China 1:56.65 (Asian Games)
5. Silke Lippok, Germany 1:56.98 (Europeans)
6. Tang Yi, China 1:57.08 (Asian Games)
7. Agnes Mutina, Hungary 1:57.12 (Europeans)
8. Blair Evans, Australia 1:57.27 (Pan Pacs)

400 Free
1. Rebecca Adlington, Great Britain 4:04.55 (Europeans)
2. Chloe Sutton, USA 4:05.19 (Pan Pacs)
3. Ophelie Cyriell Etienne, France 4:05.40 (Europeans)
4. Kate Ziegler, USA 4:05.52 (Pan Pacs)
5. Shao Yiwen, China 4:05.58 (Asian Games)
6. Katie Goldman, Australia 4:05.84 (Pan Pacs)
7. Blair Evans, Australia 4:06.36 (Pan Pacs)
8. Lotte Friis, Denmark 4:07.10 (Europeans)

800 Free
1. Kate Ziegler, USA 8:21.59 (Pan Pacs)
2. Lotte Friis, Denmark 8:23.27 (Europeans)
3. Li Xuanxu, China 8:23.55 (Asian Games)
4. Ophelie Cyriell Etienne, France 8:24.00 (Europeans)
5. Shao Xiwen, China 8:24.14 (Asian Games)
6. Chloe Sutton, USA 8:24.51 (Pan Pacs)
7. Rebecca Adlington, England/Great Britain 8:24.69 (Commonwealth Games)
8. Federica Pellegrini, Italy 8:24.99 (Europeans)

1,500 Free
1. Lotte Friis, Denmark 15:59.13 (Europeans)
2. Melissa Gorman, Australia 16:01.53 (Pan Pacs)
3. Grainne Murphy, Ireland 16:02.29 (Europeans)
4. Kate Ziegler, USA 16:03.26 (Pan Pacs)
5. Erika Villaecija Garcia, Spain 16:05.08 (Europeans)
6. Kristel Kobrich, Chile 16:06.57 (Pan Pacs)
7. Camelia Alina Potec, Romania 16:17.67 (Europeans)
8. Haley Anderson, USA, 16:18.10 (Pan Pacs)

50 Back
1. Gao Chang, China 27.45 (Asian Games)
2. Aliaksandra Herasimenia, Belarus 27.64 (Europeans)
3. Sophie Edington, Australia 27.83 (Pan Pacs)
4. Aya Terakawa, Japan 27.86 (Asian Games)
5. Daniela Samulski, Germany 27.99 (Europeans)
6. Mercedes Peris Minguet, Spain 28.01 (Europeans)
7. Gemma Spofforth, England/Great Britain 28.03 (Commonwealth Games)
8. Xu Tianlongzi, China 28.14 (Asian Games)

100 Back
1. Zhao Jing, China 59.20 (Asian Games)
2. Emily Seebohm, Australia 59.45 (Pan Pacs)
3. Aya Terakawa, Japan 59.59 (Pan Pacs)
4. Natalie Coughlin, USA 59.70 (Pan Pacs)
5. Gemma Spofforth, Great Britain 59.80 (Europeans)
6. Shiho Sakai, Japan 59.87 (Asian Games)
7. Gao Chang, China 59.90 (Asian Games)
8. Liz Pelton, USA 1:00.15 (Pan Pacs)

200 Back
1. Zhao Jing, China 2:06.46 (Asian Games)
2. Elizabeth Simmonds, Great Britain 2:07.04 (Europeans)
3. Meagan Nay, Australia 2:07.56 (Commonwealth Games)
4. Shiho Sakai, Japan 2:07.81 (Asian Games)
5. Elizabeth Beisel, USA 2:07.83 (Pan Pacs)
6. Missy Franklin, USA 2:08.05 (Pan Pacs)
7. Gemma Spofforth, Great Britain 2:08.25 (Europeans)
8. Emily Seebohm, Australia 2:08.38 (Commonwealth Games)

50 Breast
1. Jessica Hardy, USA 30.03 (Pan Pacs)
2. Yuliya Efimova, Russia 30.29 (Europeans)
3. Rebecca Soni, USA 30.68 (Pan Pacs)
4. Leiston Pickett, Australia 30.75 (Pan Pacs)
5. Leisel Jones, Australia 30.78 (Pan Pacs)
6. Wang Randi, China 31.04 (Asian Games)
7. Kate Haywood, Great Britain 31.12 (Europeans)
8. Zhao Jin, China 31.13 (Asian Games)

100 Breast
1. Rebecca Soni, USA 1:04.93 (Pan Pacs)
2. Leisel Jones, Australia 1:05.66 (Pan Pacs)
3. Yuliya Efmiova, Russia 1:06.32 (Europeans)
4. Ji Liping, China 1:06.91 (Asian Games)
5. Sarah Katsoulis, Australia 1:07.04 (Pan Pacs)
6. Satomi Suzuki, Japan 1:07.05 (Pan Pacs)
7. Rikke Moeller Pederson, Denmark 1:07.36 (Europeans)
7. Jennie Johansson, Sweden 1:07.36 (Europeans)

200 Breast
1. Rebecca Soni, USA 2:20.69 (Pan Pacs)
2. Leisel Jones, Australia 2:23.23 (Pan Pacs)
3. Anastasia Chaun, Russia 2:23.50 (Europeans)
4. Annamay Pierse, Canada 2:23.65 (Pan Pacs)
5. Satomi Suzuki, Japan 2:23.83 (Pan Pacs)
6. Amanda Beard, USA 2:24.30 (Pan Pacs)
7. Sarah Katsoulis, Australia 2:24.38 (Pan Pacs)
8. Sara Nordenstam, Norway 2:24.42 (Europeans)

50 Fly
1. Therese Alshammar, Sweden 25.63 (Europeans)
2. Jeanette Ottesen, Denmark 25.69 (Europeans)
3. Yolane Kukla, Australia 25.99 (Pan Pacs)
3. Marieke Guehrer, Australia 25.99 (Pan Pacs)
5. Melanie Henique, France 26.09 (Europeans)
6. Li Tao, Singapore 26.10 (Asian Games)
7. Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden 26.14 (Europeans)
8. Francesca Halsall, England/Great Britain 26.24 (Commonwealth Games)

100 Fly
1. Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden 57.32 (Europeans)
2. Francesca Halsall, Great Britain 57.40 (Europeans)
3. Alicia Coutts, Australia 57.53 (Commonwealth Games)
4. Dana Vollmer, USA 57.56 (Pan Pacs)
5. Jiao Liuyang, China 57.76 (Asian Games)
6. Therese Alshammar, Sweden 57.80 (Europeans)
7. Christine Magnuson, USA 57.95 (Pan Pacs)
8. Ellen Gandy, England/Great Britain 58.06 (Commonwealth Games)

200 Fly
1. Jiao Liuyang, China 2:05.79 (Asian Games)
2. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary 2:06.71 (Europeans)
3. Jessicah Schipper, Australia 2:06.90 (Pan Pacs)
4. Teresa Crippen, USA 2:06.93 (Pan Pacs)
5. Zsuzsanna Jakobos, Hungary 2:07.06 (Europeans)
6. Kathleen Hersey, USA 2:07.27 (Pan Pacs)
7. Audrey Lacroix, Canada 2:07.31 (Commonwealth Games)
8. Ellen Gandy, Great Britain 2:07.54 (Europeans)

200 IM
1. Yi Shiwen, China 2:09.37 (Asian Games)
2. Alicia Coutts, Australia 2:09.70 (Commonwealth Games)
3. Emily Seebohm, Australia 2:09.93 (Pan Pacs)
4. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary 2:10.09 (Europeans)
5. Evelyn Verraszto, Hungary 2:10.10 (Europeans)
6. Ariana Kukors, USA 2:10.25 (Pan Pacs)
7. Hannah Miley, Great Britain 2:10.89 (Europeans)
8. Caitlin Leverenz, USA 2:11.21 (Pan Pacs)

400 IM
1. Hannah Miley, Great Britain 4:33.09 (Europeans)
2. Yi Shiwen, China 4:33.79 (Asian Games)
3. Elizabeth Beisel, USA 4:34.69 (Pan Pacs)
4. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary 4:36.43 (Europeans)
5. Samantha Hamill, Australia 4:37.84 (Pan Pacs)
6. Zsuzsanna Jakobos, Hungary 4:37.92 (Europeans)
7. Caitlin Leverenz, USA 4:38.03 (Pan Pacs)
8. Li Xuanxu, China 4:38.05 (Asian Games)

4x100 Free Relay
1. United States (N. Coughlin, J. Hardy, A. Weir, D. Vollmer) 3:35.11 (Pan Pacs)
2. Australia (A. Coutts, M. Guehrer, F. Galvez, E. Seebohm) 3:36.36 (Commonwealth Games)
3. China (Li Z., Wang S., Zhu Q., Tang Y.) 3:36.88 (Asian Games)
4. Germany (D. Samulski, S. Lippok, L. Vitting, D. Schreiber) 3:37.72 (Europeans)
5. Japan (H. Ueda, Y. Matsumoto, T. Hagiwara, H. Ito) 3:37.90 (Asian Games)
6. Canada (V. Poon, J. Wilkinson, E. Morningstar, G. Samur) 3:38.14 (Pan Pacs)
7. Great Britain (A. Smith, F. Halsall, J. Sylvester, J. Jackson) 3:38.57 (Europeans)
8. Sweden (J. Lillhage, T. Alshammar, S. Sjostrom, G. Fagundez) 3:38.81 (Europeans)

4x200 Free Relay
1. United States (D. Vollmer, M. Scroggy, K. Hoff, A. Schmitt) 7:51.21 (Pan Pacs)
2. China (Zhu Q., Liu J., Yang S., Tang Y.) 7:51.81 (Asian Games)
2. Hungary (A. Mutina, E. Dara, K. Hosszu, E. Verraszto) 7:52.49 (Europeans)
3. Australia (B. Evans, K. Palmer, K. Goldman, M. Nay) 7:52.64 (Pan Pacs)
4. France (C. Balmy, O. Etienne, M. Farrell, C. Muffat) 7:52.69 (Europeans)
5. Canada (G. Samur, J. Wilkinson, B. Jardin, S. Cheverton) 7:54.32 (Pan Pacs)
6. Great Britain (R. Adlington, J. Carlin, H. Miley, J. Jackson) 7:55.29 (Europeans)
7. Japan (H. Ito, H. Ueda, Y. Matsumoto, R. Sekine) 7:55.92 (Asian Games)
8. New Zealand (L. Boyle, P. Marshall, A. Gessler, N. Hind) 7:57.46 (Commonwealth Games)

4x100 Medley Relay
1. United States (N. Coughlin, R. Soni, D. Vollmer, J. Hardy) 3:55.23 (Pan Pacs)
2. Australia (E. Seebohm, L. Jones, A. Coutts, Y. Kukla) 3:56.96 (Pan Pacs)
3. Japan (A. Terakawa, S. Suzuki, Y. Kato, H. Ueda) 3:57.75 (Pan Pacs)
4. China (Zhao J., Chen H., Jiao L., Tang Y.) 3:57.80 (Asian Games)
5. Great Britain (G. Spofforth, K. Haywood, F. Halsall, A. Smith) 3:59.72 (Europeans)
6. Sweden (H. Stenkvist, J. Hoestman, T. Alshammar, S. Sjostrom) 4:01.18 (Europeans)
7. Canada (J. Wilkinson, A. Pierse, K. Savard, V. Poon) 4:03.08 (Pan Pacs)
8. Germany (J. Mensing, C. Ruhnau, D. Samulski, S. Lippok) 4:03.22 (Europeans)

Men’s Events

50 Free
1. Fred Bousquet, France 21.49 (Europeans)
2. Nathan Adrian, USA 21.55 (Pan Pacs)
3. Cesar Cielo, Brazil 21.57 (Pan Pacs)
4. Stefan Nystrand, Sweden 21.69 (Europeans)
5. Fabien Gilot, France 21.76 (Europeans)
6. Brent Hayden, Canada 21.89 (Pan Pacs)
7. Bruno Fratus, Brazil 21.93 (Pan Pacs)
8. Gideon Louw, South Africa 22.08 (Pan Pacs)

100 Free
1. Brent Hayden, Canada 47.98 (Commonwealth Games)
2. Nathan Adrian, USA 48.15 (Pan Pacs)
3. Cesar Cielo, Brazil 48.48 (Pan Pacs)
4. Alain Bernard, France 48.49 (Europeans)
5. Evgeny Lagunov, Russia 48.52 (Europeans)
6. Simon Burnett, England/Great Britain 48.52 (Commonwealth Games)
7. William Meynard, France 48.56 (Europeans)
8. Jason Lezak, USA 48.57 (Pan Pacs)

200 Free
1. Tae Hwan Park, South Korea 1:44.80 (Pan Pacs)
2. Ryan Lochte, USA 1:45.30 (Pan Pacs)
3. Paul Biedermann, Germany 1:46.06 (Europeans)
4. Sun Yang, China 1:46.25 (Asian Games)
5. Nikita Lobintsev, Russia 1:46.51 (Europeans)
6. Peter Vanderkaay, USA 1:46.65 (Pan Pacs)
7. Sebastiaan Verschuren, Netherlands 1:46.91 (Europeans)
8. Danila Izotov, Russia 1:47.14 (Europeans)

400 Free
1. Tae Hwan Park, South Korea 3:41.53 (Asian Games)
2. Sun Yang, China 3:42.47 (Asian Games)
3. Yannick Agnel, France 3:46.17 (Europeans)
4. Paul Biedermann, Germany 3:46.30 (Europeans)
5. Ryan Cochrane, Canada 3:46.78 (Pan Pacs)
6. Zhang Lin, China 3:46.91 (Pan Pacs)
7. Peter Vanderkaay, USA 3:47.11 (Pan Pacs)
8. Charlie Houchin, USA 3:47.98 (Pan Pacs)

800 Free
1. Sebastien Rouault, France 7:48.28 (Europeans)
2. Ryan Cochrane, Canada 7:48.71 (Pan Pacs)
3. Christian Kubusch, Germany 7:49.12 (Europeans)
4. Samuel Pizzetti, Italy 7:49.94 (Europeans)
5. Chad LaTourette, USA 7:51.62 (Pan Pacs)
6. Takeshi Matsuda, Japan 7:51.87 (Pan Pacs)
7. Gergo Kis, Hungary 7:51.93 (Europeans)
8. Robert Hurley, Australia 7:52.71 (Pan Pacs)

1,500 Free
1. Sun Yang, China 14:35.43 (Asian Games)
2. Ryan Cochrane, Canada 14:49.47 (Pan Pacs)
3. Chad LaTourette, USA 14:54.48 (Pan Pacs)
4. Sebastien Rouault, France 14:55.17 (Europeans)
5. Pal Joensen, Faroe Islands 14:56.90 (Europeans)
6. Zhang Lin, China 14:58.90 (Pan Pacs)
7. Samuel Pizzetti, Italy 14:59.76 (Europeans)
8. Tae Hwan Park, South Korea 15:01.72 (Asian Games)

50 Back
1. Camille Lacourt, France 24.07 (Europeans)
2. Liam Tancock, Great Britain 24.62 (Commonwealth Games)
3. Junya Koga, Japan 24.86 (Pan Pacs)
4. Ashley Delaney, Australia 24.98 (Pan Pacs)
5. Nick Thoman, USA 25.02 (Pan Pacs)
6. Guy Barnea, Israel 25.04 (Europeans)
7. Hayden Stoeckel, Australia 25.08 (Pan Pacs)
8. David Plummer, USA 25.09 (Pan Pacs)

100 Back
1. Camille Lacourt, France 52.11 (Europeans)
2. Aaron Peirsol, USA 53.31 (Pan Pacs)
3. Jeremy Stravius, France 53.44 (Europeans)
4. Liam Tancock, England/Great Britain 53.59 (Commonwealth Games)
5. Ryosuke Irie, Japan 53.61 (Asian Games)
6. Junya Koga, Japan 53.63 (Pan Pacs)
7. Nick Thoman, USA 53.66 (Pan Pacs)
8. Ashley Delaney, Australia, 53.67 (Pan Pacs)

200 Back
1. Ryan Lochte, USA 1:54.12 (Pan Pacs)
2. Tyler Clary, USA 1:54.90 (Pan Pacs)
3. Ryosuke Irie, Japan 1:55.21 (Pan Pacs)
4. James Goddard, England/Great Britain 1:55.58 (Commonwealth Games)
5. Stanislav Donets, Russia 1:57.18 (Europeans)
6. Markus Rogan, Austria 1:57.31 (Europeans)
7. Benjamin Stasiulis, France 1:57.37 (Europeans)
7. Gareth Kean, New Zealand 1:57.37 (Commonwealth Games)

50 Breast
1. Cameron van der Burgh, South Africa 27.18 (Commonwealth Games)
2. Felipe Silva, Brazil 27.26 (Pan Pacs)
3. Fabio Scozolli, Italy 27.38 (Europeans)
4. Dragos Agache, Romania 27.47 (Europeans)
5. Lennart Stekelenberg, Netherlands 27.51 (Europeans)
6. Mark Gangloff, USA 27.52 (Pan Pacs)
7. Alexander Dale Oen, Norway 27.55 (Europeans)
8. Scott Dickens, Canada 27.63 (Pan Pacs)

100 Breast
1. Alexander Dale Oen, Norway 59.20 (Europeans)
2. Kosuke Kitajima, Japan 59.35 (Pan Pacs)
3. Cameron van der Burgh, South Africa 1:00.10 (Commonwealth Games)

4. Hugues Duboscq,France 1:00.15 (Europeans)

5. Christian Sprenger, Australia 1:00.18 (Pan Pacs)
6. Mark Gangloff, USA 1:00.24 (Pan Pacs)

7. Ryo Tateishi, Japan 1:00.26 (Pan Pacs)
8. Brenton Rickard, Australia 1:00.28 (Pan Pacs)

200 Breast
1. Kosuke Kitajima, Japan 2:08.36 (Pan Pacs)
2. Daniel Gyurta, Hungary 2:08.95 (Europeans)
3. Alexander Dale Oen, Norway 2:09.68 (Europeans)
4. Brenton Rickard, Australia 2:09.97 (Pan Pacs)
5. Eric Shanteau, USA 2:10.13 (Pan Pacs)
6. Naoya Tomita, Japan 2:10.36 (Asian Games)
7. Michael Jamieson, Scotland/Great Britain 2:10.97 (Commonwealth Games)
8. Hugues Duboscq, France 2:11.03 (Europeans)

50 Fly
1. Cesar Cielo, Brazil 23.03 (Pan Pacs)
2. Rafael Munoz Perez, Spain 23.17 (Europeans)
3. Nicholas Santos, Brazil 23.33 (Pan Pacs)
4. Jason Dunford, Kenya 23.35 (Commonwealth Games)
5. Geoff Huegill, Australia 23.37 (Commonwealth Games)
6. Roland Schoeman, South Africa 23.39 (Pan Pacs)
7. Fred Bousquet, France 23.41 (Europeans)
8. Evgeny Korotyshkin, Russia 23.43 (Europeans)

100 Fly
1. Michael Phelps, USA 50.86 (Pan Pacs)
2. Geoff Huegill, Australia 51.69 (Commonwealth Games)
3. Evgeny Korotyshkin, Russia 51.73 (Europeans)
4. Joeri Verlinden, Netherlands 51.82 (Europeans)
5. Zhou Jiawei, China 51.83 (Asian Games)
6. Tyler McGill, USA 51.85 (Pan Pacs)
6. Takuro Fujii, Japan 51.85 (Asian Games)
8. Konrad Czerniak, Poland 52.16 (Europeans)
8. Masayuki Kishida, Japan 52.16 (Pan Pacs)

200 Fly
1. Takeshi Matsuda, Japan 1:54.02 (Asian Games)
2. Michael Phelps, USA 1:54.11 (Pan Pacs)
3. Nick D'arcy, Australia 1:54.73 (Pan Pacs)
4. Pawel Korzeniowski, Poland 1:55.00 (Europeans)
5. Ryusuke Sakata, Japan 1:55.23 (Asian Games)
6. Chen Yin, China 1:55.29 (Asian Games)
7. Wu Peng, China 1:55.32 (Asian Games)
8. Kaio Almeida, Brazil 1:55.66 (Pan Pacs)

200 IM
1. Ryan Lochte, USA 1:54.43 (Pan Pacs)
2. Tyler Clary, USA 1:57.61 (Pan Pacs)
3. Laszlo Cseh, Hungary 1:57.73 (Europeans)
4. Thiago Pereira, Brazil 1:57.83 (Pan Pacs)
5. Markus Rogan, Austria 1:58.03 (Europeans)
6. Ken Takakuwa, Japan 1:58.06 (Pan Pacs)
7. James Goddard, England/Great Britain 1:58.10 (Commonwealth Games)
8. Henrique Rodrigues, Brazil 1:59.00 (Pan Pacs)

400 IM
1. Ryan Lochte, USA 4:07.59 (Pan Pacs)
2. Tyler Clary, USA 4:09.55 (Pan Pacs)
3. Laszlo Cseh, Hungary 4:10.95 (Europeans)
4. Thiago Pereira, Brazil 4:12.09 (Pan Pacs)
5. David Verraszto, Hungary 4:12.96 (Europeans)
6. Chad Le Clos, South Africa 4:13.25 (Commonwealth Games)
7. Yuya Horihata, Japan 4:13.35 (Asian Games)
8. Chaosheng Huang, China 4:13.38 (Asian Games)

4x100 Free Relay
1. United States (M. Phelps, R. Lochte, J. Lezak, N. Adrian) 3:11.72 (Pan Pacs)
2. Russia (E. Lagunov, A. Grechin, N. Lobintsev, D. Izotov) 3:12.46 (Europeans)
3. France (F. Gilot, Y. Agnel, W. Meynard, A. Bernard) 3:13.29 (Europeans)
4. Australia (K. Richardson, E. Sullivan, T. D'Orsogna, J. Magnussen) 3:13.92 (Commonwealth Games)
5. England/Great Britain (S. Burnett, L. Tancock, G. Turner, A. Brown) 3:15.05 (Commonwealth Games)
6. Sweden (S. Nystrand, L. Froelander, R. Andreasson, J. Persson) 3:15.07 (Europeans)
7. Italy (F. Magnini, M. Orsi, C. Galenda, L. Leonardi) 3:15.18 (Europeans)
8. South Africa (G. Moore, G. Louw, R. Schoeman, D. Townsend) 3:15.21 (Commonwealth Games)

4x200 Free Relay
1. United States (M. Phelps, P. Vanderkaay, R. Berens, R. Lochte) 7:03.84 (Pan Pacs)
2. Russia (N. Lobintsev, D. Izotov, E. Perunin, A. Sukhorukov) 7:06.71 (Europeans)
3. China (Zhang L., Jiang H., Li Y., Sun Y.) 7:07.68 (Asian Games)
4. Germany (P. Biedermann, T. Wallburger, R. Backhaus, C. Rapp) 7:08.13 (Europeans)
5. France (Y. Agnel, C. Lefert, A. Haramboure, J. Stravius) 7:09.70 (Europeans)
6. Australia (T. Fraser-Holmes, N. Ffrost, R. Napoleon, K. Monk) 7:10.29 (Commonwealth Games)
7. Japan (Y. Kobori, S. Uchida, S. Kuzuhara, T. Matsuda) 7:10.39 (Asian Games)
8. Great Britain (R. Renwick, R. Davenport, D. Carry, R. Bale) 7:11.00 (Europeans)

4x100 Medley Relay
1. France (C. Lacourt, H. Duboscq, F. Bousquet, F. Gilot) 3:31.32 (Europeans)
2. United States (A. Peirsol, M. Gangloff, M. Phelps, N. Adrian) 3:32.48 (Pan Pacs)
3. Australia (A. Delaney, B. Rickard, G. Huegill, E. Sullivan) 3:33.15 (Commonwealth Games)
4. Russia (S. Donets, R. Sludnov, E. Korotyshkin, E. Lagunov) 3:33.29 (Europeans)
5. Japan (J. Koga, K. Kitajima, M. Kishida, T. Fujii) 3:33.90 (Pan Pacs)
6. Netherlands (N. Driebergen, L. Steklenburg, J. Verlinden, S. Verschuren) 3:33.99 (Europeans)
7. Great Britain (L. Tancock, K. Gilchrist, A. James, S. Burnett) 3:35.74 (Europeans)
8. South Africa (C. Crous, C. van der Burgh, C. Le Clos, G. Louw) 3:36.12 (Commonwealth Games)

TYR Capital Classic

This past weekend, I helped out with the Swimming World TV coverage of the TYR Capital Classic. From Cary, North Carolina, I helped Garrett McCaffrey call all the races from the meet, all of which are now available to watch on-demand. Though I know this blog is coming several days late, I wanted to share some thoughts on the great swimming I saw, the great meet the YMCA of the Triangle Area (YOTA) put on, and gratitude to all who made my experience this past weekend possible and a great experience.

First, the swimming. In the very first swim I saw after arriving late Friday afternoon, Michael Hughes broke the American disability record in 50 fly for the S6 division. His 39.02 took seven seconds off the old record of 46.01. A record is always a great way to start, but it kept going. Joe Bonk opened up the regular meet program with a 20.4 50 free split anchoring YOTA's 200 medley relay, and then Ashlee Linn threw down a 1:48 200 free. Linn would go on to win the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 back, post the top time of the meet in the 100 back (relay lead-off), finish second in both IMs, and break 5:00 for the first time in finishing fourth in the 500 free. I watched her interview with Garrett, and she is very well-spoken, her interview one of the best I saw this weekend. I highly recommend checking out her interview (along with the others).

In the 13-14 age group, Alex Katz put on quite a show. On Friday, he won the 200 free in 1:41, followed by the 400 IM in 4:03. On Saturday, he took the 50 free and 500 free, in which he swam a 4:28, almost beating the winning time in the senior race. With at least three years remaining in which he can attend the meet, he will have numerous more shots at the meet record, which is a 4:25 - held by U.S. National teamer Charlie Houchin! On the final night, he won the 100 free and 200 back in succession, before Colin Ellington took it to him in the 200 IM, winning it with a monster breaststroke leg. When Katz beat Ellington in the 100 free, a fan behind Garrett and me shouted, "Watch him (Ellington), he's gonna take over next year!" It didn't take even that long, however, for him to get a win, and Ellington's fan club, seated behind us, erupted with that win.

The host club's own Dominick Glavich won the title of swimmer of the meet. Glavich, a future swimmer at the University of North Carolina, won the 100 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, 100 back, and 200 IM over the course of the three day meet. In the 200 fly, his 1:47.87 beat Houchin's meet record, while his dominant 200 IM (1:48.91) was quite something as well. In three of his races, Glavich beat future Florida Gator Nicholas Caldwell. Caldwell skipped some of his signature races this weekend, such as the 500 free and 400 IM, but his third leg on the 800 free relay might be my favorite moment of the weekend. Caldwell, of Sarasota YMCA, dove in several seconds behind YOTA, before absolutely obliterating his competition with a 1:36.16 split for a 200 free! Interestingly, YOTA switched their order shortly before the race, so Caldwell ran down Nathan Walters, not Joe Bonk, on the third leg.

After Bonk split a 20.4 anchoring the 200 medley relay on Sunday, I made a bet with YOTA head coach Chad Onken about what Bonk could do in the individual 50 free. The bet was: I would pay Chad $1 if Bonk swam 20.69 or faster, and Chad would pay me $1 if Bonk swam 20.70 or faster. Sure enough, Bonk led off the 200 free relay in 20.65. Chad immediately texted Garrett (for me), "You got Bonked." In the individual race, Bonk had a terrible start and "only" swam a time of 20.82. I said I won the bet; Chad said he won. I told him we'd call it a draw. In the 100 free the next day, Chad predicted Bonk would swim a 44.9 - which he did, to the tenth. Later on, he led off the 400 free relay in 44.6! There is a reason Auburn sent Aaron Ciarla and Richard Long to the meet.

Finally, I want to give a shout-out to Sabrina Benson. The now-YOTA and future Virginia Tech swimmer showed up to the meet with an injured knee and having missed several weeks of training. She still proceeded to throw down a 56.34 100 back, faster than she did last year, on her way to a win at YMCA Nationals, where she swam a 53. A very brave and impressive swim.

For the first time this year,

YOTA held the meet at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. Being from South Carolina, I have seen a handful of pools in the southeast, but none better than this one. The amount of deck space, size of warm-up area and the stands, and pool set-up is unmatched in this area. Great venue for both a swim meet and a Christmas YMCAparade.

YOTA put on an excellent meet this weekend for swimmers, coaches, and media. Head coach Chad Onken made sure that Garrett and I could get to where we needed to be when we wanted to be there. Hospitality saved us many times throughout the meet - I ate most of my meals there, and I think we took 30 water bottles over the course of the weekend. Additionally, the meet ran exceptionally well and quickly, all a credit to YOTA.

Additionally, I owe a big thank-you to Swimming World, especially to Garrett and also Brent Rutemiller. Garrett was awesome this weekend, making sure I did what I was supposed to do at all times and that I was comfortable at all times. Additionally, he showed me the ropes of streaming a meet and how to handle all of the content. I am extremely grateful; without him being there, I would not have had this opportunity to work at the Capital Classic. Additionally, I thank Brent for agreeing to cover all my expenses the entire weekend; I spent $17 over the course of the meet; and at least $12 of that went to the Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation.

Finally, I had an amazing swim-geek experience in the Triangle Area this weekend. Garrett and Chad took my questions about swimming and answered them. I am greatful that both appreciate my extreme passion about swimming and try to help it grow. In addition to Long and Ciarla of Auburn, I met University of South Carolina coach Jason Mermont, who provided some interesting insight of his own from his own perspective in the SEC. Finally, former University of Arizona NCAA champ Taylor Baughman, now working with Evan Morgenstein and Premier Management, provided insight into the west coast of competitive swimming as well as the agents she represents.

I apologize to anyone who I met this weekend and failed to mention. It was an awesome experience that I hope I am fortunate enough to have again in the future!

World Short Course Championships Predictions

The World Short Course Champs get underway on Wednesday in Dubai, and most of the athletes are in the United Arab Emirates preparing to race. The major exceptions include the Israeli team and U.S. backstroker David Plummer. This was one of the hardest meets I have ever predicted. You just don't know about a lot of things - how swimmers will do short course, how much certain people have tapered, etc. Of course, your guess is as good as mine in this week's prediction contest; email me at drieder@comcast.net your list of winners to me by Tuesday night, 10pm eastern. Also, if you'd like, please post a link on my Facebook page. You can find full entry lists and live results at Omega Timing.

My Predictions:

Men’s 200 Free
1. Ryan Lochte, USA
2. Paul Biedermann, Germany
3. Yannick Agnel, France

Women’s 50 Breast
1. Yulia Efimova, Russia
2. Rebecca Soni, USA
3. Leiston Pickett, Australia

Men’s 100 Back
1. Stanislav Donets, Russia
2. Nick Thoman, USA
3. Camille Lacourt, France

Women’s 200 Fly
1. Liu Zige, China
2. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary
3. Felicity Galvez, China

Men’s 100 Breast
1. Cameron van der Burgh, South Africa
2. Felipe Silva, Brazil
3. Mike Alexandrov, USA

Women’s 100 Back
1. Natalie Coughlin, USA
2. Zhao Jing, China
3. Gao Chang, China

Men’s 100 Fly
1. Geoff Huegill, Australia
2. Evgeny Korotyshkin, Russia
3. Steffen Deibler, Germany

Women’s 400 IM
1. Hannah Miley, Great Britain
2. Yi Shiwen, China
3. Ariana Kukors, USA

Men’s 400 Free Relay
1. United States
2. France
3. Russia

Women’s 800 Free Relay
1. United States
2. France
3. Hungary

Women’s 100 Free
1. Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Netherlands
2. Femke Heemskerk, Netherlands
3. Natalie Coughlin, USA

Men’s 400 IM
1. Ryan Lochte, USA
2. Tyler Clary, USA
3. Laszlo Cseh, Hungary

Women’s 50 Fly
1. Therese Alshammar, Sweden
2. Marieke Guehrer, Australia
3. Inge Dekker, Netherlands

Men’s 50 Free
1. Cesar Cielo, Brazil
2. Fred Bousquet, France
3. Nathan Adrian, USA

Women’s 100 IM
1. Hinkelien Schreuder, Netherlands
2. Zhao Jing, China
3. Evelyn Verraszto, Hungary

Men’s 800 Free Relay
1. United States
2. Russia
3. Italy

Women’s 800 Free
1. Kate Ziegler, USA
2. Lotte Friis, Denmark
3. Federica Pellegrini, Italy

Men’s 50 Back
1. Stanislav Donets, Russia
2. Nick Thoman, USA
3. Camille Lacourt, France

Women’s 200 Back
1. Missy Franklin, USA
2. Alexianne Castel, France
3. Kseniya Moskvina, Russia

Men’s 50 Fly
1. Rafael Munoz, Spain
2. Fred Bousquet, France
3. Geoff Huegill, Australia

Women’s 100 Breast
1. Rebecca Soni, USA
2. Leisel Jones, Australia
3. Yulia Efimova, Russia

Men’s 400 Free
1. Ous Mellouli, Tunisia
2. Yannick Agnel, France
3. Paul Biedermann, Germany

Men’s 200 IM
1. Ryan Lochte, USA
2. Markus Rogan, Austria
3. Tyler Clary, USA

Women’s 400 Free
1. Federica Pellegrini, Italy
2. Katie Hoff, USA
3. Coralie Balmy, France

Men’s 200 Breast
1. Daniel Gyurta, Hungary
2. Felipe Silva, Brazil
3. Eric Shanteau, USA

Women’s 400 Medley Relay
1. United States
2. Sweden
3. Australia

Women’s 50 Back
1. Gao Chang, China
2. Marieke Guehrer, Australia
3. Zhao Jing, China

Men’s 100 Free
1. Nathan Adrian, USA
2. Cesar Cielo, Brazil
3. Danila Izotov, Russia

Women’s 100 Fly
1. Dana Vollmer, USA
2. Therese Alshammar, Sweden
3. Christine Magnuson, USA

Men’s 100 IM
1. Ryan Lochte, USA
2. Markus Deibler, Germany
3. Peter Mankoc, Slovenia

Women’s 50 Free
1. Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Netherlands
2. Hinkelien Schreuder, Netherlands
3. Jessica Hardy, USA

Women’s 200 IM
1. Ariana Kukors, USA
2. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary
3. Evelyn Verraszto, Hungary

Men’s 50 Breast
1. Cameron van der Burgh, South Africa
2. Roland Schoeman, South Africa
3. Felipe Silva, Brazil

Women’s 400 Free Relay
1. Netherlands
2. United States
3. Sweden

Men’s 200 Back
1. Ryan Lochte, USA
2. Tyler Clary, USA
3. Arkady Vyatchanin, Russia

Women’s 200 Breast
1. Rebecca Soni, USA
2. Leisel Jones, Australia
3. Annamay Pierse, Canada

Men’s 200 Fly
1. Pawel Korzeniowski, Poland
2. Laszlo Cseh, Hungary
3. Chad Le Clos, South Africa

Women’s 200 Free
1. Federica Pellegrini, Italy
2. Femke Heemskerk, Netherlands
3. Dana Vollmer, USA

Men’s 400 Medley Relay
1. Russia
2. United States
3. France

Men’s 1,500 Free
1. Ous Mellouli, Tunisia
2. Federico Colbertaldo, Italy
3. Pal Joensen, Faroe Islands