London 2012: Day Three Finals Predictions

Four more finals loom tonight, four big finals. We have big races coming in both 100 backs and the women's 100 breast, but the men's 200 free could be one of the epic races of all time. From top to bottom, lanes two through six: Ryan Lochte, Park Tae Hwan, Sun Yang, Yannick Agnel, and Paul Biedermann. Basically, we're talking about the same field as the World Championships last year, with Sun replacing Michael Phelps. Though Phelps opted out of the race, the race still has a huge impact on him.

If Ryan Lochte wins the race today, he would be well on his way to racking up a substantial medal total at the Olympics, including as many as six golds. Suddenly, Michael Phelps' eight-for-eight from four years ago would look repeatable in the future. Two straight dominating performances would pave the way for one man to dominate swimming in all aspects. If Lochte does not win or does not even medal, more power to Phelps; Phelps completely established control of the 200 free while maintaining control of his fly and IM events. A disappointing performance from Lochte just makes Phelps' performance in Beijing seem that much more amazing and one that we can never expect to see again.

My Current Predictions:

Men's 200 Free
1. Ryan Lochte
2. Yannick Agnel
3. Sun Yang

Women's 100 Back
1. Emily Seebohm
2. Missy Franklin
3. Anastasia Zueva

Men's 100 Back
1. Matt Grevers
2. Camille Lacourt
3. Liam Tancock

Women's 100 Breast
1. Rebecca Soni
2. Ruta Meilutyte
3. Yuliya Efimova

This 400 free winner leads the way into the 200 free final, and he wants another chance to celebrate on the lane line.