Breaking Down The Quickest Ladies’s 100 Fly Performances (Knowledge Visualization)

Haven’t recovered from the ladies’s 100 butterfly on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials? Neither have we.

After per week of intense racing inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the ladies’s 100 butterfly—swum over the primary two days of the 9 day meet—stands as among the finest races these Trials gave us.

The battle between Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, and Regan Smith was one for the ages because the three duked it out for the 2 spots on the Olympic roster. 4 of the highest eight performances in historical past now come from these Trials. Walsh blazed a world file within the semifinals on evening one of many meet and within the remaining all three had been underneath Huske’s former American file of 55.64. They now rank first (Walsh), third (Huske), and tied for sixth (Smith) on the all-time high performers record.

Prime 10 All-Time Performances, Ladies’s 100 Fly (LCM)

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA), 55.18 — 2024 U.S. Trials Semifinals
2. Gretchen Walsh (USA), 55.31 — 2024 U.S. Trials Finals
3. Sarah Sjöström (SWE), 55.48 — 2016 Olympics
4. Torri Huske (USA), 55.52 — 2024 U.S. Trials Finals
5. Sarah Sjöström (SWE), 55.53 — 2017 World Championships
6. Maggie MacNeil (CAN), 55.59 — 2021 Olympics
7. Zhang Yufei (CHN)/Regan Smith (USA), 55.62 — 2020 Chinese language Nationals/2024 U.S. Trials Finals
8. —
9. Sarah Sjöstrom (SWE)/Zhang Yufei (CHN)/Torri Huske (USA), 55.64 — 2015 World Championships/2021 Olympics/2022 World Championships
10. —

We don’t usually get to see the six quickest performers in historical past all on their finest in the identical remaining. This 12 months, we gained’t even see all six within the 100 butterfly Olympic remaining. Sarah Sjöström has shifted her focus and Smith gained’t race this occasion in Paris.

However what wouldn’t it seem like to see all these swims subsequent to one another? Under, the info visualization reveals the highest six performances all-time stacked subsequent to one another

The visualization offers context to 2 splits we noticed in final week’s remaining: Walsh’s opening break up and Smith’s again half.

Walsh was .13 seconds off her world file within the swim that truly certified her for her first Olympics, however she was out extremely quick. She turned on the wall in a blistering 25.20 that might be the second-fastest 50 fly efficiency of her profession. In truth, if she wasn’t already tied for 4th on the all-time record, that break up would tie her for seventh with Fran Halsall.

The visualization reveals Walsh’s finals avatar out in entrance on the flip. Midway although the race, she’s already .25 seconds forward of her world file tempo. And she or he’s .47 seconds forward of Sjöström’s 25.67 from 2017 Worlds, the following quickest opening break up.

The opposite break up from Indianapolis to give attention to is Smith’s closing velocity. After opening her race in 26.68—the slowest opening break up within the visualization—Smith charged with a 28.94 on the ultimate 50 meters. Not solely is it the quickest again half of those eight performances, it’s the quickest 100 fly closing break up that we are able to discover.

Maggie MacNeil’s 29.09 second 50 from the Tokyo Olympics is .15 seconds behind her and is the following finest again half of the highest eight performances. On the 2019 World Championships, MacNeil closed her 55.83 swim in 29.06, which trails Smith’s tempo by .12 seconds.

Of this group, Smith is the least skilled butterfly sprinter. She races all three backstroke distances and is elite in any respect three, however this season was the primary time we’ve seen Smith play with the 100 butterfly shortly as she’s often centered on the 200 fly as a substitute of the sprints.

The opposite 200 butterflier right here is Zhang Yufei, the reigning Olympic champion, although she hasn’t raced the 200 fly this season. Regardless of Zhang and Smith each having success within the 200 fly, they race their 100 fly in another way.

Zhang, who has additionally medaled internationally within the 50 and 100 fly, break up her finest efficiency equally to Walsh, Huske, and Sjöström—opening quick and holding on. In the meantime, Smith’s race technique is just like MacNeil, who’s way more dash oriented than she. Smith and MacNeil opened their races in 26-high and 26-mid earlier than scorching the second 50.

Regardless that neither Smith nor Sjöström will race the 100 fly in Paris this summer time, we’ll nonetheless get to see 4 of the quickest ladies in historical past with their totally different race methods battle for the Olympic podium.

Cut up Comparability, Prime 8 Ladies’s 100 Fly Performances (LCM)