2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
Girls’s 200 Backstroke- By The Numbers:
- World Document: 2:03.14- Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
- World Junior Document: 2:03.35- Regan Smith, USA (2019)
- Olympic Document: 2:04.06- Missy Franklin, USA (2012)
- 2021 Olympic Champion: 2:04.68- Kaylee McKeown, AUS
The ladies’s 200 backstroke has been “The Regan and Kaylee Present” in recent times. With Regan Smith lacking the US Olympic Crew within the occasion in 2020(1), we lastly can have the showdown within the occasion on the Olympics. With each swimmers’ dominance, the largest battle seems to be to be for bronze.
The occasion as a complete is rather a lot totally different than the sector within the 100 backstroke. The 100 backstroke area is rather a lot tighter with 5 swimmers beneath the 58-second mark, the rostrum nonetheless has the potential for some shake ups. The 200 seems to be a lot totally different with McKeown and Smith main the best way by a large margin.
The Two At The Prime
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown enters the occasion after posting the highest time within the World this season swimming a 2:03.30 at Australian Olympic Trials. McKeown has had the sting over Smith within the occasion just lately after breaking Smith’s World Document final 12 months swimming a 2:03.14. McKeown gained the battle between the 2 final summer time on the 2023 World Championships swimming to a 2:03.85, forward of Smith’s 2:04.94.
Smith has already been sooner this season than she was at 2023 Worlds, swimming a 2:03.99 on the Westmont Professional Collection cease earlier than reserving her ticket to the Olympics within the occasion with a 2:05.16 at US Olympic Trials. Regardless of being off each her season and private finest instances within the occasion at US Trials, Smith made waves within the 100 backstroke, breaking McKeown’s World Document as Smith swam to a 57.13 within the 100 backstroke. Though we picked Smith to win the 100 backstroke, McKeown’s consistency and deeper concentrate on longer “semi-on” occasions appears to offer her the leg up within the 200. McKeown additionally competes within the 200/400 IM whereas Smith’s different major focuses are on the 100/200 fly.
The 2 swimmers are the one girls to have been beneath the two:05 mark this season. Claire Curzan of the USA holds the third quickest time this 12 months as she swam a 2:05.77 en path to gold on the 2024 World Championships. Regardless of holding the third quickest time within the World this season, Curzan missed qualifying for the US roster with a third place end at US Trials. Because of this Smith and McKeown are as an alternative the one athletes who can be in Paris who’ve been beneath the two:06 mark this season, permitting each swimmers to enter the race as heavy gold and silver medal favorites, the order by which is what’s more durable to choose.
Greatest Bronze Medal Contenders
Main the two:06+ group of backstrokers is Canada’s Kylie Masse. Masse arrives in Paris with loads of worldwide and Olympic expertise. Masse has been on the rostrum in backstroke on the final two Olympics, first successful bronze within the 100 again in 2016 (however didn’t swim the 200 again in Rio) after which silver in each the 100 and 200 backstrokes in 2020(1). Masse’s consistency on the worldwide stage within the backstroke scene makes her one of many favorites to face at bronze on the rostrum however she is not going to be uncontested.
Following Masse this 12 months is Pheobe Bacon of the US. Bacon rebounded to qualify for Paris after lacking the Worlds group final summer time. This can be her 2nd Olympics as she swam the 200 backstroke in Tokyo, swimming to a fifth place end within the occasion with a 2:06.40, a private finest on the time. Bacon had a profitable quick course yards and NCAA season with Wisconsin, swimming to her 2nd NCAA title, successful the 200 again in 2021, the identical 12 months as she made her first Video games, and now in 2024. She swam a season better of a 2:06.27 to qualify for the US group and appears to proceed her success from the winter, posing as a risk to the rostrum as nicely. Her success this previous winter being at (and surpassing) her success from 2021 bodes nicely for Paris. Bacon additionally appears to be a “clutch performer” posting her finest instances when it issues.
After a gold and bronze end within the 200 backstroke in Tokyo, Australia’s Jaclyn Barclay seems to be to repeat historical past and fill the hole left by Emily Seebohmwho gained bronze in Tokyo. Barclay enters with a season (and private) better of a 2:07.03 that she swam for silver on the 2024 World Championships this previous February. Barclay clinched her spot on the Australian roster after a 2:07.88 at Australian Trials final month. She has been on a large enchancment curve, dropping from a 2:14 two years in the past, to a 2:11 final season, and now dipping into the two:07 mark on quite a few events.
Peng Xuwei of China gained bronze final summer time at 2023 Worlds within the occasion with a 2:06.74. Her season finest sits at a 2:07.28 from the 2023 Asian Video games final September. With the seems to be of the sector proper now, it appears that it’s going to take extra within the 2:05-2:06 vary to earn bronze so one other finest time can be key for her success. The identical may be mentioned for Barclay.
2:08 Membership
There are quite a few swimmers who’ve been within the 2:08 vary this season. Honey Osrin of Nice Britain swam to a finest time of a 2:08.37 on the British Championships. Liu Yaxin of China posted a 2:08.41 at Chinese language Nationals whereas Emma Terebo (France) posted a 2:08.45 on the Mare Nostrum collection.
Additionally within the 2:08 membership is Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko who posted a nationwide file of a 2:08.54 at Mare Nostrum. Regardless of being identified primarily for her IM occasions, Gorbenko nonetheless poses as a risk to the ultimate within the occasion if she chooses to swim it in Paris.
Spain’s Carmen Weiler (2:08.89) and Portugal’s Camila Rebelo (2:08.95) spherical out the two:08 group and each swam to new Nationwide Data in June. Weiler swam her time on the Spanish Championships whereas Rebelo swam to Portugal’s first gold medal ever on the European Championships.
The Verdict
McKeown and Smith lastly will be capable to battle it out within the Olympics after Smith’s miss within the occasion in 2020(1) regardless of being the World Document holder on the time. Since then, McKeown has been the dominant power within the occasion with Smith following proper behind. Evidently Smith has been hitting her stride just lately, propelled by her 100 again World Document, however the distinction within the occasions appears to offer McKeown the win right here as she is adopted by Smith. The 2 are the quickest within the occasion within the World this 12 months by over two seconds in comparison with any of their opponents in Paris and the largest race appears to be for bronze. Masse has the worldwide podium historical past whereas Bacon had an enormous senior season and already swam sooner than she did in 2021 this season. Nonetheless a young person, Barclay of Australia has been bettering quickly the previous couple of years and with one other second or so drop, she additionally might stand on the rostrum.
Bacon’s senior season appears to face out essentially the most and she or he has the worldwide expertise she must know what it is going to take. Lacking out on the rostrum in Tokyo is gasoline the hearth as she was 2nd popping out of semifinals. The truth that Bacon has a private better of a 2:05.08 and has been within the 2:06 vary on quite a few events is what offers her a leg up on Peng and Barclay however Masse seems to be to be one other huge challenger for bronze.
SwimSwam’s Picks
Darkish Horse: Camila Rebelo, Portugal, Nonetheless a young person, Rebelo already made historical past for Portugal on the 2024 European Championships successful the nation’s first-ever European title. She has been dropping the previous couple of seasons and had not even been beneath the two:10 mark earlier than March 2023. As talked about above, Rebelo now could be within the 2:08 vary swimming a 2:08.95 in June.
