McEvoy, Chalmers Duel Down Under In Anticipated 100m Freestyle
McEvoy, Chalmers Duel Down Under In Anticipated 100m Freestyle
Cameron McEvoy and Kyle Chalmers swam the 100m freestyle Tuesday night in Brisbane at the 2017 Australian Swimming Championships. They posted the fastest two times in the world this year.
The most anticipated race of the evening, if not the entire week, in Brisbane at the Australian Swimming Championships was certainly the men's 100m freestyle on Wednesday -- and it did not disappoint.
Kyle Chalmers versus Cameron McEvoy. Let's go.
These two men hold a lot of history in the men's 100m freestyle. Before we get into what happened, let's go over a little bit of historical context.
1.) First and foremost, Chalmers is the defending Olympic champion -- at the young age of 18, he swam a 47.58 to claim the gold medal ahead of Pieter Timmers (Belarus) and Nathan Adrian (United States) in Rio.
Here is a heartwarming video of Chalmers' grandparents crying tears of joy as they watch him win gold. Who doesn't need a little hump-day feel good?
2.) Chalmers is tied with Jason Lezak as the 12th-fastest performer of all-time with his 47.58 from Rio.
3.) At the 2016 Australian Nationals (Olympic Trials), McEvoy unleashed a 47.04, which is the third-fastest performance of all time and made him the third-fastest performer of all time. Ahead of him are the current world record-holder Cesar Cielo (46.91) and Frenchman Alain Bernard (46.94). Both of those performances were swum in 2009 during the suit era.
Now that the stage is set, let's get back to Brisbane.
Just like it was a this meet in 2016, it was a 1-2 finish for McEvoy and Chalmers. The most exciting part about watching these two men race is their differing race strategies. McEvoy tends to be more aggressive on the front half, while Chalmers tends to make his move over the last 50 meters.
Wednesday was no different.
McEvoy blasted off the blocks to a swift first 50m split of 22.73 -- 0.67 ahead of Chalmers who flipped in 23.40. Chalmers made a push at the end, out-splitting McEvoy 24.80 to 25.18. But in the end, it was McEvoy taking the title in 47.91 and Chalmers grabbing the silver in 48.20 -- both below Swimming Australia's qualifying time for the World Championships of 48.49.
Jack Cartwright, another promising 18-year-old for the Australians, grabbed the bronze with a 48.43 -- also under the qualifying time. However, per Swimming Australia's qualification rules, he will not swim the individual event as he placed outside of the top two. He will likely go as a member of the Aussie 4x100m freestyle relay.
Of note, these three times are now the top three performances in the world so far in 2017.
Other notable performances from Wednesday night in Brisbane include:
Emily Seebohm followed up her impressive swim in the 100m backstroke on Monday night with a swift 2:07.03 in the 200m backstroke. That time now places her as the world No. 1 for 2017 thus far. Kaylee McKeown, just 15 years old, picked up the silver with a strong 2:08.98 -- under Swimming Australia's qualifying time for Worlds of 2:09.16. Pack your bags, Kaylee, you are going to Budapest, Hungary.
David Morgan put up a strong performance in the men's 200m butterfly, posting a 1:55.75 -- just 0.05 of a second under Swimming Australia's qualifying time. That time place him seventh so far in the 2017 world rankings, with a slew of 1:55 performances from second through seventh.
Kyle Chalmers versus Cameron McEvoy. Let's go.
These two men hold a lot of history in the men's 100m freestyle. Before we get into what happened, let's go over a little bit of historical context.
1.) First and foremost, Chalmers is the defending Olympic champion -- at the young age of 18, he swam a 47.58 to claim the gold medal ahead of Pieter Timmers (Belarus) and Nathan Adrian (United States) in Rio.
Here is a heartwarming video of Chalmers' grandparents crying tears of joy as they watch him win gold. Who doesn't need a little hump-day feel good?
2.) Chalmers is tied with Jason Lezak as the 12th-fastest performer of all-time with his 47.58 from Rio.
3.) At the 2016 Australian Nationals (Olympic Trials), McEvoy unleashed a 47.04, which is the third-fastest performance of all time and made him the third-fastest performer of all time. Ahead of him are the current world record-holder Cesar Cielo (46.91) and Frenchman Alain Bernard (46.94). Both of those performances were swum in 2009 during the suit era.
Now that the stage is set, let's get back to Brisbane.
Just like it was a this meet in 2016, it was a 1-2 finish for McEvoy and Chalmers. The most exciting part about watching these two men race is their differing race strategies. McEvoy tends to be more aggressive on the front half, while Chalmers tends to make his move over the last 50 meters.
Wednesday was no different.
McEvoy blasted off the blocks to a swift first 50m split of 22.73 -- 0.67 ahead of Chalmers who flipped in 23.40. Chalmers made a push at the end, out-splitting McEvoy 24.80 to 25.18. But in the end, it was McEvoy taking the title in 47.91 and Chalmers grabbing the silver in 48.20 -- both below Swimming Australia's qualifying time for the World Championships of 48.49.
Jack Cartwright, another promising 18-year-old for the Australians, grabbed the bronze with a 48.43 -- also under the qualifying time. However, per Swimming Australia's qualification rules, he will not swim the individual event as he placed outside of the top two. He will likely go as a member of the Aussie 4x100m freestyle relay.
Of note, these three times are now the top three performances in the world so far in 2017.
Other notable performances from Wednesday night in Brisbane include:
Emily Seebohm followed up her impressive swim in the 100m backstroke on Monday night with a swift 2:07.03 in the 200m backstroke. That time now places her as the world No. 1 for 2017 thus far. Kaylee McKeown, just 15 years old, picked up the silver with a strong 2:08.98 -- under Swimming Australia's qualifying time for Worlds of 2:09.16. Pack your bags, Kaylee, you are going to Budapest, Hungary.
David Morgan put up a strong performance in the men's 200m butterfly, posting a 1:55.75 -- just 0.05 of a second under Swimming Australia's qualifying time. That time place him seventh so far in the 2017 world rankings, with a slew of 1:55 performances from second through seventh.