Ledecky, Adrian shine at nationals
INDIANAPOLIS — Stanford’s Katie Ledecky keeps making winning look easy, and former Cal standout Nathan Adrian continues to prove experience matters when things get close. And the result was more of the same Tuesday night as the Olympic gold medalists qualified for another American world championship team.
Ledecky, as usual, dominated the women’s 800-meter freestyle, winning by nearly nine seconds at the U.S. National Championships. Adrian rallied in the closing meters and out-touched Caeleb Dressel by 0.01 seconds to win the men’s 100 free.
The world championships are scheduled for Budapest, Hungary, on July 23-30.
After taking Olympic gold in the 100 free in 2012 and picking up a bronze in the event last summer in Rio, Adrian returned to Indianapolis as the oldest competitor in the final, almost 6½ years older than the next-oldest competitor. And with the retired Michael Phelps and suspended Ryan Lochte not around, Adrian, 28, has accepted his role as Team USA’s elder spokesman.
After qualifying fourth in the morning prelims, he charged back from the No. 6 spot at the turn and sprinted past five younger competitors to reclaim a title he first won in 2009, also in Indy. He won in 47.96 seconds.
“I didn’t know where they were, and if I had looked I probably would have lost it,” Adrian said after pumping his fist and taking a deep breath following the race.
The winners of each event qualify for the world championships. Runners-up are also likely to join the team through a selection process.
Ledecky provided no drama in an event she has owned for years.
The 20-year-old from Washington, D.C., took the lead in the first 50 meters and extended it by between 0.31 and 0.83 seconds on each ensuing lap through the first 600 meters. At one point, she was swimming under her own world-record pace.
She finished in 8:11.50, beating Leah Smith to the wall by 8.96 seconds.
Ledecky did all that despite having only about 25 minutes between her sixth-place finish in the 100 free and the start of the 800 and without changing her workouts before nationals.
“I didn’t rest too much for this. I’d say maybe compared to other trials/selection meets, this is probably the least tapered I’ve been,” she said.
By winning, Ledecky has already given herself the option to compete in the 1,500 free at Budapest.
She plans to swim the 200 free Wednesday and the 400 free Friday, setting her up for the possibility of four more international golds to match the four individual golds she won at the 2015 world championships and four more she brought home from the 2016 Olympics.
But Adrian and Ledecky weren’t the only turning heads on opening night.
Mallory Comerford of the University of Louisville surprised Simone Manuel, the reigning Olympic champion, in the women’s 100 free. Manuel finished second and her Stanford teammate Lia Neal finished third.