Kalisz earns victory in 400 IM
He’s not wowed by time, but it’s best in the world this year; Phelps on hand for support
IRVINE, CALIF. — North Baltimore Aquatic Club alumnus Chase Kalisz wonthe men’s 400 individual medley at the Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships on Friday night in 4 minutes, 8.25 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year.
“The time wasn’t so great, but it’s about getting on the team and setting yourself up for Tokyo,” he said, referring to next month’s Pan Pacific championships.
Baltimorean Michael Phelps, the world and American record holder in the event, was on hand at the Woollett Aquatics Center to support the Fallston alumnus who grew up in Bel Air.
“He’s always supportive,” Kalisz said of his former NBAC teammate. “He’s like an older brother to me. Any advice I can get from him, it’s meaningful and I listen to it.”
Caeleb Dressel won for the first time in three events, taking the 100-meter butterfly to earn a berth on the team for the Pan Pacs.
Dressel, winner of seven golds at last year’s world championships, powered to the wall in 50.50 seconds, fastest in the world this year.
Jack Conger was second in 51.11, followed by 19-year-old Michael Andrew in 51.68. Andrew led at the turn before Dressel rallied on the second lap.
Dressel finished second in the 50 butterfly Thursday, but that isn’t a qualifying event for next month’s Pan Pacs in Tokyo. Earlier, he finished sixth in the 100 free, barely getting into the final. He scratched the 200 free on the first night of the meet. He has three events remaining. Dressel knows he’s being watched to see if he can back up last year, when he equaled Phelps’ record seven golds at a world meet.
“The main thing is to just stay hungry. There’s a target on your back, so you never want to get complacent,” he said. “Your goals should be pretty ridiculous, you should set them high.”
Andrew returned about 15 minutes later to win the 50 breaststroke, another non-Pac Pacs event, in 26.84, lowering the U.S. Open record he set in the preliminaries.
Andrew came back yet again to swim the 50 backstroke and finished fourth, closing out three finals in about 40 minutes.
Ryan Murphy, double Olympic backstroke champion in Rio de Janeiro, won the 50 back in 24.24, breaking the 10-year-old American record of 24.33 set by Randall Bal.
Olympian Kelsi Dahlia rallied to win the 100 fly in 56.83 and Katie McLaughlin was second in 57.51 to claim spots on the Pan Pacs team. Dahlia earned a spot on the U.S. team for next year’s world championships.
Ally McHugh, a 21-year-old swimmer from Penn State, won the women’s IM in 4:34.80, beating out Olympic medalists Leah Smith and Melanie Margalis.
Olympic 100 breast champion Lilly King won the 50 breast in 29.82 and Olympian Olivia Smoliga took the 50 backstroke in 27.70, with both securing spots on the team for worlds.
On Thursday night, Missy Franklin failed to qualify for the two biggest meets leading up to the 2020 Olympics. She didn’t make the final in either of her events and as a result will miss next month’s Pan Pacs and the 2019 world championships.
She led through the first three laps in the C final of the 200-meter freestyle before fading to third and touching in 1:59.15.
“I’ve trained really, really hard the past seven months, and was definitely hoping it would show up a little bit more,” Franklin said.
The four-time gold medalist at the 2012 London Games didn’t enter her signature backstroke events, having undergone two shoulder surgeries at the start of last year. Chase Kalisz swims in the men’s 400 individual medley preliminaries. The Fallston alumnus won the event Friday night in 4 minutes, 8.25 seconds.