Claire Curzan Fulfilled Immense Promise at U.S. International Team Trials

Claire Curzan -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Claire Curzan Fulfilled Immense Promise at U.S. International Team Trials

After this week’s U.S. International Team Trials in Greensboro, the question “What can Claire Curzan do?” has become obsolete. Now, we know. After a year of watching Curzan flash her potential across a wide range of events, she has now proven herself with all the best swimmers in the nation peaking, at an all-important selection meet.

Of course, Curzan showed flashes of her brilliance when she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 100 butterfly last year and then when she collected six medals at the Short Course World Championships. But this week, Curzan went head-to-head with the best swimmers in the country over a wide range of sprint events, and she has finished first or second in all four of her events so far, with a possible fifth to come.

The week began with the 100 freestyle. Curzan had recorded an impressive 53.55 last May, but she ended up finishing 12th in that event at Olympic Trials. Her 2022 results, including a win in the event at the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio in early April, hinted that she would be in contention at this year’s Trials, and she indeed swam a 53.58 to secure not only a spot on the 400 free relay but also an individual 100 free berth for Worlds.

Day two brought the 50 butterfly, an event perfectly suited to Curzan’s skill set and sprinter instincts. She finished first in 25.49, just one hundredth off Kelsi Dahlia’s American record.

In the 100 fly, the event in which she qualified for the Olympics, Curzan was out fast and ended up finishing just behind American-record holder and future Stanford teammate Torri Huske, 56.28 to 56.35.

Most impressive of all was Curzan’s result Friday night, when she threw her hat in the ring for the always-loaded 100 backstroke. Curzan first broke into 58-second territory in 2021, but she did not swim the event at Trials because of a schedule conflict with the 100 fly. Those in the field included American-record holder Regan Smith, Tokyo fourth-place finisher Rhyan White, 100-yard back American-record holder Katharine Berkoff and 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Olivia Smoliga.

And Curzan, in seemingly an off-event, beat all except Smith, posting an elite time of 58.39 in the process.

World rankings can be a little deceiving to this point because so many of the world’s best have yet to swim a championship meet in 2022, but here is where Curzan currently sits in those four events:

100 Freestyle: fourth (behind Shayna Jack, Sarah Sjostrom and Huske)
50 Butterfly: second (behind Sjostrom, tied with Rikako Ikee)
100 Butterfly: second (behind Huske)
100 Backstroke: third (behind Smith and Kaylee McKeown)

Curzan enters the 50 free final as the top-ranked American this year and third-fastest swimmer overall, and she is also the fifth-ranked swimmer in the world in the 200 backstroke (behind McKeown and three Americans), although she skipped that event Wednesday to focus on the 50 fly.

Through her experiences at the Olympics, Short Course Worlds and other significant events over the past year, Curzan has built the confidence she needs to thrive day after day, even in a stressful racing environment.

“Confidence is something I’ve been working on,” Curzan said after her 50 fly victory. “I think the Olympics was great in just getting a taste of the biggest stage in the world. Now I can reflect on that and be better at these meets when the competition is still high, and you can still kind of feel the tension because it’s a qualifying meet. I know that I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

The degree of difficulty will be upped at the World Championships, where Curzan will race at least four individual events and two relays, with possibly the 50 free still to be added to her schedule, and Curzan could also participate on the mixed 400 medley relay and mixed 400 freestyle relay. If she swims prelims, semifinals and finals of all her events plus each relay once, that is 16 total swims over the eight-day meet, 19 if she adds the 50 free to her program. That’s a lot of responsibility for a 17-year-old.

But Curzan handled every race beautifully this week to earn that chance on the international stage, and she cemented her status among the country’s best swimmers.

When considering the top female swimmers of this meet, Katie Ledecky will top the list if she adds a victory in the 1500 freestyle to her earlier wins in the 200, 400 and 800 free, and Lilly King swept the breaststroke events, but those performances were mostly expected. Curzan entered the meet with some questions, but she has exceled at every opportunity.

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Swim fan

1 year ago

Nice article. Curzan has shown her ability! Good for her-so much potential.

Susan Crowley

1 year ago

Reply to Swim fan

Claire Curzan simply exudes talent and has maturity beyond her years. Such a lovely person, too!

Deirdre Hackeling

1 year ago

Reply to Swim fan

Lovely profile of wunderkind Claire Curzan, who is most certainly a joy to behold, both in and out of the pool!