Erica Sullivan, David Johnston Notch 1500 Freestyle Wins at TYR Pro Series in Mission Viejo

Erica Sullivan, David Johnston Notch 1500 Freestyle Wins at TYR Pro Series in Mission Viejo

When the United States International Team Trials were held in late April, Erica Sullivan was one of the bigger names missing from the competition. Following her freshman season at the University of Texas, Sullivan cited a shoulder injury for the reason she bypassed the meet which selected the American squad for this month’s World Championships in Budapest.

Sullivan, though, is now healthy enough to return to action and was the winner of the women’s 1500-meter freestyle during Wednesday’s opening session of the TYR Pro Series stop in Mission Viejo. The reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 1500 free, Sullivan bested the field behind a time of 16:34.91. That effort was well clear of the 16:59.96 posted by Mattea Sokolow for second place.

After claiming an Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games, Sullivan enjoyed a strong freshman season at Texas, highlighted by a runnerup finish at the NCAA Championships in the 1650 freestyle.

Live Results

In men’s action, David Johnston won the 1500 freestyle in comfortable fashion, as he covered his 30 laps in 15:18.32. The 20-year-old from the University of Texas finished more than 13 seconds ahead of Marwan El Kamash, as the Egyptian clocked 15:32.02. Johnston was the third-place finisher in the 1500 free at the International Trials and helped Texas to second place in the team standings at March’s NCAA Championships.

Racing in Mission Viejo will continue Thursday through Saturday with full prelims-finals programs. Among the athletes expected to compete are Arizona State standout freshman Leon Marchand of France and members of the Sandpipers of Nevada.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use