Claire Weinstein Tops Katie Ledecky at TYR Pro Series Stop in Fort Lauderdale
When Claire Weinstein clocked a career-best time in the 400-meter freestyle on Thursday night, the performance was overshadowed by the fact that Katie Ledecky dropped the second-fastest time of her career. On Friday night, however, Weinstein was the athlete in the spotlight, as she defeated Ledecky in the 200 freestyle at the TYR Pro Series stop in Fort Lauderdale.
A member of the United States’ silver-medal winning 800 freestyle relay from last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, Weinstein touched the wall in Southern Florida in 1:54.93. That performance was a little more than a half-second quicker than Ledecky, who grabbed the runnerup spot in 1:55.51. Third place went to Erin Gemmell in 1:57.10. Weinstein’s personal best sits at 1:54.88.
Weinstein delivered a time of 4:01.26 in the 400 freestyle, and with the 200 freestyle her prime event, there was reason to expect a big swim from the Sandpipers of Nevada star. Indeed, Weinstein came through. At the first turn, Weinstein sat just behind Ledecky, 27.26 to 27.53, and she remained just behind at the midway point of the race, 56.64 to 56.67. But at the 150-meter turn, it was Weinstein who was in front, 1:26.06 to 1:26.38. Over the closing 50 meters, she added to her margin for an impressive win.
Ledecky was coming off victories in the 1500-meter freestyle and 400 freestyle at the City of Fort Lauderdale Aquatics Center, each event producing the second-fastest time of her career. But Weinstein has proven herself capable of handling the pressure of Ledecky in the past, particularly when she claimed the 2023 national title in the 200 freestyle.
Weinstein and Ledecky are expected to duel again next month when the United States National Championships are held in Indianapolis. That meet will determine the squad that will represent Team USA at this summer’s World Championships in Singapore.
In the B Final, Torri Huske took top honors in a time of 1:57.71. Meanwhile, teen Rylee Erisman was fourth in the championship final, going 1:57.89.
Carson Foster Snares 200 Free Title
Already the champion of the 200 butterfly from Thursday night, Carson Foster added the 200 freestyle crown to his collection. The University of Texas product used a strong back half to rally from fourth at the midway point to victory in 1:46.46. Foster led four athletes under the 1:47 barrier in the final, including runnerup Tomas Koski. Olympic bronze medalist Luke Hobson (1:46.76) was third and Tomas Navikonis (1:46.90) placed fourth.
Foster was fourth at the 100-meter mark, trailing Koski by .58. But a 27.24 split on the third 50 and a closing length of 27.31 carried Foster to the front of the field. In the consolation final, Shaine Casas went sub-1:47 with a swim of 1:46.49.
Foster will have multiple options for the World Champs Trials, thanks to his versatility. While both medley events will almost certainly fill his schedule, Foster is a contender for Singapore bids in the 200 freestyle and 200 fly and will have to decide how many solo events he wants to pursue for the major meet of the 2025 season.
Regan Smith Rallies to Top Summer McIntosh in 200 Backstroke
Not long after finishing third in the 50 butterfly, Regan Smith returned to the pool for one of her main events, the 200 backstroke. The Olympic silver medalist in the event, Smith used a strong back half to chase down Summer McIntosh for the win. Smith logged a mark of 2:06.32, exactly a half-second quicker than the 2:06.82 of McIntosh, who was just .01 off her career best.
The victory was Smith’s second of the meet, complementing her first-place finish in the 200 butterfly on Thursday night. Smith narrowly trailed McIntosh through the first 100 meters, with the Canadian splitting 1:01.49 at the midway point, to the 1:01.68 of Smith. By the final turn, however, Smith was in front, 1:34.12 to 1:34.28. Smith closed with a split of 32.20 to cushion her lead.
Smith enjoyed a stellar 2024 campaign, one that was defined by three individual silver medals at the Olympic Games in Paris, and a world record in the 100 backstroke at the United States Olympic Trials.
Claire Curzan was third in 2:08.20 and fourth went to Audrey Derivaux in 2:08.52.
