FINA World Championships Predictions: Men’s 100 Free

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Photo Courtesy: Steve Christo/Swimming Australia

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The men’s 100 free is often considered the glamor event of swimming, but it will be missing quite a bit of star-power at this month’s FINA World Championships.

Kyle Chalmers, the Australian teenager who won Olympic gold last summer, is out of Budapest after heart surgery. Reigning World Champion Ning Zetao didn’t make China’s World Champs roster. No one has swum any time faster than 47.90 this year.

Perhaps the favorite should be Cameron McEvoy, the Australian that most picked to win Olympic gold last summer before Chalmers did so instead. McEvoy is the second-fastest performer in history after blasting a 47.04 at Australia’s Olympic Trials last year, but he was nowhere close to that form in Rio, and he finished seventh in the 100 free final.

Pieter Timmers and Nathan Adrian, both medalists last summer in Rio, will be back, as will fellow Olympic finalists Duncan ScottCaeleb Dressel and Marcelo Cherighini.

Read below to see what Swimming World’s trio of experts think will happen in Budapest. David RiederJohn Lohn and Andy Ross will each offer their predictions for who will finish on the podium.

Men’s 100 Free

Current Records:

World Record: Cesar Cielo, BRA (2009) — 46.91
Championship Record: Cesar Cielo, BRA (2009) — 46.91
American Record: David Walters (2009) — 47.33

2015 World Champion: Ning Zetao, CHN — 47.84
2016 Olympic Gold Medalist: Kyle Chalmers, AUS — 47.58
2017 World No. 1: Duncan Scott, GBR — 47.90

Swimming World Predictions

David Rieder’s Picks:

Gold: Caeleb Dressel, USA
Silver: Cameron McEvoy, AUS
Bronze: Nathan Adrian, USA

John Lohn’s Picks:

Gold: Cameron McEvoy, AUS
Silver: Caeleb Dressel, USA
Bronze: Nathan Adrian, USA

Andy Ross’ Picks:

Gold: Cameron McEvoy, AUS
Silver: Nathan Adrian, USA
Bronze: Duncan Scott, GBR

Previous Events

Day One:

Day Two:

Day Three:

Day Four:

Day Five:

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Chrb
Chrb
6 years ago

Cameron mcevoy is not second, but third in history in the 100 free. Alain Bernard is second in 46.94

commonwombat
commonwombat
6 years ago

Hhhmm, I’m going to be somewhat of a contrarian and suggest that McEvoy is far from a certainty to medal. The evidence we have to hand tends to suggest that his 47.04 was a case of “that one perfect race” and Rio has suggested that he’s is no less susceptible under pressure than Magnussen was.

His 47.9 at Trials certainly puts him in the medal hunt but his performances at Mare Nostrum were frankly pedestrian; he is traditionally quite a deal faster “in season”. That is why I see Scott as the real threat in Budapest to the US duo in this event

Daniel Haverty
6 years ago

Caleb…

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