Performance of the Week: Katie Grimes, Maximus Williamson Just Miss 400 IM NAG Records in Austin

Katie Grimes (right) with Erica Sullivan after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Katie Grimes, Maximus Williamson Just Miss 400 IM NAG Records in Austin

Performance of the Week sponsored by Luma Lanes.

A pair of 15-year-olds, one completing a breakout year in which she qualified for her first Olympic team and another still relatively unknown, each swam impressive performances in the 400 IM Friday evening at Junior Nationals in Austin, Texas. Along the way, Sandpipers of Nevada’s Katie Grimes crushed her best time by more than five seconds, while North Texas Nadadores’ Maximus Williamson dropped five seconds for the second time in a day on his way to the men’s 400 IM victory.

In the women’s event, Grimes blasted a 4:00.66 to beat Olympic Trials finalist Justina Kozan by six seconds. Grimes tied Katie Hoff, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 400-meter IM and a two-time world champion in the event, for 12th-fastest all-time in the event. She finished just four hundredths off the 15-16 National Age Group record of 4:00.62, set by Dagny Knutson in 2008. Grimes’ previous best time was 4:06.24, set in April, as she showed that her skills go far beyond the distance freestyle in which she made her mark on the national and international level.

During this breakout year, Grimes finished second to Katie Ledecky in the 800-meter freestyle at Olympic Trials and then fourth in the event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Meanwhile, Kozan could not stick with Grimes, and she ended up finishing second in 4:06.74, about a second behind her best time, while Fort Collins’ Lucy Bell took third in 4:10.78.

  1 Grimes, Katie          15 Sandpipers Of Ne  4:07.17    4:00.66#  20  
    r:+0.65  25.79        54.78 (28.99)
        1:24.25 (29.47)     1:53.50 (29.25)
        2:29.77 (36.27)     3:06.02 (36.25)
        3:33.78 (27.76)     4:00.66 (26.88)
  2 Kozan, Justina         17 Una SET-CA        4:12.11    4:06.74   17  
    r:+0.74  25.89        56.03 (30.14)
        1:28.05 (32.02)     1:59.83 (31.78)
        2:34.86 (35.03)     3:11.00 (36.14)
        3:39.08 (28.08)     4:06.74 (27.66)
  3 Bell, Lucy             17 Fort Collins Are  4:13.86    4:10.78   16  
    r:+0.72  26.41        56.32 (29.91)
        1:29.26 (32.94)     2:01.37 (32.11)
        2:36.77 (35.40)     3:13.34 (36.57)
        3:42.36 (29.02)     4:10.78 (28.42)

In the next event, Williamson put up a time of 3:42.22, an amazing accomplishment for a swimmer whose best time going into the day was 3:52 before swimming his 3:47 in prelims. In the final, Williamson blasted out ahead of the field on the backstroke leg and then pulled away. He swam a 3:42.22 to finish just 0.14 behind the National Age Group record, a 3:42.08 held by Michael Phelps. Williamson, who has more than a year remaining in the age group, could certainly pull off the rare accomplishment of beating a Phelps record within the next year, especially given his remarkable improvement.

Lakeside Aquatic Club’s Cooper Lucas took second in 3:46.26, four seconds behind Williamson, while Humberto Najera was third in 3:47.33.

  1 Williamson, Maximus    15 North Texas Nada  3:47.33    3:42.22*  20  
    r:+0.74  23.63        50.83 (27.20)
        1:18.49 (27.66)     1:45.69 (27.20)
        2:18.53 (32.84)     2:51.52 (32.99)
        3:17.43 (25.91)     3:42.22 (24.79)
  2 Lucas, Cooper          16 Lakeside Aquatic  3:49.31    3:46.26   17  
    r:+0.68  23.27        50.65 (27.38)
        1:19.39 (28.74)     1:47.79 (28.40)
        2:20.33 (32.54)     2:53.71 (33.38)
        3:20.80 (27.09)     3:46.26 (25.46)
  3 Najera, Humberto       16 Una SET-CA        3:50.75    3:47.33   16  
    r:+0.60  23.82        50.93 (27.11)
        1:19.52 (28.59)     1:47.50 (27.98)
        2:20.08 (32.58)     2:53.84 (33.76)
        3:21.30 (27.46)     3:47.33 (26.03)

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