The 100 IM: Popular Age-Group Event Bringing Together The World’s Best

Beata Nelson is the American-record holder in the women's 100 IM -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The 100 IM: Popular Age-Group Event Bringing Together The World’s Best

Ruta Meilutyte is a resurgent sprint breaststroke star who won Olympic gold at age 15 and another world title this year at age 25 after a long layoff. Summer McIntosh is one of the most electrifying young stars in global swimming, with a pair of individual world titles in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM already under her belt before her 16th birthday. And Abbey Weitzeil is the same age as Meilutyte but a sprint freestyle specialist, one of the best Americans in the 50 and 100 freestyle over the past eight years.

In short, these are three swimmers you would never see racing the same event — unless that event is the 100 IM. Yes, the race that serves as an introduction to medley racing for age group swimmers, 25 yards or meters of each stroke. The event is impossible in long course, and in the United States, the 100 IM disappears from a typical short course meet lineup after a swimmer’s 13th birthday, with medley offerings including only the 200 and 400 IM. The 100 IM is now official race in college swimming, but it is rarely part of a meet lineup.

But when elite swimmers get the chance to race the 100 IM at a short course international meet, they rarely miss the chance. Natalie Coughlin, who won 12 Olympic medals for the United States over three Games, repeatedly called the event her favorite, and she mused about a possible long-course version of the event. Meilutyte, McIntosh and Weitzeil are among adding to their normal lineups to race the 100 IM at this weekend’s FINA World Cup in Indianapolis.

In the women’s race, the fastest swimmer in the world last year was Sarah Sjostrom, best known for her streak of international success in the sprint freestyle and butterfly races. You would never find Sjostrom in the 200 IM, but with only 25 meters of backstroke and breaststroke, Sjostrom can take advantage of her pure speed and her underwater dolphin kick skills to excel in the 100-meter distance.

Sjostrom is not racing on the World Cup circuit this year, but in addition to the aforementioned non-medley specialists. Thursday’s women’s event will include American-record holder Beata Nelson, reigning world champion Anastasia Gorbenko of Israel, short course standouts Beryl Gastadello of France and Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands and 200 IM Worlds bronze medalist Leah Hayes.

Oh, and American teenagers Bella Sims, a middle-distance freestyler who anchored the U.S. to 800 free relay gold at the World Championships in Budapest. Why not?

The men’s World Cup race will include Shaine Casas and Michael Andrew, two swimmers whose skillsets fit the 100 IM very well, along with 100 back world-record breaker Thomas Ceccon, who was record to Casas at last week’s stop in Toronto. Speaking of backstrokers, Ryan Murphy is entered in the event. Murphy was a standout 200 IMer during his college days at Cal, but it’s unclear if he has raced a single individual medley event since. But once again, it’s the 100 IM, and opportunities to swim that race are few. So why not?

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Paul

1 year ago

Gotta love the 100 IM.

Add the 25 free too!

In track, they call the 100 M (or even 60M/Y) sprinter the “world’s fastest” …why not have the 25 in short course swimming? Definitely would be exciting.