Trials Throwback: Women’s 100 Breast in 2012

2015-mesa-breeja-larson-100-breaststroke-finals
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

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By David Rieder

Less than a week to go until Olympic Trials get underway in Omaha, Neb. But before the meet, we wanted to look back at some of the great moments from past editions of the meet held inside the CenturyLink Center. Welcome to #TrialsThrowback!

It was the final of the women’s 100 breast at the 2012 Olympic Trials. In lane four was Rebecca Soni, the two-time World Champion in the event and the first woman to ever break the 1:05-barrier. She was seeking a spot on her second Olympic team after winning gold in the 200 breast and silver in the 100 breast four years earlier in Beijing.

In lane five was Jessica Hardy, who had won the event at Trials four years earlier but later withdrew from the Olympic team after a positive drug test. Hardy had a two-year suspension reduced to one year after she proved the positive test had resulted from a tainted supplement. In her first meet back, she broke Soni’s world record with a 1:04.45.

These two were the consensus favorites, for good reason. But there was this 20-year-old named Breeja Larson who had grabbed some attention with an outstanding first two years at Texas A&M. Months before Trials, Larson had won the NCAA title in the 100-yard breast and broken the American record in the event.

Larson entered Trials having never broken 1:08 in the 100 breast long course, but she jumped all the way down to 1:06.52 with an outstanding prelims swim. She was in lane three in the final.

Hardy, as is typically her strategy, jumped out to an early lead in that final, touching first at the 50 in 30.88, just ahead of Larson at 31.04. But Soni was lurking, using her always-strong back half to make a run as Hardy began to fade down the stretch.

But Soni could not catch Larson, who touched in 1:05.92, seven one-hundredths ahead of the pre-race favorite. Hardy was well back in third.

Hardy would get onto the team later in the week, though, as she won both the 50 and 100 free at Trials. Soni went on to win silver in the 100 breast in London behind Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, and she defended her gold in the 200 breast, becoming the first woman to ever break 2:20 in the event.

Larson also made the final of the 100 breast in London, finishing sixth.

Women's 100 breast 12

Photo Courtesy: OMEGA Timing

Check out our previous #TrialsThrowbacks:
Men’s 400 IM in 2008
Women’s 400 IM in 2008
Women’s 100 Back in 2008
Men’s 200 Breast in 2008
Men’s 200 Back in 2008
Men’s 100 Back in 2012

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