TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont: Leon Marchand Outduels Shaine Casas in 200 IM (Men’s Recap)

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont: Leon Marchand Outduels Shaine Casas in 200 IM

The TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont stop may well have offered a preview of the Olympic final in the men’s 200 individual medley Saturday night. At least, that’s what Leon Marchand and Shaine Casas hope.

The Frenchman outpaced the American in the 200 IM A final, with a time of 1:55.68 that was .36 seconds better. Both times were under the Pro Swim Series record set in 2012 by one Michael Phelps.

All the men’s action from the final night session:

TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont Links

Men’s 1500 freestyle

Bobby Finke added to his 800 free title by going 15:08.51. He was comfortably ahead of the field most of the way, his winning margin ending up at 10.66 seconds. Charlie Clark was second in 15:19.17, with Hungary’s Zalan Sarkany third in 15:26.63.

Men’s 200 individual medley

Leon Marchand and Shaine Casas had themselves a duel. It was a quintessential matchup of an IM front-halfer vs. a back-halfer.

Casas was, unsurprisingly, out first, touching at 53.50 at the halfway point, on the pace of Ryan Lochte’s world record. Casas was in Lane 1, having qualified seventh from prelims.

But Marchand, so much improved his year in his backstroke in particular, stayed close. He was 1.12 seconds back at the midpoint, but Marchand split 29.48 in back, the second-fastest of the final and giving up only .28 to Casas.

That allowed the Frenchman to reel Casas in on breaststroke, a 32.41 split getting him to the wall three tenths up. He preserved it in the freestyle legs, where they basically stalemated. Splits:

Marchand 25.14 – 29.48 – 32.41 – 28.65 –1:55.68
Casas 24.30 – 29.20 – 33.86 – 28.70 – 1:56.06

Those are the top two times in the world this year.

Marchand led five Sun Devil Aquatic swimmers in the final. Chase Kalisz finished third in 1:58.78. Grant House went from third after 50 yards to sixth after 100 to fourth in 2:01.55. Will Licon was fifth, with Jay Litherland seventh.

Men’s 200 backstroke

Hungarian Olympian Hubert Kos led wire to wire to set the top time in world this year at 1:55.95. He was out in front of the field by more than a second.

In second place was Carson Foster in 1:56.97. Kieran Smith was third in 1:58.43, and Destin Lasco joined them under two minutes in fourth in 1:59.94. (Israel’s David Gerchik also broke two minutes in the B final in 1:59.90.)

Men’s 50 breaststroke

There was just about nothing separating a crowd of four swimmers in consecutive lanes in the middle of the pool Saturday. When the wash settled, it was Nic Fink who got his hand to the wall first in 27.13 to get the victory. It’s within seven tenths of his American record.

Second was Brazilian Joao Gomes in 27.21. Denis Petrashov was third in 27.28 with Michael Andrew fourth in 27.32. That’s .19 seconds separating the top four.

Men’s 100 freestyle

Well, there’s good news and bad news for Hunter Armstrong. The good news is that the American Olympian won a crowded A final with a time of 48.79 seconds, besting a field in which .53 seconds separated the top eight.

The bad news is, the B final was won in a faster time by Gui Caribe, the Brazilian fab freshman at Tennessee going 48.52. He had been 49.57 in prelims, tying for 12th place.

The other eight A finalists beat the B final runner-up, at least. Jack Alexy was second in 48.85, trying to add to his TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont 50 free crown. He edged Matthew King by .07 seconds. Sweden’s Bjorn Seeliger was fourth in 49.04 with Ryan Held going 49.09 for fifth. Jorge Iga, the top seed from the morning, finishing eighth in 49.32. he had gone 48.79 in the morning.

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Frank A Wilson

1 year ago

Hubert Kos is also a Sun Devil and swims for ASU.