U.S. International Team Trials: Hali Flickinger, Regan Smith Finish 1-2 in Women’s 200 Fly to Secure First Worlds Spots (VIDEO)

Hali Flickinger -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. International Team Trials: Hali Flickinger, Regan Smith Finish 1-2 in Women’s 200 Fly to Secure First Worlds Spots

It was not a career-best effort for either swimmer, but the top two Americans in the women’s 200 butterfly secured spots to compete in the event at this summer’s World Championships. The first win of the U.S. International Team Trials in Greensboro went to Hali Flickinger, who will race the event for the third straight Worlds. Flickinger picked up a wire-to-wire win in the final, and she finished in 2:06.35. Flickinger was seven tenths off her lifetime best of 2:05.65, which she swam on the way to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Finishing second was Stanford’s Regan Smith in 2:07.93. Smith was the Olympic silver medalist in this event in Tokyo, one spot ahead of Flickinger, and here she finished in 2:07.93 to hold off 18-year-old Charlotte Hook for the second spot on the Worlds team. Smith has been as fast as 2:05.30, and she will look to return to that form with hopes of another medal run in two months in Budapest.

Hook, who took silver in the 200 fly at the Short Course World Championships, finished in 2:08.80, just ahead of Texas’ Emma Sticklen (2:08.88), Michigan’s Olivia Carter (2:08.90) and Arizona State’s Lindsay Looney (2:08.99).

For Flickinger, this win checked a box. She is qualified for the World Championships in her best event, but she admitted that she swam simply to win rather than execute the race she is capable of.

“I looked at splits, and I didn’t do exactly what Bob (Bowman) asked me to. I just wanted to get my hand on the wall first, and I kind of swam it that way,” Flickinger said. “I need to swim the race that I’m capable of instead of swimming just to win. I tend to really hang back, and if I don’t see anyone around, I make sure I’m still hanging on so I can finish really strong instead of just going and executing the way that I’ve trained. I need to get over that.”

In addition to her Olympic bronze last year, Flickinger won silver in the 200 fly at the 2019 World Championships, a race which she led until Boglarka Kapas edged past her at the finish. Flickinger believes she will have more in the tank for this year’s Worlds, although China’s Zhang Yufei will surely enter as the big favorite after she won Olympic gold in the event in 2:03.86.

But medals are absolutely within reach, provided both Americans can return to the form that saw them finish silver-bronze at the Olympics. After earning their spots Tuesday evening in Greensboro, Flickinger and Smith will have that chance.

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