U.S. Nationals: Isabelle Stadden Stakes Claim in Loaded 200 Back Field (VIDEO)

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. Nationals: Isabelle Stadden Stakes Claim in Loaded 200 Back Field

By the 100-meter mark of the final of the women’s 200 backstroke at U.S. Nationals in Irvine Wednesday night, there were three swimmers left with a chance to win.

By 150 meters, there were two remaining. When the wash settled, it was Isabelle Stadden with her hand on the wall first.

The elimination-style final seemed fitting for a discipline that is so ridiculously deep that new challengers seem to emerge at every turn.

Stadden is the one to take her turn in the limelight, going 2:07.29 to win in Irvine. For a swimmer that has been on the periphery of such a deep field, the win has been a long time coming.

Stadden and Olympian Rhyan White went nearly stroke for stroke through 150 yards. They had identical first-50 splits (30.12) and were .01 apart at the midway point. Stadden had crept ahead by .14 seconds on the third 50, unhooking Claire Curzan from the leading trio.

Stadden put in her surge first and looed ready to coast to the win. But White, the bronze medalist in this event at the 2022 World Championships, had a final kick to make it close. When all was said and done, White’s final 50 was just .08 back of Stadden, but it left her in second by .24 seconds, a time of 2:07.51.

“It’s been a really long season,” Stadden said on the NBC broadcast. “But I couldn’t be happier where it ended up and everyone who was here to support me.”

Curzan was the wild card in this event, one that hardly needs any infusion of talent. Already, the American holder of the world record, Regan Smith, can hardly get to an international event thanks to White and Phoebe Bacon, who won silver at Worlds but was absent at this meet.

Curzan slid to fourth, a tenth behind Riley Tiltmann, in 2:09.74. Leah Smith, another veteran dropping in on the event, took fifth, with Rosie Zavaros sixth.

Sophie Lindner won the B final in 2:11.30, a time that would’ve been sixth in the A final.

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