U.S. Open: Siobhan Haughey Pulls Off 200 Free-100 Breast Double; Torri Huske Shines in 100 Fly (Women’s Recap)

Summer McIntosh -- Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

U.S. Open: Siobhan Haughey Pulls Off 200 Free-100 Breast Double; Torri Huske Shines in 100 Fly (Women’s Recap)

The five women’s championship finals taking place on Friday night at the U.S. Open in Greensboro, N.C., included a teenage world-record holder obliterating the field in the 400 IM and a pair of past world champions facing their top domestic competition in both the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke. But the story of the night was Siobhan Haughey, who won back-to-back finals, one expected and one unexpected.

In the 200 freestyle, the event where Haughey won her first Olympic medal in 2021, the Hong Kong swimmer won by two seconds ahead of 2016 Olympic champion Katie Ledecky, and shortly thereafter, Haughey pulled off an upset against Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby in the 100 breaststroke.

Women’s 400 IM

Summer McIntosh receiving her medal from Olympic legend Janet Evans — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

Making a rare appearance in the 400 IM, it would have been no surprise if Regan Smith had been able to give world-record holder and two-time world champion Summer McIntosh a race over the first 200 meters. After all, Smith is one of McIntosh’s top rivals in the 200 fly and the second-fastest swimmer ever in the 200 back. But McIntosh broke the field early on in this final, swimming ahead of her own world-record pace for the first 150 meters and then continuing to out-split the field throughout.

In April, McIntosh broke Katinka Hosszu’s world record in the long medley, swimming a time of 4:25.87 to become the first woman ever under 4:26. McIntosh then clocked 4:27.11 in her world-title domination this year, a race where she beat American runnerup Katie Grimes by more than four seconds. Here, McIntosh won by almost eight as she clocked 4:29.96. The 17-year-old Canadian is the only woman to break 4:30 since 2017.

Smith swam in second place for the first half of the race, but Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko caught and passed Smith on breaststroke on her way to a second-place time of 4:37.90. Smith took third in 4:38.77, which would have placed her fourth at this year’s U.S. Nationals despite Smith’s lack of experience in the event. Emma Weyant, the Olympic silver medalist in the event in 2021, took fourth in 4:42.11.

Women’s 100 Butterfly

The 100 butterfly podium of Claire Curzan, Torri Huske & Gretchen Walsh — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

American swimmers currently occupy three of the top four spots in the world rankings in the women’s 100 fly and five of the top seven spots. All of those women are racing at the U.S. Open this week, although Kate Douglass and Regan Smith both opted to skip the event Friday. That left 2022 world champion Torri Huske to face off with the women who have joined her racing the event at the past few major meets, Claire Curzan and Gretchen Walsh.

Huske had a relatively disappointing meet at this summer’s World Championships, settling for bronze in the 100 fly before a series of tough relay performances, but she swam a best time in Thursday’s 200 IM and looked poised for a good one in the 100 fly. That’s indeed what happened as Huske, as is often her custom, went out under world-record pace and held on to win by more than a half-second.

Huske finished in 56.21, just three hundredths off her season-best time of 56.18 and less than seven tenths behind her American record of 55.64. Only China’s Zhang Yufei has beaten that mark this year, and Huske may have actually gone quicker had it not been for a short finish.

Curzan touched in 56.76 for second, just behind her season-best mark of 56.61, while Walsh went 56.85 for third. Walsh’s best time is the 56.43 that she swam in her second-place finish at last summer’s Nationals.

Women’s 200 Freestyle

She has been one of the top 200 freestylers in the world for the past four years, winning an Olympic silver medal in the event in 2021 and taking fourth at the World Championships this year despite dipping under the 1:54-barrier. At the U.S. Open, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey had no peer in the 200 free, opening up a one-second lead over 2016 Olympic champion Katie Ledecky at the halfway point before winning by almost two seconds.

Haughey never split slower than 29.24 on her way to a top time of 1:54.20, just a quarter-second behind her season-best time of 1:54.96 that ranks fourth in the world. Ledecky, whose best time this year was a 1:54.96 recorded in March, closed well, but she ended up second in 1:56.29. This was Ledecky’s third top-three finish of the meet after winning the 800 free and taking second behind Summer McIntosh in the 400 free.

Swimming in lane one, Simone Manuel swam a strong race through the middle portion on the way to a third-place finish. Manuel, better known for her sprinting abilities but a member of the U.S. women’s 800 free relay on various occasions over the years, clocked 1:57.37. Also getting under 1:58 were Mary-Sophie Harvey (1:57.70) and Minna Abraham (1:57.96), with Paige Madden doing so in the B-final (1:57.84).

Three swimmers who handled either prelims or finals legs on the U.S. women’s 800 free relay at this year’s Worlds swam in Friday’s final, but they ended up sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively: Erin Gemmell (1:58.14), Anna Peplowski (1:58.16) and Leah Smith (1:58.97).

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

Siobhan Haughey — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

Siobhan Haughey winning the 200 freestyle? An expected result, considering her decorated credentials in the event. But in the 100 breaststroke? No way, not when facing off with Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby. But Haughey opened up a small lead on the first length and extended it off the turn. Jacoby tried to close the gap at the finish, but it was not enough to catch Haughey, who clocked 1:06.05. In the process, the freestyle specialist swam a time which would have placed fifth at this summer’s World Championships.

Jacoby took second in 1:06.05 while Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova placed third in 1:06.96. Kate Douglass, the World Championships silver medalist in the 200 breast, took fourth in 1:07.37.

Women’s 100 Backstroke

Regan Smith — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

After racing the 400 IM earlier in the session, Regan Smith returned to more familiar territory in the 100 back but with plenty of tough competition on either side: Claire Curzan, Katharine Berkoff and Olivia Smoliga were swimming in lanes three, five and six, respectively, and all have reached the medal podium in this event at the World Championships. But Smith distinguished herself from the field going into the turn and on the third 25, and she dug deep as Curzan surged home.

Smith finished in 58.16 for the win, about six tenths off her 2023 best time of 57.68. Smith is the American-record holder in the event at 57.57, and she captured silver behind Australia’s Kaylee McKeown in all three backstroke events at the World Championships this year.

Curzan, also coming off a double after placing second in the 100 fly earlier in the night, took second in 58.35, clipping four hundredths from her previous lifetime best. Curzan ranks 12th all-time in the 100 back and sixth among Americans, trailing Smith, Kathleen Baker, Berkoff, Smoliga and Missy Franklin.

Berkoff, who went 58.01 for bronze behind Smith and McKeown at Worlds, finished in a solid time of 58.61 for third, with Smoliga fourth in 59.25 and Kennedy Noble also breaking 1:00 (59.51).

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