U.S. Short Course World Trials, Day 4 Men’s Finals: Ilya Kharun Drops No. 4 All-Time 50 Fly
Men’s butterfly has gotten a shakeup at the Short Course Worlds Trials this week in Westmont.
Tyler Ray and Ilya Kharun set U.S. Open records in the 100 fly, the latter getting the win. Luca Urlando downed the mark in the 200 fly, in the process erasing a six-year-old American standard by Tom Shields that Urlando, Kharun and Ray were all under. That doesn’t even include the name Caeleb Dressel quite yet.
The 50 got a facelift Saturday, Kharun going 21.61 in prelims to beat his U.S. Open record and lop .38 off Shields’ 2021 mark. No surprise then that Kharun dropped it even further to 21.46 Saturday night, the No. 4 all-time performance and within two tenths of Egor Kornev’s fresh world record.
All the action on the final night of the U.S.’s selection meet:
- Day One Recap
- Day Two Men’s Recap
- Day Two Women’s Recap
- Day Three Women’s Recap
- Day Three Men’s Recap
- Day Four Prelims Recap
- Live Results
200 breaststroke
Josh Bey claimed the first race of the night and his spot in Beijing in dramatic fashion, going 2:02.23 to edge his Indiana University training mate Noah Cakir by .01 seconds.
That means there’s no room on the squad in the event for 2024 World Short Course Championships finalist AJ Pouch. He was third in 2:03.91. It was more than four seconds back to Chris O’Grady in fourth.
200 individual medley
Maximus Williamson held off Destin Lasco and nearly peeled off an American record in the 200 IM, winning in 1:49.70. He was ultimately nearly a second ahead of Lasco’s 1:50.59. Closer was the American record of Shaine Casas of 1:49.43 from last year.
“It means a lot because this is my first time ever swimming short-course meters, so I am still figuring out what I need to get better on. It is a good distance for me,” Williamson said. “I really enjoyed racing. It will be good for me to have that international exposure and be tapered in Beijing. I need to work on my kick counts and stroke counts and tidy up things.”
Third was Grant House in 1:53.58. It was a gap of nearly five seconds back to JT Ewing in fourth.
50 butterfly
The record rush continues in butterfly thanks to Ilya Kharun, and there may be more on tap. The one-time Canadian Olympic medalist who is American again went 21.46. That lowers the American/U.S. Open record he set in prelims of 21.61. It’s the No. 4 performance all-time, trailing the world record of 21.28 from Egor Kornev earlier this month and two swims by Switzerland’s Noe Ponti.
Not to be missed, though, is Caeleb Dressel going 21.62, a best time for him by nearly four tenths. It ties him with Nyls Korstanje for the No. 4 performer all-time.
Third was Tyler Ray in 21.95. Van Mathias showed his range by finishing fourth in 22.23, a tenth up on Dare Rose.
100 backstroke
While butterfly has flourished with the profusion of talents and breaststroke has been powered by Van Mathias, American backstroke has languished somewhat. At the very least, that produced entertainment in Westmont.
Adam Chaney added to his dramatic 50 back win with a slightly less fantastical 100 back triumph. This time, it came from Lane 2, hardly the Lane 8 victory in the 50 in which he had finished ninth in prelims thanks to a slip that nearly cost him a finals swim.
It was less intriguing for the veteran Saturday, though he again wasn’t great in prelims in fifth. But at night, he went from tied for second at the wall to the win in 49.50. Second was Owen McDonald in 49.96. Perhaps sensing opportunity, Luca Urlando dipped into his secondary stroke to take third in 50.04 after leading the way in prelims. Army’s Johnny Crush was fourth in 50.18.
200 freestyle
Luke Hobson celebrated Halloween in the traditional way, by setting two U.S. Open records in one day. The world record holder didn’t quite match that speed, but he went 1:39.93, undercutting the 1:40.51 he set in the morning that erased his own mark.
But there’s depth in behind. Chris Guiliano went 1:40.26 to beat Hobson’s U.S. open record. Gabriel Jett was under Hobson’s old USOR in 1:40.58. And add Jack Alexy, the 100 free world record holder, going 1:41.05 and the makings of a fearsome 800 free relay are there.
Brooks Curry was fifth, ahead of Kieran Smith.
