USA Swimming Announces Qualifying Procedures for Upcoming World Championships

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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USA Swimming has released the selection process for the upcoming 2022 FINA World Championships as well as the Junior Pan Pacific Championships and Mel Zajac International meet.

The U.S. teams for these events will be selected at the International team Trials in Greensboro, N.C.

Just like the Olympics, the top two finishers in each event, as well as the top four in 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, will qualify for the worlds team if they are under the FINA “A” standard and if the roster limit is not exceeded (26 men and 26 women).

If the roster is not exceeded, the winners of the 50 backstroke, 50 breaststroke and 50 butterfly will qualify as well as the fifth- and sixth-place finishers in the 100 and 200 freestyle events will be added to the team.

• Full Qualifying Procedures and Standards

The FINA “A” standard must be reached by swimmers to qualify during the designated qualifying period, so if there is a swimmer who has a FINA “B” standard and finishes first or second, they must have an A cut during the period.

We saw this at the Olympic trials when Jake Mitchell took second in the 400 freestyle and did not have an A cut. He then swam a time trial at the Olympic trials and reached the A cut to qualify for the Olympic team.

Just like that scenario, if the runner-up does not reach an A cut, the second-place finisher won’t qualify unless they also reach an A cut and the next swimmer in order of finish in the final who has received an A cut would be eligible.

Another quirk in the USA Swimming qualifying is that if an event winner does not get an A cut, just a B cut, only that swimmer will be headed to worlds — even if the runner-up has reached an A standard at a different time).

Swimmers who qualify for worlds will not swim in the Junior Pan Pacific Championships or Mel Zajac International meet. Swimmers who finish behind world qualifiers will be determined based on order of finish — and for Junior Pan Pacifics — age.

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