Zane Grothe added to his World Championship berth this evening in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, overcoming a competitive heat including 1650 American-record holder Clark Smith and 200 champion Townley Haas. Grothe, swimming in lane one, dropped six seconds from his morning heats swim to finish in 3:44.43. He discussed how he deals with the pressure of international competition, and describes Worlds as “just another meet.”
Smith, coming off of a fantastic NCAA performance in the 1650, touched in 3:45.91 to secure his bid to Budapest as well. Battling with third-place Haas during the majority of the race, he discusses how he didn’t see Grothe inching up in lane one, and thought he had won when he touched the wall. He admits that he had gotten a little too comfortable around the third 100, and looks to improve upon that area of the race during the time leading up to Budapest.
Watch more video interviews from Nationals here.