{"id":383085,"date":"2019-07-24T16:37:20","date_gmt":"2019-07-24T23:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=383085"},"modified":"2019-07-24T16:37:20","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T23:37:20","slug":"the-week-that-was-backstroke-platforms-katie-ledecky-scratches-new-fly-crowns-and-a-huge-disqualification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/the-week-that-was-backstroke-platforms-katie-ledecky-scratches-new-fly-crowns-and-a-huge-disqualification\/","title":{"rendered":"The Week That Was: Backstroke Platforms, Katie Ledecky Scratches, New Fly Crowns, and a Huge Disqualification"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2019 FINA World Championships<\/a> have started with swimming taking place this week in Gwangju, South Korea.<\/p>\n

You can read about some of the biggest news in the swimming world from this last week below.<\/p>\n

The Week That Was #5 – That Backstroke Starting Platform Situation<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\n
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Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant<\/p><\/div>\n

Yikes. The platforms failed at an alarming rate in prelims last week, resulting in multiple re-swims and 18 swimmers competing in the men\u2019s 100 back semifinals. Two hours before finals, the platforms were ruled out for the session, only to be brought back at the last minute with only one setting allowed after massive uproar.<\/p>\n

Kathleen Baker<\/strong>, the world record-holder in the women\u2019s 100 back and No. 4 qualifier for Tuesday\u2019s final, chimed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I heard that there weren\u2019t going to be any, I think my heart rate was like 300,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI mean, that ledge is huge for backstrokers. It\u2019s not just about having a better start, but it\u2019s about not slipping and issues like that, and taking that stress away with the wedge is amazing. And then hearing that we might not be able to was very anxiety-producing I think for every backstroker here.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

So sure, good for FINA getting the situation sorted out and not throwing months and years of preparing for backstroke starts off the ledge down the drain. But this sort of equipment failure shouldn\u2019t be happening at the last minute, not at any local meet and certainly not at the World Championships.<\/p>\n

The Week That Was #4 – Katie Ledecky Scratches 200 and 1500<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant<\/p><\/div>\n

About an hour before the day three prelims session began, USA Swimming put out word that\u00a0Katie Ledecky<\/strong>\u00a0was scratching the 200 free as she battled an illness, with hopes of being well enough to swim the 1500 free final in the evening session. Immediately, our minds raced: Perhaps Ledecky was already sick during the 400 free final, and that\u2019s why she struggled so badly down the stretch, when\u00a0Ariarne Titmus<\/strong>\u00a0swam past her to claim gold.<\/p>\n

Not long after, the news came out that\u00a0Ledecky was scratching the 1500 final<\/a>\u00a0as well. Gone was her second shot at winning four straight world titles in one event, but more importantly, what a massive bummer. After months of planning and targeting this week as her chance to swim fast, Ledecky\u2019s health has betrayed her, and that\u2019s just lousy luck and timing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is brutal for her not to be competing. She\u2019s such a tough competitor. She wants to be here,\u201d\u00a0Greg<\/strong>\u00a0Meehan<\/strong>, Ledecky\u2019s coach at Stanford and the head coach for the U.S. women in Gwangju, told the\u00a0New York Times<\/a><\/em>. \u201cIf we can get her back in the meet at some point, that would be an ideal scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Week That Was #3 – 100 Fly Goes To 19 Year Old Maggie MacNeil
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Photo Courtesy: Swimming Canada\/Ian MacNicol<\/p><\/div>\n

Ten years ago, when\u00a0Sarah Sjostrom<\/strong>\u00a0won her first world title in the 100 fly, she started out slowly, turned in seventh place at the halfway point before roaring home for the first major gold of the 15-year-old\u2019s now legendary career. \u00a0In Gwangju, 19-year-old Canadian\u00a0Maggie MacNeil<\/strong>\u00a0turned fifth at 50 meters\u2014and then pulled off the exact same feat.<\/p>\n

Back in 2009 in Rome, Sjostrom had already established herself as the headliner via a stunning world record in the semifinal. Fast forward a decade, and MacNeil had pulled off a nice qualifying swim as well with a 56.52, but that still seemed like nowhere close to Sjostrom territory.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because going into the final, Sjostrom owned history\u2019s 11 quickest performances in the women\u2019s 100 fly. Her world record stood at 55.48, with\u00a0Dana Vollmer<\/strong>\u00a0the only other woman to ever break 56 all the way back in 2012. The next-fastest lifetime best in the Gwangju final belonged to\u00a0Emma McKeon<\/strong>\u00a0at 56.18.<\/p>\n

Conventional wisdom spoke that no woman was coming close to Sjostrom in the event she has dominated since 2013. This wasn\u2019t like\u00a0Katie<\/strong>\u00a0Ledecky<\/strong>\u00a0in the 400 free, where\u00a0Ariarne Titmus<\/strong>\u00a0had been steadily closing the gap and figured to pose a threat should Ledecky falter.<\/p>\n

For 50 meters of the Gwangju final, conventional wisdom held. Sjostrom went out in 25.96, five hundredths under her own world-record pace.\u00a0Kelsi Dahlia<\/strong>\u00a0and McKeon, who joined Sjostrom on the podium at the World Championships in Budapest, were closest to her. MacNeil was fifth, not even in the picture at 26.77.<\/p>\n

But off the turn, as the swimmers popped up from their underwater dolphin kicks, MacNeil materialized right next to Sjostrom. She had the acceleration, she had the momentum, and by the last 15 meters, Sjostrom was gassed.<\/p>\n

MacNeil clocked in at 29.06 for her homecoming split, the fastest in history\u2014just ahead of the 29.12 Sjostrom swam with the aid of a polyurethane bodysuit at those World Championships a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Just like day one, when Titmus took down Ledecky in the 400 free, a surreal feeling grasped the World Championships. Only this was even more of an out-of-nowhere shock because MacNeil entered the year with a 100 fly lifetime best of 58.44. She entered the meet with a 57.04 from Canada\u2019s Nationals in April.<\/p>\n

Now, in 55.83 seconds, MacNeil is the second-fastest swimmer in history. \u201cI can\u2019t even fathom it right now,\u201d MacNeil told NBC Sports in a post-race television interview.<\/p>\n

The Week That Was #2 – Men’s 200 Free Disqualification<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Stand-off: Britain’s Duncan Scott, right, refuses to pose with Sun Yang, flanked by Katsuhiro Matsumoto, left, and Martin Malyutin, after the 200m free medals ceremony – Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer<\/p><\/div>\n

Reaction to the men\u2019s 200 free progressed through three stages. As the athletes touched the wall,\u00a0Danas Rapsys<\/strong>\u00a0appeared to win his first World title, his blistering final 50 enough to get by\u00a0Sun Yang<\/strong>\u00a0and break 1:45 for the first time. Big breakthrough swim for the 24-year-old Lithuanian.<\/p>\n

But then came the disqualification. Rapsys was gone, his flinch on the blocks enough for a false start, and now Sun would be awarded his second gold medal of the week.<\/p>\n

Then came the awards ceremony, where co-bronze medalist\u00a0Duncan<\/strong>\u00a0Scott<\/strong>, fresh off a performance (1:45.63) that he surely knew wasn\u2019t his best, became a hero in the eyes of much of the Gwangju crowd and many more across the world.<\/p>\n

Best to read our\u00a0Craig Lord\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0take on the situation<\/a>, which continues to become more embarrassing for both Sun and FINA as swimmers across the world have stood in support of\u00a0Mack Horton<\/strong>\u00a0and now Scott.<\/p>\n

From Gwangju, the men\u2019s 200 free will go down as perhaps the best-remembered race of the World Championships, for reasons that have nothing to do with Rapsys, the man who no one disputes as the first to touch the wall.<\/p>\n

The Week That Was #1 – Michael Phelps Loses 200 Fly World Record to 19 Year-Old Hungarian – Kristof Milak<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Kristof Milak celebrates victory in Gwangju in world-record time – Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally,\u00a0Kristof<\/strong>\u00a0Milak<\/strong>, wow. Just wow. He\u00a0annihilated a\u00a0Michael Phelps<\/strong>\u00a0world record<\/a>, his victory in the 200 fly coming in an unfathomable 1:50.73. He won his first world title by more than three seconds, and Phelps\u2019 tenure as 200 fly world record-holder, which began March 30, 2001, officially came to a close July 24, 2019.<\/p>\n

Phelps, at one point or another, held world records in five individual events, and three of those marks have stood the test of time. He held the 200 free world record for just two years, from 2007 to 2009, and\u00a0Ryan Lochte<\/strong>\u00a0ended Phelps\u2019 run as standard-bearer in the 200 IM in 2011, eight years after Phelps first set it.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, Phelps\u2019 400 IM mark of 4:03.84 will likely live on, but his 49.82 in the 100 fly, another mark from those 2009 World Championships, is likely in its last days. The 100 fly final, scheduled for Saturday, will pit Milak against Caeleb Dressel<\/strong>, who won the 2017 world title in a 49.86 that fell just four hundredths short of Phelps\u2019 world record. It\u2019s not an unreasonable bet that both Milak and Dressel eclipse Phelps in their upcoming showdown.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n