{"id":409440,"date":"2020-01-03T00:10:30","date_gmt":"2020-01-03T07:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=409440"},"modified":"2020-03-19T12:49:46","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T19:49:46","slug":"after-a-huge-2019-maggie-macneil-ready-for-bigger-things-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/after-a-huge-2019-maggie-macneil-ready-for-bigger-things-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"After a Huge 2019, Maggie MacNeil Ready For Bigger Things in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the upset of the world championships, Maggie MacNeil<\/strong> was at the high point of her career.<\/p>\n

The Canadian star stunned Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom<\/strong> to win gold in the 100-meter butterfly in Gwangju, South Korea, last July.<\/p>\n

Where to go from that high? More pioneering pace was MacNeil’s answer.\u00a0After returning to the University of Michigan for her sophomore season, the Canadian had one more stunning race to go in 2019, tying the NCAA record in the 100-yard butterfly at the midseason Minnesota Invitational<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maggie MacNeil told Swimming World:<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI think before the race, Rick was trying to get me stressed to see how I would perform under pressure like at NCAAs. At night it was just about turning on the jets to see how fast I could go.\u00a0I knew that I could go faster than a best time, but I wasn\u2019t expecting to go a 49.2.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

MacNeil tied the NCAA record set by USC’s Louise Hansson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot. I have raced Louise a couple times and it is great I got to share that record. When she did it, I was right next to her, so it means a lot,\u201d MacNeil said.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe swim it so differently. She goes out harder on the first 50 and I come back harder in the second 50. So it was great to see that we could swim it so differently but have the exact same time.\u00a0I think it is a big deal. It definitely increases the pressure for NCAAs, but I want to focus on swimming as fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Fast at the right time. Last year, she swam a 49.59 at Big Tens in the 100 fly but couldn’t go faster at NCAAs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat opened my eyes to make sure I am at my best when it matters most,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That also includes the Canadian Olympic trials, which begins a week after the conclusion of the NCAA championships.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt begins nine days after NCAAs. I think that gives me more confidence going into trials. I did it last year with the same amount of time and my trials were OK,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"maggie-macneil-emma-mckeon-100-fly-world-championships-2019\"

Photo Courtesy: Swimming Canada\/Ian MacNicol<\/p><\/div>\n

At Trials, she won the 100 fly with a 57.0, which was over a second quicker than she was the previous summer and it qualified her for her first World Championships, where she dropped another second to a 55.83.<\/p>\n

She takes only the positive from her Gwangju gains and experience, saying:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone sees me any differently. I have higher standards for myself now. I still can\u2019t believe it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

MacNeil’s victory was one of the most\u00a0stunning moments of the meet<\/a>, handing Sjostrom her first loss in a major international 100 fly since 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was definitely super nervous going in. I don\u2019t think I had been that nervous in my entire life. I think it helped that I was right next to Sarah in prelims and semis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI knew I had a shot at making it back to semis. I just wanted to focus on my race. It was my first race of worlds so that was scary. To be honest, it is kind of a blur now. I only remember part of it because people have asked me about certain parts of it. Once I came up off the turn I thought I had a shot. I could see Sarah beside me. I felt like I could do this. But at the wall, I couldn\u2019t tell who touched first because I had a bad finish. My stroke count was off, for some reason I didn\u2019t hit completely right.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wear contacts when I swim. I could see the 1 by my name. Emma McKeon<\/strong> said 55 and she was the one that told me because I couldn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n