{"id":503618,"date":"2022-04-30T10:15:26","date_gmt":"2022-04-30T17:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=503618"},"modified":"2022-04-30T09:41:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-30T16:41:24","slug":"claire-curzan-fulfilled-immense-promise-at-u-s-international-team-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/claire-curzan-fulfilled-immense-promise-at-u-s-international-team-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Claire Curzan Fulfilled Immense Promise at U.S. International Team Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Claire Curzan Fulfilled Immense Promise at U.S. International Team Trials<\/strong><\/p>\n

After this week\u2019s U.S. International Team Trials in Greensboro, the question \u201cWhat can Claire<\/strong> Curzan<\/strong> do?\u201d has become obsolete. Now, we know. After a year of watching Curzan flash her potential across a wide range of events, she has now proven herself with all the best swimmers in the nation peaking, at an all-important selection meet.<\/p>\n

Of course, Curzan showed flashes of her brilliance when she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 100 butterfly last year and then when she collected six medals at the Short Course World Championships. But this week, Curzan went head-to-head with the best swimmers in the country over a wide range of sprint events, and she has finished first or second in all four of her events so far, with a possible fifth to come.<\/p>\n

The week began with the 100 freestyle. Curzan had recorded an impressive 53.55 last May, but she ended up finishing 12th in that event at Olympic Trials. Her 2022 results, including a win in the event at the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio in early April, hinted that she would be in contention at this year\u2019s Trials, and she indeed swam a 53.58 to secure not only a spot on the 400 free relay but also an individual 100 free berth for Worlds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Day two brought the 50 butterfly, an event perfectly suited to Curzan\u2019s skill set and sprinter instincts. She finished first in 25.49, just one hundredth off Kelsi Dahlia\u2019s<\/strong> American record<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the 100 fly, the event in which she qualified for the Olympics, Curzan was out fast and ended up finishing just behind American-record holder and future Stanford teammate Torri<\/strong> Huske<\/strong><\/a>, 56.28 to 56.35.<\/p>\n

Most impressive of all was Curzan\u2019s result Friday night, when she threw her hat in the ring for the always-loaded 100 backstroke. Curzan first broke into 58-second territory in 2021, but she did not swim the event at Trials because of a schedule conflict with the 100 fly. Those in the field included American-record holder Regan<\/strong> Smith<\/strong>, Tokyo fourth-place finisher Rhyan<\/strong> White<\/strong>, 100-yard back American-record holder Katharine Berkoff<\/strong> and 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Olivia<\/strong> Smoliga<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And Curzan, in seemingly an off-event, beat all except Smith, posting an elite time of 58.39 in the process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

World rankings can be a little deceiving to this point because so many of the world\u2019s best have yet to swim a championship meet in 2022, but here is where Curzan currently sits in those four events:<\/p>\n