2022 Short Course World Champs Picks & Previews: Women’s Freestyle Relays

2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, December 13 to Sunday, December 18, 2022
• Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre, Melbourne, Australia
• SCM (25m)
• Prize Money
• Meet Site
• Meet Schedule
• Meet Roster Index
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Psych Sheets

At the 2022 LCM World Championships in Budapest this summer, Australia and the United States each picked up wins in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay and women’s 4×200 freestyle relay, respectively. The United States team of Claire Weinstein, Leah Smith, Katie Ledecky, and Bella Sims even picked up a meet record, combining for a final time of 7:41.45, over two seconds ahead of Australia.

Now, as we approach the start of short course World’s in Melbourne, China is another team to keep an eye on, making it potentially a three-way race for gold in these events.

WOMEN’S 4×50 FREESTYLE RELAY

Last year in Abu Dhabi, the United States’ quartet of Abbey Weitzeil, Claire Curzan, Katharine Berkoff, and Kate Douglass came away with gold, just a few tenths faster than Sweden.

The U.S. returns only half of their winning relay, with the two being Curzan and Douglass. Erika Brown is likely to be on the relay as she is individually entered in the 50 free along with Curzan. The final member is a bit difficult to predict, but assuming Douglass and Curzan stay on, and strictly going off of best times, it should be Natalie Hinds. A potential ‘A’ team could be:

Add-up time: 1:36.88

The U.S. add-up time is a bit misleading. Considering Douglass split over a second and half faster than her flat start best time on the winning relay last year, it is safe to assume that she is capable of throwing down another 23 low.

Torri Huske is another possibility, as she was in the prelims of this relay last year. She split a 24.44 and owns a flat start best time of 24.72. It is more likely to see Douglass on the relay due to her split from last year, regardless of her flat start time being slightly slower than Huske’s.

Sweden returns Michelle Coleman, Louise Hansson, and Sara Junevik from their 2nd-place relay last year. Based on their limited roster, it looks like Sophie Hansson will likely be the final member of their ‘A’ team. Going off best times, the U.S. still holds a sizable advantage over Sweden. A potential ‘A’ team lineup:

Add-up time: 1:37.37

Australia did not enter this race last year, but are on the entry list this time. Looking again at personal bests, Emma McKeon is their best 50 freestyler. She is likely to be joined by Meg Harris, Madi Wilson, and Mollie O’Callaghan. Australia has the largest roster of these three teams, so they could easily make adjustments based on who is swimming well. A potential ‘A’ team:

Add-up time: 1:35.47

Other teams that could be in the mix include the Netherlands and China, as they finished 3rd and 4th last year at this meet. The Netherlands line-up will likely be Kira Toussaint (24.15), Kim Busch (23.99), Valerie Van Roon (23.94), and Marrit Steenbergen (24.41), adding up to a 1:36.49.

Similar to Australia, China also has a relatively large roster and has the ability to switch athletes in and out if needed. Their best lineup is likely Yufei Zhang (23.82), Yang Junxuan (24.88), Wu Qingfeng (23.86), and Cheng Yujie (23.90) to add up to a 1:36.47.

Note that Yang Junxuan has scratched her individual events so her status is unknown.

Based strictly off of flat start add-ups, Australia is the clear favorite to win here. After them, it is really a battle between any of the other four teams for second. The U.S. add-up is arguably the most inaccurate of these because of the extreme differential between Douglass’ flat start and relay split, which is why we are predicting them in 2nd. China and the Netherlands are essentially the same, while Sweden is about a second off from the rest of the group.

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WOMEN’S 4×100 FREESTYLE RELAY

The U.S. and Canada are the defending champions in this event after tying for 1st last year, but this year it looks like Australia is coming in as the team to beat. Australia won this relay in Budapest this summer by just over a second ahead of Canada, while the U.S. took bronze.

Emma McKeon and Madi Wilson are the 1st and 3rd seeds in the individual event, and will likely be joined by Mollie O’Callaghan and Meg Harris on this relay. Again, Australia is bringing a heavy roster, and has the luxury to switch athletes in and out if need be. Potential ‘A’ team:

Add-up time: 3:25.75

The U.S. returns only Kate Douglass and Claire Curzan from their winning relay last year. The question is whether Douglass and Curzan remain on the relay, or if Erika Brown bumps one of them. Brown is one of two swimmers on the roster to own a sub-52 flat start time, meaning she should probably be on it. Natalie Hinds is entered in the individual event, making her also a safe bet to expect on the relay.  Going strictly off best times Douglass should be out. However, her flat start is within less than a tenth of Curzan’s relay start time, meaning it would make sense for Douglass to be on it. A potential line-up:

Add-up time: 3:28.03

Canada is one to keep on in this event, as they picked up silver in Budapest and tied with the U.S. in Abu Dhabi last year. They return Maggie MacNeil, Rebecca Smith, and Katerine Savard from last year’s team. Their team this year should look similar, with the potential addition of Taylor Ruck. Ruck’s best time is from 2017, so it is hard to say if she will be able to match that time.  Potential line-up:

Add-up time: 3:30.28

As with the 4×50 freestyle relay, China and the Netherlands are the other teams that are likely to challenge for the podium spot. China could potentially use the same team as they would in the 4×50 freestyle relay, meaning that their add-up time would be 3:30.79. The Netherlands would also likely reuse their 4×50 line-up, meaning their add-up time for this race would be 3:30.65.

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WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY

Canada won this relay last year by almost 4 seconds over the United States. They should be in the mix again this year, joined by the U.S., China, and now Australia.

Australia placed 2nd behind the United States in Budapest this summer. They have three of the four legs from that relay returning at this meet, and will likely be joined by Lani Pallister as the 4th member of this relay.

Add-up time: 7:54.50

For the United States, Torri Huske is the only returning member from last year’s silver medal relay. She will likely be joined by Erin Gemmell and Hali Flickinger, as both are entered in the individual event. Their fourth swimmer is up for debate, but likely to be Leah Smith.

Add-up time: 7:55.85

China was expected to be a contender here, however,  Li Bingjie is reportedly sick and scratching the 400 free on Day 1, while Yang Junxuan has scratched both of her individual events, so their hopes are significantly dimmed.

Here’s how they were looking prior to these recent developments:

Add-up time: 7:52.75

Canada will be without Summer McIntosh, meaning their relay will take a hit from where they were last year. Assuming their relay is Katerine Savard, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Taylor Ruck, and Rebecca Smith, they add-up to be 7:54.09. Something to keep in mind with their add-up is that Ruck has not swam her personal best since 2016. After those four teams, it drops off extremely. Based on the psych sheet, Brazil is seeded 5th.

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See all of our medal predictions at the SwimSwam Preview Index here.