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FINA To Change Event Schedule For Final Two Champions Series Meets

FINA will tweak the event order for the final two editions of its new Champions Series, eliminating the single-gender relays in favor of mixed-gender relays and shuffling the events over the two-day meet lineup.

We’ve been told that the new event order will be as follows:

Day 1 Day 2
1
400m Freestyle, Women
1 400m Freestyle, Men
2 200m Butterfly, Men 2 200m Butterfly, Women
3
100m Butterfly, Women
3 100m Butterfly, Men
4 50m Freestyle, Men 4 50m Freestyle, Women
5
200m Breaststroke, Women
5 200m Breaststroke, Men
6
100m Backstroke, Men
6
100m Backstroke, Women
7
200m Backstroke, Women
7 200m Backstroke, Men
8 50m Butterfly, Men 8 50m Butterfly, Women
9
100m Freestyle, Women
9 100m Freestyle, Men
10 200m IM, Men 10 200m IM, Women
11
50m Breaststroke, Women
11 50m Breaststroke, Men
12
100m Breaststroke, Men
12
100m Breaststroke, Women
13
50m Backstroke, Women
13 50m Backstroke, Men
14 200m Freestyle, Men 14 200m Freestyle, Women
15
4x100m Freestyle, Mixed*
15 4x100m Medley, Mixed*

The old event order was:

Day 1 Day 2
1
4x100m Freestyle (W)
1
4x100m Medley (Mi)
2
400m Freestyle (W)
2
400m Freestyle (M)
3
100m Freestyle (M)
3
50m Freestyle (W)
4
100m Backstroke (W)
4
100m Butterfly (M)
5
200m Backstroke (M)
5
50m Butterfly (W)
6
200m Butterfly (W)
6
200m Breaststroke (M)
7
50m Butterfly (M)
7
200m Backstroke (W)
8
200m Freestyle (W)
8
50m Freestyle (M)
9
50m Breaststroke (M)
9
200m Breaststroke (W)
10
100m Breaststroke (W)
10
50m Backstroke (M)
11 200m IM (M) 11
100m Freestyle (W)
12
100m Butterfly (W)
12
200m Freestyle (M)
13
100m Backstroke (M)
13
50m Breaststroke (W)
14
50m Backstroke (W)
14
100m Breaststroke (M)
15
200m Butterfly (M)
15 200m IM (W)
16
4x100m Freestyle (Mi)
16
4x100m Freestyle (M)
17
4×100 Medley (M)
17
4x100m Medley (W)

The major change is that instead of having four relays (two for men, two for women), the new lineup will compress down to two relays: a mixed medley relay and a mixed free relay. The relays will close each night, instead of the old lineup in which the relays bookended the session.

In addition, the events are shuffled around a bit to spread out event disciplines. The 100s of fly, back and breast no longer conflict with either the 50 or 200 of the same stroke, and the 50s and 200s share a session – under the previous lineup, the men’s 100 and 200 breaststrokes were the same day, as were the women’s 100 and 200 fly, the women’s 50 and 100 back and the men’s 100 and 200 back.

The first stop of the Champions Series took place last weekend in Guangzhou, China. The next stop is next weekend in Budapest, Hungary, and the series concludes with a MayĀ  31-June 1 stop in Indianapolis, IN, USA.

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Steve
5 years ago

I doubt a Michael Andrew would be happy! If we has the same lineup as Guangzhou he will have 5 races back to back with only one womenā€™s event in between on Day 1 in the: 50 Free, 100 Back, 50 Fly, 200 IM, 100 Breast, Can anyone clarify if his events will stay the same for Budapest and Indianapolis?

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Steve
5 years ago

After seeing his vlog from Guangzhou, I think he’s more than happy to race beyond where it hurts and make the money. These are training meets for him.

Swimmer
Reply to  Steve
5 years ago

With this setup, he can come in 4th and get 5000$ with each race without even trying.

Woke Stasi
5 years ago

Earlier today I watched most of Day #1 of the Guangzhou meet from two weeks ago. I was delightfully surprised by MISSY FRANKLINā€™s color commentary. She did a more-than-adequate discussing each event and the strategies employed by the swimmers. Also, she was LESS bubbly and giggly than I thought she might be (thatā€™s a good thing though she can dial her ā€œbubblinessā€ down another 10% or so).

Hereā€™s my main tip to Missy: keep at it (I think youā€™ve got a very bright future doing swimming color), and stop using these two words: ABSOLUTELY and PHENOMENAL (you used them way too often). Best wishes!

Yozhik
Reply to  Woke Stasi
5 years ago

Her voice has a honey timbre and she was a nice addition to the leading announcer. But she still has a long way to go to lead the broadcasting. She was like a student who did well her homework. But I tell you that it’s not really important of how much interesting information she provides or how correct and professional she is with that. But the way it is delivered. I like to listen to Italian broadcasters despite I understand very little of what they are saying, but emotions are more important to make me involved. The rest I can find on google.
I don’t think she will make it her profession.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

Of course she won’t in your view — she’s a woman. Why don’t you pick on a man some time?

Yozhik
5 years ago

If there was indeed “Champions Series” where each event sees four bests then the schedule is not a big deal. Not many swimmers can swim at elite level from 50 to 200. I would say Sarah Sjostrom is the only exception and she was ok with the old schedule. The problem is that for different reasons FINA cannot compose these series as intended (as declare to be more accurate) and invites opportunists who aren’t shy to have doubles, triples or even quadruple. And for those the schedule become critical or even killing.

Observer
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

Do you even follow swimming?

Yozhik
Reply to  Observer
5 years ago

I’ve never missed any of your comments. So I can proudly answer “YES” on your question of curiosity. šŸ˜€

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

The “opportunists” are the ones willing to put their body on the line and risk losing so that they can make money. They’re pros, not amateurs. Frankly, I have more respect for the swimmers that do that than I do someone like Peaty who won’t swim a 200 breast.

Yozhik
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

Any product has its buyers.

Socaladvracer
5 years ago

For the organizers to put the 100s and 200s of some strokes in same sessions just shows you how out of touch these FINA folks are!!!

Fat Swammer
Reply to  Socaladvracer
5 years ago

I Donā€™t see it? Maybe Iā€™m blind. Looks like the 100s and 200s of stoke are alternating. 50s for men one day, women the other.

200 free is tough, but it has to land on one of the two days. Split the difference- men one day, women the other.

Seems reasonable to me. Of course some one will always be disappointed/disadvantaged with the order of events at every meet format. Some one else is advantaged and happy.

Net wash at the end of the day, as far as I can tell.

Miss M
Reply to  Fat Swammer
5 years ago

Fat swimmer, thatā€™s what the second last paragraph was about. Before FINA switched up the program the menā€™s 100/200 breaststroke and the menā€™s 100/200 backstroke was in the same session. The Women had the 100/200 double in fly and 50/100 double for backstroke. It was a very strange program.

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Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending ā€¦

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