SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers to pick the most impressive individual world record of 2019 Worlds:
RESULTS
Question: What was the most impressive world record of 2019 Worlds?
- Regan Smith‘s 2:03.35 in 200 BK – 36.8%
- Kristof Milak‘s 1:50.73 in 200 FL – 35.4%
- Adam Peaty‘s 56.88 in 100 BR – 13.8%
- Caeleb Dressel‘s 49.50 in 100 FL – 7.7%
- Regan Smith‘s 57.57 in 100 BK – 5.6%
- Anton Chupkov‘s 2:06.12 in 200 BR – 0.7%
Regan Smith‘s 2:03.35 in the 200 back triumphed by just 1.4% over Kristof Milak‘s 200 fly in a very tight poll result.
Both swims were relative surprises. Both Smith and Milak were considered among the best young swimmers on the planet, and projected by many to challenge world records – but not this soon. Smith blasted to her world record via a three-second drop at the World Championships – she came into the meet still a good two seconds away from a Missy Franklin world record.
Milak, meanwhile, dropped about two seconds from his best, which had previously sat more than a second away from a Michael Phelps record. Both swims were incredibly similar, besting two of the biggest names in American swimming history, Franklin and Phelps, who had previously held the records. Milak gets extra credit for breaking a record from the super-suit era, and a record that really hadn’t been challenged in the decade since the full-body suits were outlawed. (Milak had the two fastest textile swims coming into the meet, and the closest anyone else had been to Phelps’ record since 2009 was a 1:52.9 from Laszlo Cseh in 2016).
Smith actually had her votes split a little, as her second world record, the 100 back, snagged 5.6% of the votes. Her double-world record status (plus a leg of the world record medley relay) may have given her an advantage over Milak in the poll.
Adam Peaty continued to be a victim of his own success – his 56.88 is one of the most dominant world records on the books, relative to every other swimmer in the event’s history. But it was much more expected than Smith’s or Milak’s, and didn’t pull the same volume of votes.
It’s a bit surprising to see Caeleb Dressel‘s 100 fly so low – he broke a supersuited Phelps record by a wide margin, and came back from a down summer of 2018. Dressel’s record was much more expected, too, though. Meanwhile Anton Chupkov‘s 200 breast really got the short end of the stick in poll numbers, finishing with just 11 votes.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters whether Smith should turn pro as a high school senior, rather than swimming at least one season in the NCAA:
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Regan just needs to break Missy’s 200free record at NCAAs now.
Petition to re-do the poll. I missed it 🙁
1.) Peatty
2.) Malik
3.) Smith (200 Back)
4.) Dressel
5.) Smith (100 back)
6.) Chupkov
They’re all exceptional, of course. All equally amazing to watch.
Did you go to elementary school?
This dude, Anton Chupkov, straight up closed the 200 breast in a 1:03. With a chain on!! Only getting .7% of the votes blows my mind
to me “most impressive” has to go to Milak. He crushed the world record of Michael Phelps in his pet event. That gives Milak the edge.
You could also argue that Phelps’ world record potential in that event was closer to what Milak swam, whereas Missy’s potential seemed perfectly represented by her 2:04. Lots of different angles you could take here.
people say that BUT I also think most people agree Phelps was at his peak from 2007-2009. He swam the 200 fly all 3 summers and his best time was 1:51.5. So I think the 1:51.5 was his max potential. I don’t know how he could have gone faster.
He was not training nearly as hard in 2009 as he did in 2008. His 2008 swim also probably could have been faster if it wasn’t for the fact that his goggles filled up. Added with the fact that he did 7 other events… I think it’s fair to say that phelps could have been around what Milak went.
Smith ‘crushed’ Missy’s record by nearly the same amt of time (0.71) as Milak beat MP’s record (0.78 seconds).
We’ve kinda been waiting for Milak while Smith’s swim came out of nowhere (at least to me)
Poor Peaty, he’s literally alone in his event, and we’ve gotta so used to it that it’s almost ignored. His time is like Caelebs 17.6, if every international swimmer also swam SCY and was still that far behind . He’s like Bolt, of course he’ll win, if Bolt broke the WR more than twice in the 100. Regan just came out of nowhere in the grand scheme of things, and yes she should go pro, stick with the coach that she’s comfortable with
It also came very early in the meet. Probably a strong recency bias in the votes.
Would Regan be allowed to attend Stanford and train with the team, but not compete? Not saying she would or should, just curious…
Why couldn’t she?
Some programs only allow former members of the team train with them as post-grads. Sometimes it’s driven by the coach, sometimes by the school. I don’t know what Stanford’s policy on this is.