2021 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – SEASON 3, MATCH 6
- Saturday, September 11 – Sunday, September 12
- 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST (7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Local Time)
- Piscina Felice Scandone, Naples, Italy
- Short Course Meters (25m – SCM) Format
- ISL Season 3 Schedules, Start Times, & More
- Teams Competing: Cali Condors, London Roar, Tokyo Frog Kings, Aqua Centurions
- Omega Live Results
- Match 6 Preview
Caeleb Dressel swam the second-fastest U.S. time ever in the short course meters 200 individual medley, with a time of 1:51.14, during Match 6 of the International Swimming League regular season.
Dressel, swimming for the Cali Condors, participated in his first-ever SCM 200 IM Saturday, splitting 24.73/28.89/31.80/25.72. His time falls behind Ryan Lochte, who swam the race in a world record 1:49.63 during the 2012 Short Course World Championships.
Dressel placed second in the race to Daiya Seto, who went 1:51.12. Seto, a member of the Tokyo Frog Kings known for his IM prowess, swam the fastest time in ISL history at 1:50.76 during season one. Seto is the world record holder in the SCM 400 IM, going 3:54.81 at the 2019 ISL season finale.
Dressel’s 25.72 closing split was over have a second faster than anyone in the field. Third-place finisher Duncan Scott split 26.42 on free, while Seto was 27.02.
The Cali Condor Dressel is the American record holder in the 200-yard individual medley from his NCAA days, becoming the first man to break 1:39, and is the world record holder in the SCM 100 individual medley. Dressel swam the 100-meter butterfly just 50 minutes before the race.
Dressel put up the sixth-best worldwide time in the SCM 200 IM, after Lochte, Kosuki Hagino, Seto, Andreas Vazaios, and Wang Shun.
Kind of like the 200 fr at Trials, or his 1:56 200 fly, this was a safe/scared swim. Nobody takes their 2 IM out 2 seconds slower than a 1 fly. Kind of scary to think what he could do if he gets the confidence to just attack a 200m race
but his relay splits after 2IM was significantly slower. Don’t think that 2IM was easy for him
If Dressel wants to challenge Michael Phelps as the greatest swimmer of all time, he should seem to swim the 200 free and 200 IM at the next Olympics.
I think Caeleb is focused on being the best that Caeleb can be, which happens to be quite fast
Think you’ve misunderstand the point of this forum, Ragnar. The whole point of the SwimSwam comment section is imposing our goals and expectations on other people with no regard for the things that make them a completely different person. Caeleb Dressel wants to be the next Michael Phelps, and we won’t hear anything different.
Correction. He IS the next Michael Phelps according to what I read here. It’s really strange. Peaty gets enormous attention and credit for being essentially a one-trick pony. Dressel is a three-trick pony (plus all the relays), and it’s like he’s not reaching his full potential. His full potential — in terms of pushing human potential barriers — is really in his 50 free. In contrast to everyone else, I wish he’d dump everything else and just go all-in on the 50 free (like Flo, Bruno, Ervin) and see just how far under 21 a human being could get. I mean that’s what made Usain Bolt special: not that he might be competitive at the 400 or 800 meters.
I agree, he does so much IM training for a 50 freestyler it’s weird
Part of the reason peaty is celebrated is because breaststroke is usually the most specialized stroke and that man was at one point a full 2 seconds faster than the rest of the world in a sprint event
There’s so way he picks up two more events, especially two 200s. He didn’t even swim the 200 relay this year
The delusional predictions are starting early.
They never stopped since he went 50.3 in the 100 SCY breast and was then going to challenge Peaty. And that was a while ago.
Maybe at Nationals? No semis, and he can loaf prelims if just going for a PR. Hope the schedule allows it.
Everyone keeps talking about his 100 strokes, I think yall should be focusing on his 200 strokes to see if he could swim the IM
It would be nice to have an actual world class 2IMer for international meets in Lochte’s absence.
MA is crying
I mean, let him cry, I guess? That’s the thing. He hasn’t performed for us internationally (individually) since he’s been a junior swimmer. He’s 22 now, pro for 8 years, and nothing really to show for it. Time to search for a proper consistent Lochte replacement.
Nothing to show for it? A gold medal and world record at the Olympic pics is really “nothing really to show for it”? Woof I’ve been a professional in my career for more than 8 years and have accomplished way less than him but I look around at my life and I wouldn’t say I have “nothing to show for it.”
I guess you have achieved some pretty astounding professional success to have a take like that
The USA could’ve put in either of their other two BR swimmers they brought to Tokyo and still have won gold and broke the WR.
100%. I truly don’t understand why people can’t see that. That relay word record was won largely by Murphy, Dressel, and Apple’s splits. Fink or Wilson would have given enough of a berth to Apple to still allow him to beat Scott. You’re not world class in your event if you’re not actually a clutch swimmer when it counts.
I mean sure but you still think that’s “nothing to show for” his professional career choice? That’s a bold statement to make for someone as successful as he has been…
Nothing to show for it on the international seen. He had one SCM world title when no one went. Nothing at LCM Worlds, and a complete choke job at Tokyo, his first Olympics. That’s the point when you’re comparing to a Lochte replacement.
Ok but how does that relate to my comment?
Oh FFS. He had a terrible Olympics. He swam on a relay with two of the all-time greats in their events and a relay hero anchor guy. He didn’t even match his flat start time with a flying start. Peaty made him look like a child. Brooks Curry is a gold medalist too, and he went a 48.0 leadoff, which probably 30 people could do.
Anyone that can go a 1:55 is world class in my eyes
Unless you’re Seto or MA at the Olympics.
Seto won bronze at Rio in the 400 and barely missed the podium at Tokyo in the 200- that’s just a bad take.
4th at the Olympics in the 100 breast behind a duo of monsters and Zeus himself isn’t “performing internationally” in your eyes?
How about 4th in the 50 free when 1-2 were a lock and 3 is the most consistent sub 22 50 free swimmer in history?
Being, and finishing top 5, in *3* Olympic finals isn’t “performing internationally” in your eyes?
By all means, taking 4th twice and 5th is INSANE and you won’t convince me otherwise.
The comparison was for a Lochte replacement. MA is only about a million international medals behind Lochte.
MA is a world class 150m IMer. That’s still pretty good.
As a 200IMer myself it is brutally painful to watch MA swim the way he does (vicarious pain, and jealousy at that obsurd opening speed), but this is the most ridiculous take of all time.
He is almost unequivocally the best 150IMer in the world and he is firmly and undeniably “world class” in the 200IM. Saying a 155 is not world class is the same as saying a 144 200 FR isnt world class.
IMO once you are a fair margin under the FINA A and making finals at major international meets that is world class. To suggest anything otherwise because its Michael Andrew is just bias.
I hope he doesn’t stain his mask
Dude took a month off and goes 1:51 lol
Just shows he didn’t rest enough for Tokyo.
Ol’ Longhorn…what’s the thought process there?
Really hope he swims some “OFF” events for worlds this summer. Would be fun to see!
2005 Phelps energy
OMM
A lot of swim fans have wanted to see Dressel in the long course 200IM and this is looking like a step closer for us. Maybe he’ll replicate this in the short course worlds and then finally put it together for the US trials and the next long course world competition.
I honestly don’t think he would be good at an lcm 200 im. It is just too different from an scm our scy 200 im.
If he actually swam it tapered, I think he could still go a solid 1:56/7
I think the breast and back without the extra turns would kill him
I do. His LCM 200 fly and free are really good, and he’s top-tier in 3/4 strokes. Maybe his backstroke would hold him back a bit, but I bet he could be 1:56 in a tapered 2IM.
His LCM breast is not remotely as good as his short course breast, because, well, he actually has to swim the stroke for more than 4 strokes in a row. He’s top-tier in 2 strokes at a 200 level. His best 100 breast LCM is 1:01.2 at a May 2019 meet when he went a 47.8 100 free and 1:56 200 fly, and got to loaf prelims, so it’s not like he wasn’t fairly rested. Maybe he goes a minute flat rested, but that’s no longer top-tier. His middle 100 would be rough, and it’s not like he came barreling home on his last 50 of the 200 free at OTs.
Just to highlight Daiya Seto can swim breaststroke better than Caleb in LCM (even in the 100, let alone the 200) , where a guy like Seto lacks the first half speed necessary to really be competitive. Caleb has the best starts and pullouts I’ve ever seen, but you just can’t fake a LCM breaststroke race.
What was Phelps best 100 breast?
The 100 breast and 200 breast are two different sports. The question in a 200 LCM IM is what can you do in a 200 breast. Phelps did a 2:11.3 at 2015 Nats when he had a sensational meet in the run-up to Rio. That was when the WR was 2:07. I’d bet anyone Dressel couldn’t break 2:15. He could probably go 1:52 SCY though.
Phelps was never a phenomenal 100/200 breaststroker going around a 1:02 and 2:12. However, we have seen Phelps swim the IM since the beginning and he is more orientated towards LCM so I’m not too sure. Only way to find out is him actually swimming it.
In a short course IM he gets away a bit on back/breast with his monstrous underwaters.
Given this, and the fact that he isn’t a natural 200 swimmer, I can’t see anything quicker than a 1:56. Which is still insane of course, but certainly not anything close to the WR. On the other hand, I could see a tapered Dressel (maybe in the ISL final? Short coursw Worlds?) really challenge Lochte’s SCM WR.
Up-voted, but qualifying that Caeleb would likely be good, but maybe not great in 200 LCM IM.
However good he’d be LCM, that SCM WR is his if he swims it peaked.
No because he will have to swim. He is good in underwater and turns. And breast stroke and backstroke are technical swims. It is not about power. Caeleb is just about power. The less he swims the better for him.
Absolutely correct. The evidence being that Chalmers in the 100 free and Milak in the 100 fly closed on him like he was standing still. 50 free? He made everyone else look like they were standing still.
Someone salty little Kyle got murked