The Bolles Schools’ Caeleb Dressel swam a wildly different race in the A-final of the men’s 100 free on Tuesday at the 2013 US World Championship Trials than he did in the prelims.
But like we see from sprinters like Anthony Ervin and Ryan Lochte, who are some of the best sprinters in the country, there’s room even in a sprint for the great ones to toy with their pacing over 100 meters, and that’s exactly what Dressel did en route to re-breaking his 15-16 National Age Group Record in the men’s 100 free from prelims.
He was a 49.63 in the morning, which he topped with a 49.50 in finals. Both times combined to break the 50.24 set in 1990 by Joe Hudepohl, who would go on to win a pair of Olympic relay gold medals.
The splitting from prelims to finals highlights a huge difference in pacing:
Dressel prelims: 23.45/26.18 – 49.63
Dressel finals: 23.74/25.76 – 49.50
Dressel may have come in 8th in the final, but he was by far the youngest in that race (half the age of the 32-year old Anthony Ervin, the oldest in the A-Final) and was swimming against 7 Olympians and 27 Olympic medals from the rest of the final combined, so this can easily be deemed a quality learning experience against some of the best.
Nathan Adrian won the race in 48.10, and Jimmy Feigen was 2nd in 48.24.
Isn’t there a (unofficial) list of World Age Records somewhere? FINA doesn’t seem to keep one. I can only find some lists of national age group records.
Bobo Auburn and USC have some good sprinters as well. He still has another year swimming at Bolles and there they also swim yards for August- around Feb/March. He seems to be doing fine so far.
Should Caeleb go pro?
I hope he turns pro because to swim in college 7 months per year in yards would slow down a little his progression. But if he goes in NCAA, and it’s likely, I hope it will be at Cal where they know how to train the sprinters.
Caeleb didn’t just shave some time off a performance that hasn’t been touched in 32 years: He crushed it by nearly a second. He redefined that event today.
We’ll said, FluidG
*22 years
*23 (d’oh!)
Wow….Conger really bounced back from that morning swim with a 49.44 and Dressel going a 49.50 is insane. I don’t know much about Aussie swimming but was wondering how that time stacks up against other nations for 15-16 year olds.
Aussie’s Age Records Men 100m free:
13 years old: Kyle Chalmers 52.29
14 years old: Kyle Chalmers 50.86
15 years old: Ian Thorpe 50.21
16 years old: Cameron McEvoy 49.70
17 years old: Cameron McEvoy 48.58
18 years old: Cameron McEvoy 48.07
Brazil Age Group Records 100m Free:
13 years: Felipe Ribeiro de Souza 54.40.
14 years: Felipe Ribeiro de Souza 52.25
15 years: Felipe Ribeiro de Souza: 51.23
16 years: Matheu Santana 50.25
17 year old I can´t find.. probably Cielo
18 year old: Cielo 48.61
Other notables times I could find
Sedov: 49.82 at 16 year old and 49.31 at 17 this year
Just found results from 2006 or newer.. from that I just found Matheu Santana went 50.40 this year.. but I think he may break the 50 barrier at Junior Worlds.. He change clubs this year and still did not get things right compared to last year..
Rafael,
Cielo was only 50.63 at seventeen(and 22.96 in 50 free).At 18, Cielo was 22,92 and 50.31(in 2005, he trained more SCM than LCM that was a strange season year).His 48.61 was made at nineteen, when he broke Fernando Scherer South American Record in 100 free twice in 2006.
If i am not mistaken, the best brazilian at 18 was Henrique Rodrigues in 2009 in a shiny suit with 49.02.
“sprinters like…Ryan Lochte”??? Lochte might be able to A final the 100 free but I still would never call him a sprinter.
I wouldn’t call him a sprinter nor an anchor on the relay….yes I’m a little bitter but when you talk all that smack and then get run down like he did last year then you have it coming to you:)
Agnel was just too brilliant that day.
Not Lochte’s fault.
Only Adrian could have hold Agnel’s charge on that anchor . Lochte did the best he could . If Usa had a better option , they would have put it . Also ,Usa team didn’t expect to be ahead on the first 3 relays ….
He may not be a sprinter first and foremost, but anyone who can go 48.5 can be called a sprinter. It’s not the term you would identify him with, but its certainly a label that applies to him.
I am seeing exciting new faces from both the ladies and gentlemen. Their times have been impressive but mostly because of the fact that they are RACING the seasoned veterans. Love it.
Jack Conger wasn’t far off the 17-18 boys 100 free record either. 49.44 to Phelps’ 49.05.
I remember when Phelps went that 49.05 and it was the fastest time in the US up until the trials. You also had Gary Hall complaining about Phelps qualifying for that relay team in January and everyone else having to swim it at trials. In retrospect Hall probably looks a little silly complaining about a guy who won 8 medals at the Olympics that year. Even more amazing in retrospect was Biondi going a 48.63 in 1988 with a speedo, poor start and turns. Just think what he would do in this era.
You have to think Dressel will break it if Conger doesn’t. Surely Dressel can drop more than half a second between the ages of 16 and 18. I’ve always thought that record is a little embarrassing though. Seriously, the fastest 18 year old in the #1 swimming nation in the most famous event is a 200m butterfly and 400m medley specialist? It really illustrates the lack of great sprinters the US have had in recent years. Dressel has a lot on his shoulders.
A little embarrassing? Phelps went on to win Olympic gold and break the world record in the 200m free remember. Good luck to Dressel in the future though, definitely an up and coming star.
I somewhat agree Bourdais. It may not be “embarassing” that our greatest swimmer ever was a 200 fly and 400 IM specialist, but to the majority of the swimming world sprinters are the most looked at (and most looked up to in the Age Group world). It doesn’t really matter in the end, though. Eight gold medals is eight gold medals.