2017 U.S. NATIONALS/WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TRIALS
- Tuesday, June 27th-Saturday, July 1st
- 50-Meter Course
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Meet Info
- Prelims timelines
- Broadcast schedule
- Event-by-event previews
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Stream (U.S. viewers)
- Live Stream (International viewers)
- Thursday Finals Heat Sheet
Four years ago, a 16 year-old Caeleb Dressel was already being acclaimed as the future of American sprinting and drawing comparisons to guys like Tom Jager and Matt Biondi. The hype was real, and so were the times. Check out the bio for all the details, but suffice it say that Dressel was throwing down scorching times throughout his junior year and into his senior year of high school, including becoming the youngest ever to break 19 seconds in the 50 free (yards).
When he announced he was committing to Florida, many fans were skeptical, and the skepticism remained after an extended break his senior year of high school and relatively lackluster results as a NCAA freshman (“only” won the 50 free), but right now it’s looking like the right call.
Rolling on from the momentum that came with a tremendous NCAA season, this week Dressel has qualified in the 100 free, the 4×200 free relay, the 50 fly, and tonight, the 100 fly. With the 50 free coming up Saturday, Dressel is looking at a World Championships schedule that appears, umm, busy, to say the least. There’s no guarantee that he’ll make the 50 free — Nathan Adrian looks as solid as ever, and Anthony Ervin and Cullen Jones, although quiet most of this year, are always dangerous. But if Dressel does qualify in a fourth individual event, this is what his schedule could look like in Budapest:
- Sunday – 50 fly (prelims), 50 fly (semis), 4×100 free relay (finals)
- Monday – 50 fly finals
- Tuesday – off
- Wednesday – 100 free (prelims), 100 free (semis)
- Thursday – 100 free (finals)
- Friday – 50 free (prelims), 100 fly (prelims) 4×200 (prelims), 50 free (semis), 100 fly (semis), 4×200 (finals)
- Saturday – 50 free (finals), 100 fly (finals), mixed free relay (finals)
- Sunday – 4×100 medley (finals)
That’s roughly 17 potential swims and 8 medal chances. It’s not clear whether he’d swim on either mixed relay. Women typically swim fly and free on the medley, and he could be left off the mixed free relay, depending how how seriously the USA takes it. It’s also not clear whether or not he swims both prelims and finals in the 4×200 free relay. Regardless, Friday looks particularly grueling, with six possible swims, triples in both the morning and evening sessions, and there’s another potential triple on Saturday.
It is possible? Sure. Dressel is 20 (almost 21) years old and Florida coach Gregg Troy is known for putting its swimmers into beastly shape. In 2013, another Gator, Ryan Lochte crazily swam three events in one night at the 2013 Barcelona World Championships. He won the 200 back, made top eight in the semis of the 100 fly, and wrapped up the evening with a 1:44.98 split on the gold medal 4×200 for Team USA. That was the day before his 29th birthday.
Should Dressel go with this schedule, assuming he makes it the 50 free? That’s much more debatable. FINA doesn’t do sprinters any favors with having the 50 free and the 100 fly on the same night, and after Dressel’s world-leading time in the 100 fly tonight, you’ve got to wonder if the 50 free may be the event to get dropped, if one has to go.
Dressel’s best time in the 50 free is a 21.5, and Ben Proud has already gone 21.3. While Dressel presumably should drop some time in the 50 as well, the fastest event in swimming is always something of a crapshoot. Dropping the 50 free would eliminate all of his possible triples.
Why not drop the 100 fly, especially with Joe Schooling currently the presumptive favorite? Dressel’s 50.8 in the 100 fly, meanwhile, is already the fastest time in the world by a few tenths of a second. While the Singaporean’s 100 fly textile world record is about a half second faster than Dressel’s time from tonight, we know that Schooling took a lot of time off after Rio.
Dressel went head-to-head against Schooling in both the 50 free and the 100 fly at NCAAs, and came away with victories both times. At this point, you have to wonder if Dressel isn’t in Schooling’s head just a little bit, and if Dressel doesn’t want to be there. Surely, Dressel would relish the chance to race (and beat) his former Bolles club teammate, right?
In an interview after the session, Dressel claimed that, for now, he’s just focused on swimming the 50 on Friday, and that he hadn’t even looked at the schedule for Budapest yet, but he didn’t seem fazed. “I don’t want to limit what I can do.” We haven’t even invoked the name of yet another famous American swimmer who took on massive schedules at Worlds and the Olympics, but his book was titled No Limits, a mantra that seems to be a common theme among the legends of the sport.
The 100 fly at worlds looks wide open to me, We have James Guy, Chad le Clos and Laslo yet to show there true form, It will be very close and exciting!
James Guy’s underwaters aren’t good enough at the moment for him to challenge for the win I think. He’s fast on top of the water but loses so much ground off the start and turn.
So what u guys think the winning time for 100 fly in Budapest? Welcome to share here.
49 high, hopefully under 49.82
50.2x
50.87 with no semis.
50.39 after prelims and semis.
No contest which one is tougher.
Agree. Rooting for Schooling! Come on, go for WR!
He only swam one event, though.
He swam the 100 free too.
Only 2 rounds of it
Give credit when credit is due. only losers will use this excuse. If he has no potential, not likely to win olympics..
At Olympics level.
Ask Phelps. He swam 50.45 in 2015 Nats.
How did he do in three rounds Rio?
50.39 in three rounds and flanked by Phelps, Le Clos and Cseh.
No contest.
You’re right no contest who is tougher. Dressel took schoolings NCAA record and beat him head to head at his best event by not breathing for the whole last 25 and then proceeded to a 40.00 while schooling pouted his way to a 145 in the 200 fly
Schooling also only had 100 heats and semis. Dressel has been impressive & competitive in every race he has undertaken at this meet 50fly/100fly/100free/200free, enough to earn spots at Worlds. Why are you so down on Dressel anyway?
Qualifying to Olympics 100 free semis is harder than winning 100free at Nats.
Just ask Adrian.
Dressel is such a wuss.
Sjostrom regularly swims 50/100 free/fly PLUS ALL RELAYS PRELIMS AND FINALS, and plus individual 200 free (last year).
The same goes for many sprinters in the past, like Trickett, Klim, De Bruijn, etc.
They never complained about it.
I don’t see Dressel complaining either
Is that sarcasm and also I’ve never heard him complain about it
SchoolingFTW is an anti-Dressel troll. Enough said.
ANIMAL
Schooling will definitely feel the threat. Let’s say Dressel drops his time further, schooling’s gold is shaky. He once said ” You may beat me in season, i will win when it matters”. hopefully he lives up to his words.
Schooling will probably drop some time too, but the 100 fly at World’s is gonna be interesting
Yup. He will fire up in the final. I want him to break the WR this time though. excited for 100 fly!
50.87 is great but does not mean anything now.
Schooling were OK between Phelps cseh and le clos.
Dressel should not swim 4x200m prelims. The US team can qualify easily without him especially when Jay Litherland has already qualified so they can use him (he swam 1:47.7).
Dressel has to drop the event in that case right?
Does he need to officially drop it? The coaches can just opt not to use him.
He doesn’t need to swim the 4 x 200 because he’s already qualified in other events. Guys like Grothe, Dwyer, Chadwick, or Clark Smith would need to swim it because (as of now) they’ve only qualified it in that. Dressel not swimming it could open an opportunity for Conger, or as Michaeltran said, Litherland (or any other 200 freestyler the coaches feel like putting on)
Very smart analysis
Agree. there’s Haas, Pieroni, Grothe, Smith, Dwyer, Chadwick, Conger, Litherland.
No need to give the unnecessary burden to Dressel.
I doubt he is going to be in prelims and finals 4×200 free relay because his schedule that day and because he was 6th at finals
I doubt he is going to be in prelims and finals 4×200 free relay because his schedule that day and because he was 6th at finals