Swimming video edit by Coleman Hodges
WOMEN’S 100 Freestyle reported by Braden Keith
31-year old veteran Natalie Coughlin kicked off the women’s 100m freestyle with a strong start, leading the field to the wall in 26.16 – very similar to how she paced her prelims swim.
Closing on on the 75m mark the field started catching up with her, though. Allison Schmitt, swimming to her left, passed her in the last 25, winning the race in 54.46. That’s Schmitt’s first race since the 2013 World Championship Trials, and now back training at North Batlimore, she seems to be firing on all cylinders.
Schmitt’s Georgia teammate Megan Romano from lane two finished behind her in 55.05 for 2nd. Coughlin was able to hold off advances from Katie Ledecky and hold onto a 3rd-place finish in 55.14, still an improvement from prelims.
Ledecky was 4th in 55.22, a few races before going on to win the 400 free later in the meet. As she’s gotten older, she’s gradually expanded her abilities to shorter-and-shorter races, and this swam was a lifetime best for her by half a second.
The American record holder in the event, Amanda Weir, was 5th in 55.34, top seed out of prelims Simone Manuel was 6th in 55.42 (adding about four-tenths), and Margo Geer was 7th in 55.79.