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 which Tokyo 2020 race was most exciting to them:
RESULTS
Question: Two years out, which race are you most excited for at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
- Men’s 50 free – 50.8%
- Women’s 100 free – 22.3%
- Men’s 100 back – 15.5%
- Women’s 200 back – 11.4%
About half of poll respondents said they were most excited for the men’s 50 free at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and event that – for now – looks like a brewing showdown between Caeleb Dressel and Ben Proud.
Dressel was the 2017 World Champ in 21.15, the fastest time ever swum in textile (or since the ban of rubberized supersuits in 2010). But Proud blasted a 21.16 to win the Sette Colli meet earlier this summer, setting up what could be a thrilling showdown between the two in two years.
Our poll ran during U.S. Nationals, so it also takes into account that Dressel looked as human as he has in the past 16 months, losing the 50 free to 19-year-old Michael Andrew. Dressel gets a rematch with Andrew at Pan Pacs next week; Proud will swim the race at European Championships at about the same time.
About 22% picked the women’s 100 free, where we’ve seen Simone Manuel upset world record-holders the past two summers. Manuel didn’t show her best stuff at U.S. Nationals, but gets to race Cate Campbell at Pan Pacs this week, while world record-holder Sarah Sjostrom swims at Euros.
15% went for the men’s 100 back, which looks like a wide-open race with a deep field. The women’s 200 back could be much the same way, with a number of different swimmers popping and a few young talents rising.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters to pick the most unexpected event winner at U.S. Nationals:
Loading ...
ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
For me the races of the games has to be an event with a japanese medal contender, so i would pick womens 100 fly, womens 50/100 free, mens 200 IM or mens 400 IM.
In this case m200 breast, perhaps m200fly, too.
True, Watanabe vs. Chupkov and Milak vs. Horomura. Women’s 200 breast should also be good.
Lol I read that as “50% of SwimSwam commenters think that Dressel is going to race Proud at Pan Pacs!”
I voted for Women’s 100 free, and I would still vote that way if it were only Cate Campbell vs. Sarah Sjostrom. Then you add in Manuel, Comerford, Olesiak, C2 or McKeon, Kromo, Blume, and any other up and comers
Ikee, Ruck, Heemskerk (eh), Bonnet, etc. I would say the gold medal will be wide open in between all those swimmers.
Men’s 400 I.M. if Hagino v. Kalisz 2.0
Women’s 100- Sjostrom, Cate, Simone
Women’s 100 Back- Canada v. USA
Men’s 200 free- bunch of 1:45’s
Men’s 50 free
how is the 100 back an open field when it has murphy?
You know there are guys named Xu, Rylov, Kolesnikov, that Xu was 0,01 from Murphy WR and Kolesnikov broke the SCM WR and is the JWR being the first 18 and U swimmer to go sub-53 right?
Kolesnikov? Rylov? BTW it’s not about open field. It’s about the most interesting races. Just as Sjöström’s 100 fly, Hosszu’s IM’s, Ledecky’s 400-1500, Milak’s 200 fly, Peaty’s 100 breast, etc. Boring. They’ll win it.
Xu is 0,01 away from Murphy wr and kolesnikov time next week might show where he is now
I know, and Grevers is there too, but the question was about the most exited race at Tokyo. Definitely not the m100 back. WOW didn’t understand the topic.
Nice how you sneak Milak in there despit the fact that he never won a 200 fly gold at a major senior competition.
I bet he lives with Milak …..lol
200 breaststroke, while not the most glamorous event, has been one of the tightest races over the last few years (Balandin of Kazakhstan won in Rio out of lane 8). It is incredibly loaded with Chupkov, Koseki, Watanabe, Wilby, Prigoda, Wilson, Murdoch, and then all of the Americans (Wilson, Prenot, Fink, Cordes, Licon). It is only a matter of time before someone breaks through and takes the WR down to 2:05.
My predictions for 2020:
Gold: Chupkov WR
Silver: Prenot
Bronze: Watanabe
Don’t know. Breast? 100, Peaty for sure. 200, I think one of the Japanese guys. This year, at the Europeans Peaty, Peaty, Chupkov.
Of course its only a matter of time before someone takes it down to 2:05, but it will very likely take a lot of time. It took about 9 years to take it from 2:07.51 to 2:06.67 and i think apart from Chupkov (barely) and Watanabe (in his home country, the place where Yamaguchi posted his world record just to never come close to it anywhere else) noone has been sub 2:07. Optimistically we have to wait at least until 2024 olympics until someone swims 2:05, of course unless super suits are reintroduced.
Fratus? Andrew? Govorov? I will defend my boy to the death but it’s not a two way race.
If it would be 50 fly I’ll write Govorov and Govorov and…
I’m aware of that but with his improvement in fly and considering that he’s been 21.4 it’s hard to count him out.
It’s pretty interesting for me that Govorov is only in the 50 fly at the Europeans.
He is on the 50 free listed with 21,96 on 50 free
Rio my dude.
What’s about Rio?
Right, I missed that. 22.11 from this year and 22.27 fly on the same week, it can be interesting.
Govorov will swim fly but be in the running by then anyways
I think that Dressel looked odd during Nats. The last 8 meters of the 50 free you can visibly see that he fatigued and broke down. I’m placing more stock in Dressel than MA. After all, Dressel has been 21.15 in the 50. MA is getting there but it remains to be seen if he can match top times of top performers when they’re in top shape.