2024 NOVA SPEEDO GRAND CHALLENGE
On the second evening of the Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine, California, we saw some very interesting times from the US athletes who will face the Olympic Trials in less than a month.
Paige Madden is going through a period of ascendancy, establishing herself as the third fastest American of the season in the women’s 200 meter freestyle and a candidate for both the individual race and the relay.
The French superstar is also back in the water Leon Marchand, who won the men’s 100 meters butterfly in 52.56, about a tenth from his personal best.
WOMEN’S 200 METERS FREESTYLE
Meet record: 1:57.53 – Paige Madden2024- US Olympic Trials cut: 2:00.89
Top 4:
- Paige Madden (NYAC) – 1:57.00
- Simon Manuel (TXLA) – 1:57.03
- Regan Smith (TXLA) – 1:57.23
- Claire Weinstein (SAND) – 1:59.14
Paige Madden lowered his own heats record (1:57.53) with a time of 1:57.00, narrowly edging out the Longhorn Aquatics stars Simon Manuel (1:57.03) e Regan Smith (1:57.23).
Madden remains the third-fastest American this season, behind Anna Peplowski (1:56.99) and Katie Ledecky (1:54.97). The 25-year-old University of Virginia graduate was as fast as 1:56.44 in 2021.
Manuel reached the wall within a second of his 2019 personal best of 1:56.09, marking his fastest swim in more than four years since March 2020 – right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Smith shaved nearly a second off her previous best of 1:58.14 from last March.
WOMEN’S 100 METERS BUTTERFLY
Meet record: 57.50 – Regan Smith2024- US Olympic Trials cut: 1:00.19
Top 4:
- Regan Smith (TXLA) – 56.26 *Meet record
- Lindsay Looney (TXLA) – 1:00.07
- Allison Mann (SCAL) – 1:00.84
- Isabelle Odgers (TROJ) – 1:01.06
Regan Smith won in dominant fashion in the 100 butterfly in 56.26, falling a tenth from her previous best of 56.36 in March. The 22-year-old Longhorn Aquatics athlete remains the fifth-fastest athlete in the world this postseason Gretchen Walsh (56.14), Angelina Kohler (56.11), Zhang Yufei (55.86) e Huske Towers (55.68).
| 2 | Yufei ZHANG | CHN | 55.86 | 09/27 |
| 3 | Angelina KOHLER | GER | 56.11 | 02/11 |
| 4 | Gretchen WALSH | USA | 56.14 | 04/12 |
| 5 | Reagan SMITH | USA | 56.26 | 05/25 |
View Top 31»
Lindsay Looney he took second place in 1:00.07, not far off his personal best of 59.88 from last June.
OTHER RESULTS
MEN’S 400 METERS MIXED
- Meet record: 4:14.06 – Thiago Pereira, 2010
- US Olympic Trials cut: 4:25.19
Top 3
- Luke Ellis (SAND) – 4:24.28
- Kyle Brill (UCSB) – 4:25.53
- Anthony Dornoff (RMDA) – 4:26.10
WOMEN’S 400 METERS MIXED
- Meet record: 4:38.01 – Katie Grimes2023
- US Olympic Trials cut: 4:49.89
Top 3
- Justina Kozan (TROJ) – 4:49.67
- Ella Flowers (TROJ) – 4:50.97
- Lucy Flynn (GOLD) – 4:58.61
MEN’S 100 METERS BUTTERFLY
- Meet record: 51.96 – Ilya Kharun, 2023
- US Olympic Trials cut: 53.59
Top 4:
- Leon Marchand (TXLA) – 52.56
- Billy Picht (UCSB) – 53.71
- Samuel Quarles (SDSA) – 54.00
- Caleb Kattau (SAND) – 54.05
MEN’S 200 METERS BACKSTROKE
- Meet record: 1:55.70 – Ryan Murphy, 2018
- US Olympic Trials cut: 2:01.69
Top 4:
- Hubert Kos (TXLA) – 1:56.46
- Chase Kalisz (TXLA) – 1:59.69
- Jay Litherland (TXLA) – 1:59.95
- Humberto Najera (EVO) – 2:01.05
WOMEN’S 200 METERS BACKSTROKE
- Meet record: 2:10.32 – Kathleen Baker2018
- US Olympic Trials cut: 2:13.59
Top 4:
- Katie Grimes (SAND) – 2:10.51
- Teagan O’Dell (MVN) – 2:11.58
- Rowyn Wilber (CLOV) – 2:14.11
- Macky Hodges (TST) – 2:17.47
MEN’S 400 METERS FREESTYLE
Meet record: 3:49.74 – Ous Mellouli, 2009- US Olympic Trials cut: 3:55.59
Top 4:
- David Johnston (TST) – 3:48.06 *Meet record
- Marwan Elkamash (TST) – 3:48.21
- Drew Kibler (NYAC) – 3:51.47
- Jackson Huckabay (CLOV) – 4:52.80
