2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Friday, July 29 – Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Birmingham, England
Sandwell Aquatic Center
Begin Instances
Prelims: 10: 30 am native / 5: 30 am ET
Finals: 7: 00 pm native / 2: 00 pm ET
LCM (50m)
Meet Central
Occasion Time desk
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown is with out doubt one of the essential versatile swimmers on this planet, being elite in each and each the backstroke and IM events. The question is, can she purchase all of these races at the Commonwealth Video games? The backstrokes will come fairly more uncomplicated for her, as she already has extra than one world championships to her title within the 100 and 200 aid. Nonetheless, there’s loads extra obstacles standing in her potential for the IMs.
At the World Championships, that impediment used to be Alex Walsh who won the 200 IM by a important margin – nearly a 2nd-and-a-half ahead of the runner-up McKeown. Nonetheless at the Commonwealth Video games, it’s going to be Canada’s Summer time McIntosh, the 15-yr-archaic teenage phenom.
McIntosh is a superstar of her grasp, being the 400 IM World Champion and the third-quickest performer of all-time within the occasion. She’s over two seconds faster than McKeown at her easiest, and is the heavy popular to purchase the occasion assuming every little thing goes lawful for her. The 200 IM is unusual to McIntosh’s occasion lineup, and although McKeown might well unbiased unruffled personal the upper hand right here, who knows what is going to happen within the Canadian’s first time swimming the occasion at a important world meet.
200 IM
Commonwealth File: Siobhan Marie O’Connor, England — 2: 06.88 (2016)
Commonwealth Video games File: Siobhan Marie O’Connor, England — 2: 08.21 (2014)
2018 Commonwealth Champion: Siobhan Marie O’Connor, England — 2: 09.80
If McKeown ends up racing the 200 IM, she’s the seemingly winner of the speed. She’s the Worlds silver medalist, and her season-easiest time of 2: 08.57 is over 1.5 seconds sure of the relaxation of her Commonwealth competition. Nonetheless the question is, will she even swim the 200 IM?
Earlier than the World Championships, Australian media reported that McKeown used to be making an strive to speed three other folk at each and each Worlds and Commonwealths, and wasn’t racing the 400 IM at Worlds. That means that she won’t be swimming the 200 IM right here, although she is determined to swim the occasion in maintaining with the entry checklist.
If McKeown personal been to swim the 200 IM, she would have to use on a double with the 200 aid. And whereas that’s a tricky double to tackle, it’s unruffled doable, because the two events are separated by three semi-finals and two medal ceremonies. Nonetheless, provided that she scratched the 100 aid at the World Championships to condominium the 200 IM final, lets very properly glimpse something same be finished at the Commonwealth Video games.
When McKeown is taken out of the equation, McIntosh is our make a choice to purchase the occasion in her absence. The Canadian is greater identified for bursting onto the scene within the 400 IM, however she reveal a legitimate internal most easiest time of 2: 10.75 at Mare Nostrum this yr. And whereas that most productive makes her the fifth-quickest Commonwealth swimmer this yr, it’s life like to rep that she most steadily is loads faster than that time at a enormous taper meet, given her strength within the 400 IM and other 200-meter distance events like the 200 free and 200 waft. Nonetheless, there’s a few other swimmers who personal been proper as speedily as McIntosh this yr, and will seemingly be tricky competition.
England’s Abbie Wooden, closing yr’s fourth space finisher at the Olympics, has a easiest time of 2: 09.15. She has winner-possible with that time, however she also went 2: 11.31 at Worlds this yr and neglected the finals. Her possibilities of gold within the 200 IM are largely reckoning on whether she shall be aid on attach come time for Commonwealths after coping with a bout of glandular fever (mono) over the closing yr. If we’re suitable that your total of the British contingent is extra alive to on this meet than it used to be on Worlds, then set a question to as a minimum a medal for Wooden.
Then there’s the Canadian duo of Sydney Pickrem and Mary-Sophie Harvey. Pickrem, the 2019 Worlds bronze medalist within the 200 IM, pulled out of the Commonwealth Video games as a consequence of internal most reasons. Harvey alternatively had a enormous World Championships meet, setting a easiest time of 2: 10.22 and finishing Eighth within the final. Nonetheless, it appears that she appears to be coming off of a few physical injuries.
Harvey lately spoke out about presumably being drugged on the closing evening of the World Championships, which resulted in a rib sprain and a shrimp concussion that affected her potential to attach upper-physique exercises. If her Commonwealths isn’t derailed by previous injuries, a medal might well perhaps be the culmination of a huge breakout season for Harvey, as she licensed individually for her first important world meet since 2017 and dropped over a 2nd within the 200 IM.
Australians Ella Ramsay and Abbey Harkin will seemingly be within the mix for top 5 as properly, maintaining season easiest instances of 2: 12.12 and 2: 12.74 respectively. The two Dean Boxall-expert swimmers reveal these instances finishing 2-3 at Australian trials this yr, however are on very assorted profession trajectories.
The 17-yr-archaic Ramsay got right here into 2022 with a PB of 2: 13.76, after which shaved almost a 2nd off of it to qualify for her first World Championship and Commonwealth group. At Worlds this yr, she used to be fairly off her trials time, placing 15th with a 2: 13.10. Harkin, who is 24 years archaic, is extra of a ancient to swimming. She’s stronger within the breaststroke events, however reveal her quickest time since 2019 within the 200 IM at trials this yr to space third, and will seemingly be making her important world debut within the occasion at Commonwealth Video games.
Original Zealand Helena Gasson has a season-easiest time of 2: 12.68, however finished 22nd at World Championships in 2: 15.95. Her Worlds time used to be her slowest recorded time within the occasion since 2019, and her performance at Commonwealth Video games will expose whether Worlds used to be a fluke for her or now no longer.
SwimSwam’s Predictions:
Ranking
Swimmer
Country
Season Easiest
Lifetime Easiest
1
Kaylee McKeown
Australia
2: 08.57
2: 08.19
2
Summer time McIntosh
Canada
2: 10.75
2: 10.75
3
Abbie Wooden
England
2: 10.64
2: 09.15
4
Mary Sophie-Harvey
Canada
2: 10.22
2: 10.22
5
Ella Ramsay
Australia
2: 12.12
2: 12.12
400 IM
Commonwealth File: Summer time McIntosh, Canada — 4: 29.12 (2022)
Commonwealth Video games File: Hannah Miley, Scotland — 4: 31.76 (2014)
2018 Commonwealth Champion: Aimee Wilmott, England — 4: 34.90
The extra assured showdown between McIntosh and McKeown will come within the 400 IM, which is able to be the important particular person occasion on the schedules of every and each swimmers.
McIntosh nervous the swimming world aid in March when she swam that 4: 29.12 time to spoil the Commonwealth document. McKeown’s easiest time of 4: 31.74 from Australian trials is a miles attain from what McIntosh’s quickest is, nonetheless it’s faster than the 4: 32.04 swim that McIntosh produced to purchase at the World Championships.
If McIntosh nears her easiest time, she’s running away with the title right here. Nonetheless, if she doesn’t, the speed might well perhaps catch loads closer.
The potential McIntosh and McKeown chase their 400 IM is incredibly assorted, so it must be very attention-grabbing to glance how this speed plays out. McIntosh pushes it very annoying on waft and free, however breaststroke is her weakest stroke. McKeown, alternatively, is an especially valid breaststroker, collectively with her breast split from trials being below world document chase.
That you just would be capable to well perhaps presumably glimpse their splits side-by-side right here:
Summer time McIntosh, 2022 Canadian Trials Prep Occasion
Kaylee McKeown, 2022 Australian Trials
Skim
1: 00.78
1: 04.19
Support
1: 09.16
1: 08.36
Breast
1: 18.15
1: 15.74
Free
1: 01.18
1: 03.45
Total
4: 29.12
4: 31.74
McIntosh is faster than McKeown on waft and free by a blended 5.68 seconds, however McKeown makes up 2.41 seconds on breast to lower the deficit by almost half. In a speed scenario, it’s miles seemingly that we can glimpse McIntosh come from behind on freestyle if she personal been to purchase the speed.
McKeown’s teammate, Jenna Forrester, is also a podium popular. She finished seventh at worlds in a time of 4: 42.79, however has been as speedily as 4: 36.77 earlier than at Australian trials this yr, a three-2nd tumble from her outdated easiest time of 4: 39.46. At 18 years archaic, Forrester is unruffled very younger, so her adding time at Worlds can seemingly be attributed to the stress of her first important world meet. Being the tip Commonwealth swimmer other than McKeown and McIntosh, glance to glance her be within the mix at the tip as she good points extra skills at enormous meets.
One other Aussie, Kiah Melverton, didn’t catch to compete at the World Championships within the 400 IM as a consequence of qualification rules, however entered within the occasion at the Commonwealth Video games. She finished third at Australian trials in 4: 39.78, her first PB on this speed since 2018. She’s valid in center-distance freestyle events, having proper lately medaled within the 800 free at World Championships, however Birmingham will seemingly be her first time taking IM to the check internationally due to the the World University Video games in 2017.
Maintain an take into legend out for Tessa Cieplucha of Canada as properly, as she finished eleventh at Worlds in a time of 4: 44.53 however went 4: 39.49 at some stage in trials. She’s seeded fourth out of all the Commonwealth swimmers on this occasion and has a easiest time of 4: 37.26 from closing yr, so she might well perhaps doubtlessly attain the podium too.
SwimSwam’s Predictions:
In This Legend
Alex WalshAlex WalshKatinka HosszuKatinka HosszuKaylee McKeownKaylee McKeownKiah MelvertonKiah MelvertonMary-Sophie HarveyMary-Sophie HarveySummer McIntoshSummer McIntoshSydney PickremSydney PickremTessa CiepluchaTessa Cieplucha
About Yanyan Li
Yanyan Li
Even supposing Yanyan wasn’t the greatest aggressive swimmer, she discovered extra about the game of swimming thru scoring countless twin meets, being a timer, and maintaining song of her teammates’ easiest instances for 3 years as a group manager. She sooner or later ventured into the realm of writing and joined SwimSwam in …
Read Extra »