U.S. Nationals: Ryan Held Shines with World’s Third-Fastest 50 Free Time; Caeleb Dressel Finishes 22nd
Ryan Held, known for his impressive performances in international relay swims, has now set his sights on an individual event at a major international long course meet. This possibility has become increasingly tangible as he enters the men’s 50 freestyle final at U.S. Nationals as the No. 1 seed, following a remarkable morning performance. In heat six, Held secured first place with a time of 21.65, coming within three hundredths of a second of his lifetime best, 21.62. Notably, Held’s time places him as the third-fastest swimmer in the world this year, lagging behind only Australia’s Cameron McEvoy and France’s Florent Manaudou. Aside from this achievement, Held impressively secured fifth place in the 100 free earlier in the meet, establishing a strong position for himself in Fukuoka. However, a top-two finish in the 50 free would further solidify his place at Worlds.
In the final, Held will face three competitors who also broke 22 in the prelims. Jack Alexy from Cal, who emerged victorious in the 100 free on the first night, trailed behind Held with a time of 21.83, lowering his personal best by a quarter-second. Michael Andrew, the silver medalist at last year’s Worlds, finished third with a time of 21.87, and Matt King from Texas Ford placed fourth in 21.98. King, who is already part of the Worlds team for the 400 free relay, and Andrew, on the roster bubble for Worlds, will present stiff competition for Held. For Andrew, the meet has been challenging as he failed to qualify for the finals in his strongest events, the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly. Despite winning the 50 fly on Wednesday evening, Andrew’s qualification for Worlds hinges upon the fulfillment of certain criteria. Only if all other potential qualifiers, including relay alternates, fit within the 26-swimmer roster limit for both men and women, will winners of the 50-meter races earn spots. Luckily, the selection criteria for the 50 free is aligned with that of other events, thereby ensuring the top two swimmers secure spots at Worlds.
Other Impressive Performances in the Men’s 50 Free Final
The men’s 50 free final at U.S. Nationals was not short on impressive performances. In fifth place was Jonny Kulow from Arizona State with a time of 22.03, followed closely by Chris Guiliano from Notre Dame (22.08), Drew Kibler from Carmel (22.12), and David Curtiss from Wolfpack (22.13). Notably, Guiliano and Kibler have already secured their spots at Worlds. However, the standout swimmer of the event, Caeleb Dressel, the Olympic champion and world-record holder, faced unexpected challenges. Dressel finished tied for 22nd with a time of 22.72. Despite straining in freestyle, Dressel exhibited excellence in the sprint butterfly races, even earning a place on the podium with a third-place finish in the 50 fly. As Dressel makes his comeback to high-level racing after a lengthy absence, his performance in the freestyle events at U.S. Nationals will serve as a valuable learning experience.
