USA Swimming Professional Swim Sequence Austin, Day 2 Finals: Leon Marchand, Summer time McIntosh Take Care of Enterprise in 200 IM
The Thursday finals session on the USA Swimming Professional Swim Sequence in Austin, Texas, opened with world-record holders starring within the 200 particular person medley. Summer time McIntosh was the category of the ladies’s subject whereas Leon Marchand took down Carson Foster and Kieran Smith within the males’s occasion. Instantly after, the ladies’s 50 freestyle featured Simone Manuel earlier than Andrej Barna beat a aggressive subject within the males’s splash-and-dash.
Later within the session, Grousset battled Caeleb Dressel within the 100 butterfly, an occasion the place Dressel holds the world document and Grousset is the second-fastest performer in historical past. Lastly, Katie Ledecky was again within the water for the 400 free at some point after swimming the second-quickest time of her profession within the 1500 free.
Ladies’s 200 IM
Nobody was stopping Summer time McIntosh in one of many occasions the place she has turn into totally dominant. McIntosh is the Olympic and world champion within the occasion, and he or she swam a time of two:05.70 final June to turn into the primary girl ever below 2:06. In her first closing of the 12 months, McIntosh simply out-paced the sector assembled in Austin, main by nearly a second on the 50-meter mark and going two seconds up by the midway level. The margin ultimately stretched to five.25 seconds over the sector.
After clocking 2:09.27 within the semifinal spherical, McIntosh was a bit faster right here at 2:08.48. Whereas properly off her greatest mark, it was nonetheless faster than the two:08.58 that American Alex Walsh went for silver ultimately 12 months’s Worlds. McIntosh was adopted right here by France’s Cyrielle Duhamel (2:13.73) and American teen Teagan O’Dell (2:14.06).
Males’s 200 IM
The final time Leon Marchand raced at a Professional Sequence meet, he fell to second place within the 200 IM, a uncommon defeat for a swimmer who has been totally dominant within the medley occasions since 2022. Not this time, although, as Marchand jumped out to an early benefit over coaching accomplice Carson Foster, a swimmer with a number of Worlds podium appearances within the race. Foster out-split Marchand on freestyle, however the Frenchman’s benefit on butterfly and particularly breaststroke was an excessive amount of to beat.
Marchand posted a time of 1:57.65. That was nearly 5 seconds behind the beautiful world document of 1:52.69 he swam ultimately summer time’s World Championships in Singapore. Foster claimed second in 1:58.96 whereas Kieran Smith, higher recognized for his worldwide success in freestyle, was the one different swimmer below 2:00 (1:59.86).
Ladies’s 50 Freestyle
Simone Manuel, a 29-year-old American standout who has been among the many greatest sprinters within the nation since her teenage years, picked up the 50 free win in a detailed end towards two French rivals. Manuel completed in 24.79, simply behind the 24.77 she posted within the semifinal spherical. Beryl Gastadello, who beforehand competed at Texas A&M, got here in second at 24.85 whereas Marie Wattel was third in 24.97. Anna Peplowski was not distant in 25.14 whereas Analia Pigree (25.23) put one other French girl within the top-five.
Males’s 50 Freestyle
A loaded closing of the lads’s splash-and-dash included the third and sixth-place finishers from final 12 months’s World Championships, one other earlier international medal winner within the occasion plus the U.S. Olympic Trials runnerup from 2024. France’s Maxime Grousset, who skipped the 50 free at Worlds as he raced to world titles in dash butterfly, ended up with the highest time of the meet at 21.62 within the semifinal spherical, however Andrej Barna blasted off the beginning and depend not be caught down the stretch.
Barna, a Serbian swimmer who trains at Louisville, touched in 21.77 to defeat Grousset (21.82) by 5 hundredths. Jack Alexy, the Worlds bronze medalist final 12 months, got here in third in 21.92, simply forward of Cal coaching accomplice Brooks Curry (22.00).
Ladies’s 50 Breaststroke Semifinals
The ladies’s breaststroke occasions are missing depth at this Professional Sequence meet, however the two girls on the high are elite performers. Anna Elendt, the Texas-trained German who gained the world title within the 100 breaststroke final 12 months, adopted up her 100-meter win with the highest time within the semifinal spherical. She went 30.85 within the first warmth, however Skyler Smith adopted that up with a 30.86 moments later. Smith will signify the US within the occasion at this 12 months’s Pan Pacific Championships.
Kate Canales was the next-best swimmer in 31.96, and it took a time of 33.86 (Kia Alert) to make it again for the ultimate.
Males’s 50 Breaststroke Semifinals
Current outcomes have put Van Mathias among the many high dash breaststrokers on this planet. After notching a shocking greatest time of 26.76 final 12 months to qualify for the 2026 Pan Pacs crew, Mathias went even sooner in Thursday’s prelims, his 26.57 developing simply 0.12 off the American document held by Nic Fink. Within the semifinal spherical, Mathias surged once more as he touched in 26.62. He’ll take one other document shot from lane 4 within the closing.
Mathias was adopted by Mitch Mason (27.34) and Denis Petrashov (27.37). The latter swimmer completed a tenth behind Mathias in Wednesday’s 100 breast closing. Finn Brooks and Brian Benzing, who prepare with Mathias at Indiana, additionally made the sector, whereas France’s Jeremy Delbois rounded out the top-eight qualifiers at 27.67.
Ladies’s 200 Backstroke
Over the summer time, teenager Charlotte Crush grabbed a slice of consideration away from the conventional backstroke headliners when she led the way in which into the 200 again closing at U.S. Nationals. Crush, who represents the Lakeside Swim Membership and can attend the College of Tennessee starting subsequent fall, is now securely among the many group of elite performers within the robust in the US, and he or she recorded a powerful efficiency in her wire-to-wire win Thursday night.
Crush jumped forward of the sector by 0.85 after one size, and he or she prolonged the lead barely on the again half. She completed in 2:09.79, the one swimmer to get below 2:10. Teagan O’Dell secured her second top-three of the evening in 2:11.13, with Rowyn Wilber third (2:14.38).
Males’s 200 Backstroke
Of the 5 males to win a number of world titles final 12 months, two had been French: medley star Leon Marchand and dash butterflyer Maxime Grousset. Becoming a member of these two on the person podium for France was Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, who crushed his greatest occasions on the way in which to bronze medals in each backstroke races. Ndoye-Brouard has began off the 2026 season in nice kind as properly, dominating the 100 and 200 again in Austin.
Ndoye-Brouard was already nearly a second up after one size, and the lead grew from there. Marchand made a uncommon look in a backstroke occasion right here, and he barely reduce into that lead on the again half, however not sufficient to catch Ndoye-Brouard, who completed in 1:56.68. Marchand, the winner of the 200 again earlier within the night, was second in 1:57.90. Humberto Najera took third in 1:58.87, with Mewen Tomac, additionally of France, and Kieran Smith additionally below 2:00
Ladies’s 100 Butterfly
Though Summer time McIntosh is the world’s dominant 200 butterflyer with Regan Smith within the silver-medal place 12 months after 12 months at international meets, the 100-meter race is a special story. Smith is among the many world’s greatest over two laps as properly, solely denied an opportunity to race the 100 fly on the Paris Olympics due to the brilliance of Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske. In Austin, Smith fired off a scorching efficiency to set the tempo on this planet rankings.
Smith completed in 56.18, faster than the bronze-medal-winning time from the World Championships final 12 months. McIntosh returned to the pool after profitable the 200 IM to take second in 58.56. France’s Marie Wattel, coming back from her 50 free third-place end earlier within the evening, touched in 59.58 for third.
Males’s 100 Butterfly
The 2 quickest performers ever raced within the heart lanes of the 100 fly closing in Austin. Caeleb Dressel holds the world document at 49.45, set on his method to Olympic gold in Tokyo, whereas Maxime Grousset achieved a mark of 49.62 on the World Championships final 12 months. Dressel missed out on making the 50 free closing on day one in Austin, however he swam a powerful 100 fly prelim to qualify first and arrange the race towards the Frenchman.
However at evening, Grousset had an excessive amount of pace for Dressel to match. He was out in 23.45, seven tenths forward of the sector, and he got here house in 27.50. Grousset clocked 50.95 for the win whereas Dressel, who was barely faster on the second size, completed second in 51.62. Clement Secchi made it two French swimmers within the top-three together with his third-place time of 52.45.
Ladies’s 400 Freestyle
Opening evening in Austin noticed Katie Ledecky unleash the second-quickest efficiency of her profession within the 1500 freestyle, swimming a time jut over two seconds behind her personal world document. Expectations had been excessive as Ledecky returned to the pool for the 400-meter occasion, though she wouldn’t have fairly as a lot magic to dispense on this event. Nonetheless, with Summer time McIntosh skipping the 400 at this meet, Ledecky was clearly the category of the sector, main her closest competitor by greater than three seconds after simply 150 meters.
Ledecky break up 1:58.15 on the midway level earlier than exhibiting some fatigue down the stretch. She ended up posting a time of 4:00.54, not near her greatest however nonetheless faster than she swam to win Olympic bronze in 2024. Claire Weinstein, the N0. 2 performer in American historical past who simply missed breaking 4:00 final 12 months, got here in second at 4:07.37. Rylee Erisman, higher recognized for her sprinting skills, accomplished a day when she lowered her greatest time by 5 seconds. She touched third in 4:11.02.
Males’s 400 Freestyle
Final summer time, Ryan Erisman missed qualifying for the World Championships by one spot and three tenths of a second as he positioned third within the 400 freestyle at U.S. Nationals. Now a freshman at Cal, Erisman continues to raise his standing as he took down a strong subject within the occasion on the Austin Professional Sequence, coming inside three-quarters of a second of his greatest time. Erisman trailed Lucas Henveaux, a Belgian swimmer who additionally trains at Cal, via the early parts of the race, however he took over with a powerful surge simply previous the midway level.
After splitting 1:52.92 on the midway level, Erisman lined the following 200 meters in 1:53.83, and the consequence was a sterling time of three:46.75. Ilia Sibirtsev, a Louisville-trainee from Uzbekistan, tried to make inroads however couldn’t preserve tempo down the stretch, ending second in 3:49.03. Henveaux positioned third in 3:51.17, holding off the surging Bobby Finke (3:51.41).
