SWIMMING: Dressel back to dominant with four wins (so far) at Tyr Pro Swim in Richmond

Another win for U.S. sprint superstar Caeleb Dressel!

After seven gold medals at the 2017 FINA World Championships, there seemed like nothing Caeleb Dressel couldn’t do.

Then came a motorcycle accident last June that almost caused him to miss the U.S. Nationals, the meet which principally selected the U.S. team for the 2019 World Championships. That contributed to what Dressel called “just a little off season” for him in 2018, that he was sure would be different in 2019.

So far, so good for Dressel, who has won four events over the first three days of the third installment of the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Richmond, Virginia.

He took the 200 m Freestyle and 100 m Butterfly on Thursday, then came back tonight to sweep the 50 m Freestyle and 50 m Fly, edging Michael Andrew by 0.14 and 0.11 respectively.

He’ll have a chance at a fifth win tomorrow in the 100 m Free, but he’s already put up some impressive swims:

Thursday: 50 m Free ~ won in 21.69, third-fastest in the world in 2019
Thursday: 200 m Free ~ won in 1:47.31, ninth-fastest in the world in 2019
Friday: 50 m Free ~ won in 23.24, fifth-fastest in the world in 2019
Friday: 100 m Fly ~ won in 52.98; he already has a 51.51 from March (4th)

On the NBC Olympic Channel telecast, analyst Rowdy Gaines noted that Dressel is swimming the 200 m Free because he wants to be on the 4×200 m Relay for the U.S. in Tokyo. Interesting.

There have been three world-leading marks in the meet so far, all by women:

800 m Freestyle: 8:14.24, Katie Ledecky (USA)
50 m Butterfly: 25.65, Farida Osman (EGY)
200 m Butterfly: 2:07.03, Hali Flickinger (USA)

Ledecky has been busy in Richmond, taking the 200-400-800 m Frees, and finishing eighth in the B-final of the 50 m Free (26.06). Her 400 m win on Friday in 4:01.50 is her fastest of the season and continues her no. 2 spot on the world list, behind the impressive 3:59.66 of Australia’s teen star Ariarne Titmus at the Australian Championships earlier in the week.

Also impressive was the 100-200 m Breaststroke double for Annie Lazor, who will not be on the U.S. World Championships team this summer, but is a clear contender for the 2020 Games next year. And remember this name: Claire Curzan, just 14, who claimed second in the 100 m Fly on Thursday and third in the 50 m Fly tonight.

The other double winner in Richmond was veteran star Olivia Smoliga, who took the 50 m Free in 24.83 (=10th in 2019), then came back 14 minutes later to win the 100 m Back in a lifetime best of 58.73, third in the world so far this season.

The meet wraps up tomorrow; NBC’s Olympic Channel will have live coverage at 6 p.m. Eastern time. Summaries so far:

USA Swimming/Tyr Pro Swim Series no. 3
Richmond, Virginia (USA) ~ 10-13 April 2019
(Full results here; all U.S. unless otherwise indicated)

Men

50 m Freestyle: 1. Caeleb Dressel, 21.69; 2. 3. Michael Andrew, 21.83; 3. Michael Chadwick, 21.96.

200 m Free: 1. Dressel, 1:47.31; 2. Zane Grothe, 1:48.12; 3. Jack Conger, 1:49.21.

400 m Free: 1. Anton Ipsen (DEN), 3:48.22; 2. Zane Grothe, 3:48.53; 3. Marcelo Acosta (ESA), 3:54.55.

800 m Free: 1. Grothe, 7:55.78; 2. Acosta (ESA), 7:59.17; 3. Gil Kiesler (ISR), 8:07.00.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Andrew, 24.76; 2. Ryan Held, 25.16; 3. Matt Grevers, 25.18.

100 m Back: 1. Ryan Murphy, 53.47; 2. Grevers, 53.81; 3. Jacob Pebley, 54.23.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Cody Miller, 1:00.98; 2. Andrew Wilson, 1:01.04; 3. Nic Fink, 1:01.05.

200 m Breast: 1. Josh Prenot, 2:11.51; 2. Nic Fink, 2:12.15; 3. Carlos Claverie (VEN), 2:12.87.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Dressel, 23.43; 2. Andrew, 23.54; 3. Giles Smith, 23.69.

100 m Fly: 1. Dressel, 52.08; 2. Giles Smith, 52.72; 3. tie, Zach Harting and Santiago Grassi (ARG), 52.87.

200 m Fly: Antani Ivanov (BUL), 1:56.34; 2. Kalisz, 1:57.03; 3. Harting, 1:58.56.

400 m Medley: 1. Chase Kalisz, 4:13.45; 2. Tomas Peribono (ECU), 4:16.87; 3. Zachary Tan (SGP), 4:25.91.

Women

50 m Freestyle: 1. Olivia Smoliga, 24.83; 2. tie, Simone Manuel and Farida Osman (EGY), 24.97.

200 m Free: 1. Katie Ledecky, 1:56.28; 2. Leah Smith, 1:57.54; 3. Madisyn Cox, 1:58.76.

400 m Free: 1. Ledecky, 4:01.50; 2. L. Smith, 4:05.17; 3. Kaersten Meitz, 4:09.20.

800 m Free: 1. Ledecky, 8:14.24; 2. L. Smith, 8:16.33; 3. Kristel Kobrich (CHI), 8:36.19.

50 m Backstroke: 1. Bobbie Gichard (NZL), 29.14; 2. Lisa Bratton, 29.32; 3. Laura Laderoute, 29.38.

100 m Back: 1. Smoliga, 58.73; 2. Katharine Berkoff, 59.83; 3. Ali Deloof, 1:00.80.

100 m Breaststroke: 1. Annie Lazor, 1:06.72; 2. Sophie Hansson (SWE), 1:08.05; 3. Bethany Galat, 1:08.26.

200 m Breast: 1. Lazor, 2:23.22; 2. Galat, 2:25.43; 3. Emily Escobedo, 2:25.67.

50 m Butterfly: 1. Osman (EGY), 25.65; 2. Kelsi Dahlia, 25.90; 3. Curzan, 26.18.

100 m Fly: 1. Dahlia, 57.99; 2. Claire Curzan, 58.61; 3. Osman (EGY), 58.89.

200 m Fly: 1. Hali Flickinger, 2:07.03; 2. Katie Drabot, 2:08.65; 3. Dahlia, 2:09.09.

400 m Medley: 1. Ella Eastin, 4:38.80; 2. Cox, 4:40.55; 3. L. Smith, 4:41.08.