Chicago (AFP) – Luke Hobson clocked a blistering 1min 43.73sec to win the 200m freestyle Wednesday at the US Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, sending a signal before the World Championships in Singapore. Hobson, bronze medallist in the 200m free at the Paris Olympics last year, became the fifth-fastest performer in history in the event, joining superstar Michael Phelps as the only Americans to break 1min 44sec.
“That was awesome — 1:43 has kind of been a goal of mine for a couple of years now,” Hobson told broadcaster Peacock. “And just to have it happen here — I’m super-excited and looking forward to Singapore.” Gabriel Jett finished second in 1:44.70 to punch his ticket to Singapore, where the world championships run July 11-August 3.
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In the women’s 200m free, 18-year-old Claire Weinstein surged late to turn the tables on superstar Katie Ledecky, winning in 1:54.92 — the fastest time in the world this year — as Ledecky finished second in 1:55.26. Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Ledecky had already booked a trip to a seventh world championships with a scintillating victory over Weinstein in the 800m free.
Torri Huske, the 100m butterfly gold medallist at the Paris Olympics last year, was third to put herself in the mix for a coveted relay spot at worlds. Claire Curzan, a six-time world champion who failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, continued her return to form with a victory in the women’s 200m backstroke, clocking 2:05.09 to beat former world record-holder Regan Smith (2:05.84).
Gretchen Walsh lowered her own American record in winning the 50m butterfly with a victory in 24.66sec, with Kate Douglass second in 25.39. “I wanted to go best time, so that would have been another American record, but I didn’t expect to break it by that much, so I’m really happy at the time and just my progression in that event overall,” said Walsh, the 100m butterfly world record-holder who inched closer to Sarah Sjostrom’s 50m fly world mark of 24.43sec.
In other events, Jack Aikins, who missed out on a trip to Paris last year, posted a career-best 1:54.25 to win the men’s 200m backstroke, the fastest time in the world this year. Keaton Jones was second in 1:54.85. Douglass, the Paris Olympics gold medallist in the women’s 200m breaststroke, won that event in 2:21.45 with Alex Walsh second in 2:22.45. Josh Matheny won the men’s 200m breaststroke in 2:08.87 with AJ Pouch second in 2:09.31 and Dare Rose won the men’s 50m fly in 23.06, 15-hundredths of a second ahead of Michael Andrew.
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