2019 U.S. swimming rankings (women)

By OlympicTalkAug 26, 2019, 1:27 PM EDT

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With many of the U.S.’ top swimmers taking a break after the world championships, and thus missing the national championships, the best way to survey the early favorites for June’s Olympic trials is to look at rankings by swimmers’ fastest times for 2019.

Last week’s world junior championships marked the last top international meet of the summer, making it a good time to take stock of the field in all of the individual Olympic events.

To no surprise, Katie Ledecky leads in her main events — the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyles — despite missing events at worlds (and being slowed in those she did enter) due to illness. Her Stanford training partner, Simone Manuel, tops the 50m and 100m frees after sweeping those sprints at worlds.

Perhaps the most interesting note in the freestyle ranks is that Manuel is a close second to Ledecky in the 200m free. Manuel has never contested that event at an Olympics or worlds, but led off the 4x200m free relay at worlds in a personal-best time by .92.

MORE: U.S. men’s swim rankings

Regan Smith, the 17-year-old breakout swimmer of worlds, leads both backstrokes after breaking both world records. Kathleen Baker, the U.S. leader in the backstrokes and the 200m individual medley in 2018, ranks third and fourth in the backstrokes this year despite being slowed by pneumonia and a broken rib.

Lilly King, queen of the breaststrokes the last three years, tops her favored 100m breast and is second to resurgent veteran Annie Lazor in the 200m.

There is more parity in the butterfly and individual medleys, where Rio Olympians lead the 100m fly (Kelsi Dahlia), 200m fly (Hali Flickinger) and 200m IM (Melanie Margalis), but rising high school senior Emma Weyant tops the 400m IM. Retirements of Dana Vollmer (recent) and Maya DiRado (after Rio) helped open things up in those disciplines.

A newcomer to watch is Gretchen Walsh, a 16-year-old who swept the 50m and 100m frees at junior worlds.

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2019 U.S. Swimming Rankings — Women
50m Freestyle
1. Simone Manuel — 24.05
2. Abbey Weitzeil — 24.47
3. Erika Brown — 24.71
3. Gretchen Walsh — 24.71
5. Maxine Parker — 24.75

100m Freestyle
1. Simone Manuel — 52. 04
2. Mallory Comerford — 52.98
3. Abbey Weitzeil — 53.18
4. Gretchen Walsh — 53.74
5. Margo Geer — 54.09
6. Erika Brown — 54.13

200m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 1:55.78
2. Simone Manuel — 1:56.09
3. Katie McLaughlin — 1:56.48
4. Allison Schmitt — 1:56.97
5. Leah Smith — 1:57.40
6. Gabby DeLoof — 1:57.62

400m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 3:59.28
2. Leah Smith — 4:01.29
3. Kaersten Meitz — 4:05.80
4. Melanie Margalis — 4:06.35
5. Ally McHugh — 4:07.08

800m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 8:10.70
2. Leah Smith — 8:16.33
3. Ashley Twichell — 8:25.43
4. Ally McHugh — 8:26.04
5. Erica Sullivan — 8:26.13

1500m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 15:45.59
2. Ashley Twichell — 15:54.19
3. Erica Sullivan — 15:55.25
4. Ally McHugh — 16:05.98
5. Kensey McMahon — 16:09.80

100m Backstroke
1. Regan Smith — 57.57
2. Olivia Smoliga — 58.73
3. Phoebe Bacon — 59.02
4. Kathleen Baker — 59.03
5. Katharine Berkoff — 59.29

200m Backstroke
1. Regan Smith — 2:03.35
2. Lisa Bratton — 2:07.91
3. Kathleen Baker — 2:08.08
4. Alex Walsh — 2:08.30
5. Hali Flickinger — 2:08.36

100m Breaststroke
1. Lilly King — 1:04.93
2. Annie Lazor — 1:06.03
3. Breeja Larson — 1:06.78
4. Kaitlyn Dobler — 1:06.97
5. Bethany Galat — 1:07.13

200m Breaststroke
1. Annie Lazor — 2:20.77
2. Lilly King — 2:21.39
3. Bethany Galat — 2:21.84
4. Emily Escobedo — 2:22.87
5. Madisyn Cox — 2:23.84

100m Butterfly
1. Kelsi Dahlia — 57.06
2. Katie McLaughlin — 57.23
3. Amanda Kendall — 57.51
3. Kendyl Stewart — 57.51
5. Aly Tetzloff — 57.70

200m Butterfly
1. Hali Flickinger — 2:05.96
2. Katie Drabot — 2:06.59
3. Regan Smith — 2:07.26
4. Lillie Nordmann — 2:07.43
5. Dakota Luther — 2:07.76

200m Individual Medley
1. Melanie Margalis — 2:08.91
2. Madisyn Cox — 2:10.00
3. Kathleen Baker — 2:10.65
4. Ella Eastin — 2:10.72
5. Alex Walsh — 2:11.24

400m Individual Medley
1. Emma Weyant — 4:35.47
2. Brooke Forde — 4:36.06
3. Ella Eastin — 4:37.18
4. Madisyn Cox — 4:37.23
5. Makayla Sargent — 4:37.95

Chloe Kim, Elana Meyers Taylor among Olympians to join presidential sports council

By OlympicTalkMar 24, 2023, 11:33 AM EDT

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Chloe Kim and Elana Meyers Taylor are among the Olympic and Paralympic medalists set to join the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition.

President Joe Biden intends to appoint the snowboarder Kim, bobsledder Meyers Taylor, retired Olympic medalists Chaunté Lowe (track and field) and Tamika Catchings (basketball) and Paralympic medalist Melissa Stockwell (triathlon) to the council, among other athletes and people in the health and fitness fields, it was announced Friday.

Stephen and Ayesha Curry are also on the list.

The council “aims to promote healthy, accessible eating and physical activity for all Americans, regardless of background or ability.”

Last year, Biden appointed basketball gold medalist Elena Delle Donne a co-chair of the council.

Kim, the two-time reigning Olympic halfpipe champion, sat out this past season but is expected to return to competition for a third Olympic run in 2026.

Meyers Taylor, the most decorated U.S. Olympic bobsledder in history with medals in all five of her Olympic events, sat out this past season due to pregnancy. She took her first bobsled run in 13 months this past week in Lake Placid, New York.

There is a long history of Olympians and Paralympians serving on the council, which was created in 1956.

In 2017, Barack Obama appointed medalists including gymnast Gabby Douglas, soccer player Carli Lloyd and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad.

Others to previously be on the council include sprinter Allyson Felix, figure skater Michelle Kwan and swimmer and triathlete Brad Snyder.

Members serve for two years and can be reappointed.

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Kaori Sakamoto wins figure skating worlds; top American places fourth

By OlympicTalkMar 24, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

Kaori Sakamoto overcame a late error in her free skate to become the first Japanese figure skater to win back-to-back world titles and the oldest women’s world champion since 2014.

Sakamoto, 22, totaled 224.61 points on home ice in Saitama to prevail by 3.67 over Lee Hae-In of South Korea in the closest women’s finish at worlds since 2011.

Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx took bronze, edging 16-year-old American Isabeau Levito for a medal by 2.77 points.

Sakamoto is the oldest women’s singles world champion since Mao Asada (2014), who is now the only Japanese skater with more world titles than Sakamoto.

She appeared en route to an easier victory until singling a planned triple flip late in her free skate, which put the gold in doubt. She can be thankful for pulling off the second jump of that planned combination — a triple toe loop — and her 5.62-point lead from Wednesday’s short program.

“I feel so pathetic and thought, what was all that hard work I put into my training?” Sakamoto said of her mistake, according to the International Skating Union (ISU). “But I was able to refocus and do my best till the end.

“Because I have this feeling of regret at the biggest event of the season, I want to make sure I don’t have this feeling next season. So I want to practice even harder, and I want to make sure to do clean, perfect performances at every competition.”

Lee, who had the top free skate, became the second South Korean to win a world medal in any discipline after six-time medalist Yuna Kim.

Hendrickx followed her silver from last year, when she became the first Belgian women’s singles skater to win a world medal.

FIGURE SKATING WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule

Levito, last year’s world junior champion, had a chance to become the youngest senior world medalist since 2014.

After a solid short program, she fell on her opening triple Lutz in the free skate and left points on the table by performing two jump combinations rather than three. The Lutz was planned to be the first half of a combination with a triple loop.

“I am severely disappointed because I’ve been nailing my Lutz-loop for a really long time, and this is the first time I’ve messed it up in a while, and of course it had to be when it actually counted,” Levito said, according to the ISU. “But I’m pretty happy with myself for just trying to move past it and focusing on making the most out of the rest of the program.”

Levito entered worlds ranked fourth in the field by best score this season. She matched the best finish for a U.S. woman in her senior global championships debut (Olympics and worlds) since Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan took silver and bronze at the 1991 Worlds. Sasha Cohen, to whom Levito is often compared, also placed fourth in her Olympic and world debuts in 2002.

“I feel very proud for myself and grateful for my coaching team for helping me get this far so far in my skating career, and I’m just very proud to be where I am,” Levito said on USA Network.

American Amber Glenn was 12th in her world debut. Two-time U.S. champion Bradie Tennell was 15th. They had been 10th and eighth, respectively, in the short program.

The U.S. qualified two women’s spots for next year’s worlds rather than the maximum three because the top two Americans’ results added up to more than 13 (Levito’s fourth plus Glenn’s 12th equaled 16). The U.S. was in position to qualify three spots after the short program.

Glenn said after the short program that she had a very difficult two weeks before worlds, including “out-of-nowhere accidents and coincidences that could have prevented me from being here,” and boot problems that affected her triple Axel. She attempted a triple Axel in the free skate, spinning out of an under-rotated, two-footed landing.

Tennell, who went 19 months between competitions due to foot and ankle injuries in 2021 and 2022, had several jumping errors in the free skate.

“This season has been like one thing after another,” said the 25-year-old Tennell, who plans to compete through the 2026 Winter Games. “I’m really excited to get back and work on some stuff for the new season.”

Earlier, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates topped the rhythm dance, starting their bid for a first world title in their 12th season together and after three prior world silver or bronze medals.

“We skated as best we possibly could today,” Bates said, according to the ISU, after they tallied the world’s top score this season.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White are the lone U.S. ice dancers to win a world title, doing so in 2011 and 2013.

Worlds continue Friday night (U.S. time) with the free dance, followed Saturday morning with the men’s free skate, live on Peacock and USA Network.

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