Breaststroke Breakthroughs? Where U.S. Team Has Openings Entering Nationals
The United States has never lost a women’s medley relay when Lilly King has handled the breaststroke leg, with two Olympic gold medals and four world titles to show for it. Three of those wins came in world-record time, including at last year’s Paris Olympics. But that run is coming to an end with King announcing her retirement following this summer’s major competitions.
Meanwhile, Nic Fink has become entrenched as the breaststroker on the U.S. men’s medley relay as well as the mixed version, with his contributions vital in a world-record-setting mixed relay in Paris. But Fink has not competed since those Games, and although he has made no formal announcement, it would be no surprise if his elite career is over. Fink and wife Melanie Margalis Fink welcomed their first child late last year.
In short, the United States has holes in breaststroke events entering the National Championships in Indianapolis. The one exception is the women’s 200-meter event, where Kate Douglass is the Olympic gold medalist and a near-lock for a medal at this summer’s World Championships, with world-record holder Evgeniia Chikunova her only real threat. Her Virginia teammate Alex Walsh is poised to step into the No. 2 spot that King is vacating and become a real medal contender. Beyond that, questions abound.
In the 100 breast, Tokyo Olympic champion Lydia Jacoby is skipping the meet after narrowly missing the Paris team. Emma Weber, another Virginia product, was the swimmer to earn the second spot behind King a year ago, but she did not advance out of prelims in Paris. Weber, Walsh and Douglass have all clocked 1:06s in their career while McKenzie Siroky and Skyler Smith hold 1:07 entry times prior to the meet. Even if King remains No. 1 this year, seeing another swimmer enter 1:05-territory would be a good sign for the future prospects of the medley relay.
