2024 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
While every event at this edition of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) has some gaps in talent, the women’s backstrokes, some of the deeper events in the world, seem to make out reasonably well. While the absence of Kaylee McKeown is obviously felt, the depth of this discipline makes the women’s backstroke must-see events.
While it is highly likely that the same name will appear atop each of our predictions (seeing as I am the one writing this, I can say that the same name will appear first) don’t let that fool you into writing these events off as being fait accompli, as each of the events have numerous Olympic medalist looking to add some more hardware to their collection.
Women’s 50 Back PREVIEW
With no returning medalists from the 2022 edition of the 50 Backstroke, we will see an entirely new podium. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t previous medalists, as both Kylie Masse and Louise Hansson collected hardware at the 2021 Worlds, which were held in Abu Dhabi. Of the two, Hansson, who claimed bronze in 2021, is seeded higher. Hansson, who, in addition to that bronze in the 50, claimed gold in the 100 back in Abu Dhabi, was unable to collect any medals in Melbourne in the backstrokes. In Abu Dhabi, Masse claimed silver in all three of the backstrokes, but faced stiffer competition in Melbourne and had to settle for bronze in the 200 backstroke.
Hansson raced this event at each of the World Cup stops earlier this fall, but Masse hasn’t competed since the Olympics. At the Incheon stop, Hansson recorded her fastest time of the year, a time of 26.62, but is entered with her 26.23 from last December’s European Championships. Throughout the three World Cup Stops, Hansson placed only as high as 5th. Masse, on the other hand, is seeded 20th but with an LCM time of 27.23 from a meet in Spain, but has a PB of 25.62. That said, however, each will be hard-pressed to make the podium as a bevy of new swimmers look poised to place amongst the top 4.
With no McKeown and the retirement of the WR holder, Maggie MacNeil, the 50 may seem devoid of talent, but Regan Smith‘s commitment to the meet has put a breath of fresh air in the event. Over the three stops of the World Cup, Smith swam 25.70, 25.71, and 25.48, the last of which was a new personal best. The 25.48 makes Smith the top entrant in the event, close to half a second clear of the rest of the field, but her biggest competition may come in the form of swimmers like Masse, who are entered with LCM times.
The 21st overall seed, Katharine Berkoff, is no stranger to short course meters as the American claimed bronze in the 100 back at the 2021 World Champs. More recently, the NC State product claimed bronze in the 100 back at the Olympics. With a PB of 25.88, Berkoff easily puts herself into contention with the other entrants with seed times under 26.00.
Foremost among them is Kira Toussaint. The Dutchwomen, who has a PB of 25.60, is the #2 seed as her gold medal performance at the 2023 European Championships (25.82) puts her squarely in the medal conversation. However, Toussaint was just 26.70 at the Dutch Qualifying meet and second to her compatriot Maaike de Waard, who was 26.50. de Waard is the last of the returning finalists from 2022, where she placed 8th in a time of 26.02. de Waard enters this year with an entry time of 26.30 but is in a tight group of other swimmers entered with times under 26.50. Italy’s Sara Curtis (26.14), France’s Analia Pigree (26.21), and Japan’s young phenom Mizuki Hirai (26.24), a Tennessee commit, all are seeded ahead of her.
Behind Toussaint in the rankings, but having accomplished a sub-26 time this calendar, are the young Australian Iona Anderson and the Canadian veteran Ingrid Wilm. The pair, both of whom made their Olympic debuts in Paris, recorded new personal bests of 25.95 and 25.98 in Singapore, the same pool where Smith recorded her PB. Wilm appeared at all three of the stops, placing third in Shanghai, 2nd in Incheon, and 3rd again in Singapore, with Anderson taking 2nd at the last of those stops. Anderson also got the better of Wilm in Paris, where the two finished 5th and 6th, respectively.
When making these picks, after Smith, with the 50 being all about speed, the upper hand seemed to lean towards those who have been on good form in 2024 as opposed to those with faster PBs but haven’t competed to their highest level recently. One should expect if, near their top levels, the Masse and Toussaint to be in the running for the medals, but it appears that with Smith’s large margin in entry times, there will be a tight bunch contesting for the silver and bronze.
SwimSwam’s Picks – Top 4
WOMEN’S 100 Back PREVIEW
- World Record: 54.27 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
- World Championship Record: 55.03 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2014)
- 2022 SC World Champion: Kaylee McKeown, AUS – 55.49
- Returning 2022 SC World Finalists: Ingrid Wilm (T-3rd), Louise Hansson (5th), Kylie Masse (6th), Kira Toussaint (7th)
- 2024 Olympic Finalists: Regan Smith (Silver), Katharine Berkoff (Bronze), Kylie Masse (4th), Iona Anderson (5th), Ingrid Wilm (6th), Beryl Gastaldello (8th)
It may have seemed like a bit of a slight to wait this long to talk about Smith’s accomplishments both this season and across her career, but in light of the recent events, it seemed best to hold off until the 100 section.
Smith, who swam her first SCM meet in close to seven years at the World Cup this past fall, placed first in Shanghai in a time of 54.89, and a week later in Incheon, she sliced another few tenths off to record a mark of 54.41. Her result in South Korea made Smith, who earlier in the year reclaimed the 100 LCM back record, the holder of the SCM record as well.
However, the American was not done as a week later, in Singapore, she casually dropped another few tenths to set a new World Record of 54.27.
Smith, who has never competed at Short Course Worlds, has put herself atop the field by a wide margin, with over a second and a half separating her from the next fastest entry. However, like in the 50s, there is some dangerous competition entered with LCM times.
Like in the 50, Berkoff and Masse are entered with LCM times, 57.83 for the American and 57.94 for the Canadian. Berkoff’s time comes from her semifinal swim at the U.S. Olympic Trials, a swim that eventually led to her claiming the individual bronze medal at the Olympics. Berkoff is the defending NCAA Champion in the 100 back and, as previously mentioned, won the bronze medal at the 2021 edition of this meet behind Hansson and Masse.
Masse, who is perhaps better at the 200 than at the 50, is not entered in the 200, so her best chances to medal individually may be in this event. She claimed silver in 2016 in her home country and then again in Abu Dhabi but was shut out of the medals last go around. She certainly has the pedigree and recent form to medal,having placed 4th in Paris, but, like in the 50, Anderson, Toussaint, and Wilm pose serious threats and have more short-course racing this season.
Hansson is an interesting case. The Swede swam the 100 back in Incheon and Singapore but scratched the finals in the latter and was just 5th in the final in a time of 57.21. A former champion in the event, Hansson could, like Masse, be amongst the medalists but could be boxed out as well by those who have been more on form.
Also throwing their hat in the ring is Olympic finalist Beryl Gastaldello. Gastaldello, who placed 8th in Paris, is riding a wave of momentum, having recently set a new French national record of 56.07 in early November.
Smith claimed top honors across all three World Cup stops. Like the 50 backstroke, Wilm had strong showings in the 100, taking 2nd in Incheon and 3rd in the first and third stops. Anderson appeared only at the last stop and put up a strong showing, taking 4th, just .05 behind Wilm. However, the young Australian did record a time of 55.79 at the Australian Short Course Championships in September of this year, a result that makes her the #2 seed and one of just three with SCM entry times under 56.00.
The only other entrant under 56.00 is Toussaint, who swept the shorter backstroke events at last December’s European Championships, taking the gold in 55.88. More recently, at one of the Dutch Qualification meets, Toussaint took second in a time of 57.57 behind compatriot de Waard’s 57.15.
SwimSwam’s Picks – Top 4
Women’s 200 Back PREVIEW
It would be quite an affront to write IBID and just move on to the predictions but when looking at the talent entered in the 200 backstroke, its a very similar tale to the other backstroke events.
Regan Smith enters as the top seed, like in the 50 and 100 back. Like in the 100 back, the American is the recently minted World record holder. The second American entrant is also entered with a LCM time that looks fast enough to be a SCM time, as is the case in the shorter distances. The similarities do not end there, however, as the Australian’s hope for a backstroke medal rests in the young Iona Anderson, and likely to compete with the Aussie are a pair of dangerously low-seeded Canadians.
Yet there are subtle differences, namely in who the American and Canadian entrants are and that there is much greater overlap in the 50 and 100 vs the 100 and 200 so the 200 will see a bevy of new faces.
But we start again with Smith and her WR-setting performance in Singapore. A former WR-holder in the long course version, Smith started off the World Cup Series with a 2:00.42 in Shanghai, and a week later, she dipped under the 2:oo mark for the first time. However, the American was not done and set her 2nd WR in as many days as she eclipsed the previous time of 1:58.94 by .11, setting a new benchmark of 1:58.83.
With no other entered swimmers holding a personal best of under 2:00, this race is Smith’s to lose, but the event comes on the last day of the meet, and several swimmers will be jumping at the chance to capitalize on any tiredness that Smith may feel.
Like Smith in looking to claim a medal at her first SC Worlds, Phoebe Bacon is the second American in the field. Bacon, a two-time Olympic finalist in this event, will be hoping that the short course version of this event yields better results than her 5th place finish in Tokyo and her 4th place from Paris.
Entered with a time of 2:05.61 (LCM), the fifth-year at Wisconsin doesn’t appear to have any short course meters racing under her belt, but as a two-time NCAA champion in the event, Bacon has the pedigree to earn another international medal to add to her silver from the 2022 Worlds (long-course), a meet that was coincidentally held in the same pool. Bacon has been 1:49.66 this collegiate season, which is just a little over a second off her 2024 NCAA winning time and converts to a 2:01.72, a time that would put her third amongst those seeded with SCM times.
As was the case in the 50 and 100, a pair of Canadians will look to put up a strong fight for the medals, yet the 200 sees two new faces to the field: Summer McIntosh and Regan Rathwell. The pair, like Masse, are entered in the meet with LCM times, so they appear far down the list of entrants. McIntosh, who had the meet of her life in Paris, where she collected three individual gold medals, would like Smith to tackle a busy schedule, with the pair squaring off against one another in 200 fly as well.
While Canada competes in meters, McIntosh has done much of her training in the United States, so her best SCM time of 2:11.22 dates back to 2019. McIntosh’s entry time of 2:06.81 was performed at the 2023 US Open (LCM), where coincidentally, she lost to Regan Smith but beat Bacon, so she could easily find herself on the podium. That being said, the 200 back had a lot of backstrokers only and with a busy schedule, the Canadian may find herself on the outs just as easily.
So, too, could her fellow Canadian Regan Rathwell. Rathwell made her Olympic debut in Paris, finishing in 22nd place with a time of 2:12.21, but is entered with her PB of 2:09.38 from the Canadian Olympic Trials. Rathwell, who swims for the University of Tennessee, has a PB of 2:04.17 but like McIntosh, has not raced the 2oo back in SCM since 2021.
On the other end of the spectrum of short course meters racing is Anastasiya Shkurdai. The Belorussian, who will be competing as a Neutral Athlete, raced all three legs of the World Cup Series and claimed the silver behind Smith at all three stops, with her best time (2:01.31) coming from the first stop. Shkurdai placed 8th in this event at the Olympics this past summer, behind Bacon, but with her recent good form and a PB of 2:00.15, she looks poised to repeat, finishing just behind Smith.
While three Olympic finalists will contest the event, only one of the finalists from Melbourne will make the trip to Budapest. Frenchwomen Pauline Mahieu will look to book her second consecutive trip to the championships final. Mahieu finished 7th in 2022, recording a time of 2:03.21.
More recently, however, she swam a new PB of 2:02.85 to claim gold at the past December’s French Championships, a meet where she also placed 2nd in both the 50 and 100 back.
One spot ahead of Mahieu and the only other swimmer not yet mentioned with an entry time under 2:04 is Iona Anderson. Anderson, who, as previously mentioned, only competed at the last of the World Cup stops, placed 3rd in a time of 2:01.98, a mark that was just shy of her PB of 2:01.80 from the Australian Short Course Championships, held in September of this year.
While a long shot to make the podium, Australia’s 2nd entrant, Bella Grant, is looking to make an impact at her first senior international meet after having previously medaled at Junior Worlds. Grant is the 5th seed, but with the number of entrants below her with LCM times, it’ll be a fight to make the finals.
SwimSwam’s Picks – Top 4
