The 2023 TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale stop continued on Thursday with the Day 2 finals.
The meet is loaded with U.S. Olympians and national team members as well as several international stars.
On tap for the evening is the 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 50 backstroke, 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle.
Here is a look at the events:
100 Freestyle
Abbey Weitzeil led from start to finish in the stacked women’s 100 free.
She was a body length ahead at the turn, in 25.33 and soared to the wall in 53.38, more than a half second ahead of the field.
Katie Ledecky finished second in 54.01, using a late burst to pull ahead of Olivia Smoliga and Erika Brown.
Brown finished third in 54.39, making the most of her spot after taking ninth in the prelims and having a competitor scratch.
Smoliga started strong and put together a solid race to finish fourth in 54.49, holding off Canada sensation Summer McIntosh (54.54).
It is the first race of a double for Ledecky, Smoliga and McIntosh.
100 Breaststroke
Lilly King held off a pair of Great Britain swimmers to get to the wall first in the 100 breaststroke. She closed in 35.20 to finish in 1:06.28.
“I didn’t think it was too bad for being March and long course season. It didn’t hurt too bad, which is a good sign,” King said. “I really have no expectations this week. I just want to throw down some times and see where I am at.”
Great Britain’s Kara Hanlon took second in 1:06.93, hanging with King until the final meters.
Imogen Clark finished third in 1:07.85, followed by Canada’s Sophie Angus (1:08.08), Rachel Bernhardt (1:08.20), Annie Lazor (1:08.37), Macarena Ceballos (1:08.61) and Tara Vovk (1:08.86).
50 Backstroke
Regan Smith had the fastest reaction time (0.58) and was quickest to the wall in the 50 backstroke. She finished in 27.55.
Great Britain’s Lauren Cox was second in 27.91, followed by Medi Harris (38.03) and Olivia Smoliga (28.44), completing her double.
200 Butterfly
Canada teen sensation Summer McIntosh put together a dominating race in the 200 butterfly, breaking the World Junior record and U.S. Open record.
McIntosh, swimming for the Sarasota Sharks, finished in 2:05.05.
She split 27.76, 32.49, 31.69 and 33.11 to close over a second faster than the field.
Sandpipers’ Bella Sims was second in 2:09.89.
400 Freestyle
Sandpipers Katie Grimes held off Siobhan Haughey in a closely contested 400 free final.
Grimes touched the wall in 4:05.18 with a closing split of 29.17, the lone swimmer to break 30 seconds in the final split.
Haughey finished just behind in 4:05.84, ahead of Claire Weinstein (4:06.24), Leah Smith (4:06.43), Ella Jansen (4:07.18) and Regan Smith (4:11.53).
“I love outdoor pools and it is such a beautiful pool here. When you finish and can take a deep breath of fresh air, that is the best,” Grimes said. “It was a good race. It was nice to just have the 400 free and focus on that. We finally have a strategy down and now we are trying to perfect. That was a stacked heat. It was nice to know it was going to be a race.”
