Dressel, Ledecky Make History With Gold Medals, World Record At Tokyo Olympics

By Sharon Robb
TOKYO, Japan, July 30, 2021–Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky more than lived up to expectations Friday at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.

Dressel, 24, broke his own world record in the 100-meter butterfly in 49.45. His previous record was 49.50.

Dressel led with the quickest start (.60 off the blocks) and after the turn (23.00 split) and held off Hungary’s Kristof Milak’s late charge, who was second in a European record 49.68, also a lifetime best.

It was the first world record in an individual event by a male. Dressel is five-for-five in gold medals in two Olympics including two individual and one relay in Tokyo.

It was a busy day for the Clay High School, Bolles Swim Club and University of Florida alum who had a challenging triple in a span of 73 minutes. His semifinal 50-meter freestyle was 46 minutes after the 100 fly final. He then swam anchor on the mixed 400-meter medley relay 27 minutes after the 50 free and butterfly gold medal ceremony.

No American woman has won more gold medals than Katie Ledecky, 24, who won her sixth gold medal in her final event of the Games in the 800-meter freestyle. She won her third consecutive 800 Olympic gold in 8:12.57.

In the final 200 meters, she pulled away from Aussie rival Ariarne Titus who took silver in an Oceanic record 8:13.83. Fifteen-year-old U.S. teammate Katie Grimes was fourth in 8:19.38 and thanked Ledecky for pulling her along. “You’re welcome,” smiled Ledecky leaning on a lane line.

“It’s awesome, I just wanted to finish on a really good note,” Ledecky said. “I’m really happy. I want to try and soak it all in. I’m still in a lot of pain.

“That was not my last swim. I’m going to be around at least until 2024 (Paris Olympics) and maybe 2028 (Los Angeles Olympics). I don’t take anything for granted.”

Local swimmers results:

Coral Springs Swim Club’s Bruno Fratus of Brazil won the eighth heat of the 50-meter freestyle in 21.67. In the first semifinal he was second in 21.60, the 90th time he has broken 22 seconds, more than any other swimmer in history. He will swim in Lane 3 in the final next to Dressel.

Plantation American Heritage alum Dylan Carter of Trinidad & Tobago, second in his 50-meter freestyle heat in 22.46.

Westlake Prep alum Renzo Tjon-A-Joe of Suriname, fifth in his 50-meter freestyle heat in 22.56.

Azura’s Samantha Roberts of Antigua was sixth in her 50-meter freestyle heat in 27.63.

PAQ’s Cherelle Thompson of Trinidad & Tobago was eighth in her 50-meter freestyle heat in 26.19.

Azura’s Marcelo Acosta of El Salvador was second in his 1500-meter freestyle in 15:27.37.

In other championship medal finals:

Women’s 200-meter backstroke:
The Aussies continue to have a great showing, this time finishing one-three in the event. Kaylee McKeown came on in the last 20 meters to sweep the backstroke events in 2:04.68. She went 31 seconds on the back end. Early leader Kylie Masse of Canada was second in 2:05.42 and Aussie teammate Emily Seebohm was third in 2:06.17. Americans Rhyan White (2:06.39) and Phoebe Bacon (2:06.40) were out of the medal hunt in fourth and fifth.

Mixed 4×100-meter medley relay: The event made its Olympic debut with the U.S. getting shut out of medals. Great Britain, with Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty (56.78 split), James Guy and Anna Hopkin won with a world record 3:37.58. China was second in 3:38.86 and Australia third in 3:38.95. The U.S. relay of Ryan Murphy (52.23 split), Lydia Jacoby (1:05.09), who lost her goggles on the start and swam with them on her face, Torri Huske (56.27) and Caeleb Dressel (46.99), who was eight seconds behind the leaders when he hit the water, was fifth in 3:40.58.

FRIDAY RESULTS
WOMEN
200-meter backstroke: 1. Kaylee McKeown, AUS 2:04.68, 2. Kylie Masse, CAN 2:05.42, 3. Emily Seebohm, AUS 2:06.17.

800-meter freestyle: 1. Katie Ledecky, US 8:12.57, 2. Ariarne Titmus, AUS 8:13.83, OC, 3. Simona Quadarella, ITA 8:18.35.

MEN
100-meter butterfly: 1. Caeleb Dressel, US 49.45, WR, 2. Kristof Milak, HUN 49.68, ER, 3. Noe Ponti, SUI 50.74.

Mixed 4×100-meter medley relay: 1. Great Britain 3:37.58, WR, 2. China 3:38.86, 3. Australia 3:38.95.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Izzy Wilson Top SOFLO Finisher On Day Four Of Southern Zones Age Group Championships

By Sharon Robb
TUPELO, Miss., July 30, 2021—Izzy Wilson was South Florida Aquatic Club’s top finisher Friday at the USA Swimming Southern Zones Age Group Championships.

Wilson, 14, was ninth in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:39.04. She has the 200-meter butterfly remaining.

Gabriella DeLuna, 14, was 24th in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:11.47 and 22nd in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:22.86.

DeLuna also had the second fastest split (30.45) on FGC’s sixth place 200-meter medley relay that finished in 2:05.89. She has the 200 IM left to swim.

Nicholas Pelaez, 14, was 22 in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:37.80. He has the 200 butterfly remaining.

Abbie Sargent of the Florida Keys Swim Club was top FGC finisher placing fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke in a best time 1:16.95, with a time drop of 1.67.

North Carolina Swimming leads the combined (816), boys (390.5) and girls team (375.5) standings and all but clinched the meet.

Florida Gold Coast is eighth in the 13-team combined field with 67 points. The boys’ team is 12th with 11 points and girls’ team seventh with 56 points.

FGC’s 11-12 girls team: Alera Hurwitz, St. Andrew’s; Natalie Dufflocq, North Palm Beach; Maria Perez, Midtown Weston; and Emma Han, Wahoos of Wellington. There is no boys’ 11-12 team.

FGC’s 13-14 girls’ team: Izzy Wilson, SOFLO; Gabriella DeLuna, SOFLO; Reese Andres, St. Andrew’s; Samantha Schoenborn, St. Andrew’s; Sidney Anton, Pine Crest; Reese Rosenthal, Gulliver Swim Club; Abbie Sargent, Florida Keys Swim Club; and Sara Miller, St. Andrew’s.

FGC’s 13-14 boys’ team: Nicholas Pelaez, SOFLO; Dylan Ferguson, Metro Aquatics; Nahuel Balade, Ransom Everglades; Lucas Franchak, Hurricanes; and Andy Serrano-Pena of Ransom Everglades.

The five-day meet concludes Satuday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 816, 2. Florida Swimming 737.5, 3. Team Georgia 543.5, 4. South Carolina 436.5, 5. South Texas 350, 8. Florida Gold Coast 67.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 390.5, 2. Florida Swimming 338.5, 3. Team Georgia 272.5, 4. South Texas 209, 5. South Carolina 145, 12. Florida Gold Coast 11.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 375.5, 2. Florida Swimming 363, 3. South Carolina 269.5, 4. Team Georgia 243, 5. Southeastern Swimming 153, 7. Florida Gold Coast 56.

GIRLS
100-meter backstroke: 11-12, 1. Shayna Elgart, NCS 1:07.63; 13-14, 1. Taylor Schwenk, FL 1:06.30; 15-18, 1. Danka Ndubuisi, SC 1:06.09.

100-meter breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Peyton Williams, SES 1:18.71; 13-14, 1. Savannah Branon, FL 1:13.56; FGC: 4. Abbie Sargent 1:16.95, time drop 1.67, 8. Reese Rosenthal 1:18.59.

400-meter freestyle: 13-14, 1. Carly Mauldin, STX 4:26.95; 15-18, 1. Brynn Stoneburg, FL 4:31.28; FGC: 9. Izzy Wilson 4:39.04.

200-meter medley relay: 11-12, 1. North Carolina Swimming 2:06.12, 6. Florida Gold Coast 2:12.75 (Maria Perez, Emma Han, Alera Hurwitz, Natalie Dufflocq); 13-14, 1. Florida Swimming 2:00.90, 6. Florida Gold COast 2:05.89 (Sam Schoenborn, Abbie Sargent, Gabriella DeLuna, Sidney Anton); 15-18, 1. North Carolina Swimming 2:03.26.

BOYS
100-meter backstroke: 11-12, 1. Owen Ekk, FL 1:03.03; 13-14, 1. Granger Bartee, NCS 58.75; 15-18, 1. Randy Keener, WV 58.95.

100-meter breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Junxi Wang, NTX 1:12.88; 13-14, 1. Coleman Kimmel, SES 1:07.67; 15-18, 1. Darden Tate, SC 1:06.57.

400-meter freestyle: 13-14, 1. Oliver Rowe, STX 4:05.18; 15-18, 1. Simon Casey, GA 4:09.79.

200-meter medley relay: 11-12, 1. North Carolina 1:58.75; 13-14, 1. South Texas 1:50.64, 7. Florida Gold Coast 1:57.90 (Andy Serrano-Pena, Lucas Franchak, Dylan Ferguson, Nahuel Balade); 15-18, 1. South Carolina 1:49.07.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Molly Golding Top FGC Girls’ Finisher; Dynamo Leads On Day Three Of USA Swimming Futures Championships

By Sharon Robb
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., July 30, 2021—Molly Golding of South Florida Aquatic Club was the top girls Florida Gold Coast finisher on Day Three of the USA Swimming Futures Championships Friday at Huntsville Aquatics Center.

The University of Florida-bound swimmer was 16th in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:41.56. She went a best time in prelims in 2:40.25, dropping 0.46 seconds.

Atlanta-based Dynamo Swim Club continues to lead the combined with 804, the men’s with 392 and women’s with 412 and has all but clinched a sweep of the three titles headed into the final day of competition.

An estimated 1,000 swimmers are competing. The Aquatic Center has two Olympic-size pools with 1,400 seats.

The meet concludes Saturday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.

FRIDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo 804, 2. TAC Titans 648.5, 3. Club Wolverine 390.5, 4. Bolles 248, 5. Blue Dolfins 210, 6. Chattahoochee Gold 179, 7. Y-Spartaquatics 174, 8. Nashville 160, 9. Lakeside 152, 10. Sarasota Tsunami 117.5.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo 392, 2. TAC Titans 307, 3. Bolles 242, 4. Club Wolverine 103, 5. Lakeside 89.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo 412, 2. TAC Titans 341.5, 3. Club Wolverine 287.5, 4. Blue Dolfins 186, 5. Y-Spartaquatics 171.

GIRLS
400-meter freestyle: 1. Hannah Bellard, CW 4:12.61, 2. Charlotte Hook, TAC 4:18.66, 3. Micayle Cronk, BD 4:18.87.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Gretchen Walsh, NAC 59.00, 2. Hannah Bellard, CW 1:00.30, 3. Avery Bargeron, DYN 1:00.43.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Alicia Henry, DYN 2:32.21, 2. Ainsley Jones, DYN 2:32.43, 3. Hanna Schmidt, TS 2:32.44; FGC: 16. Molly Golding 2:41.56, time 0.46 (2:40.25 prelims time).

400-meter freestyle relay: 1. Club Wolverine 3:48.64, 2. TAC Titans 3:50.28, 3. Dynamo 3:50.82.

BOYS
400-meter freestyle: 1. Nicholas Caruso, GSC 3:54.56, 2. Lance Norris, TAC 3:55.43, 3. Zachary Kohm, Unattached 3:57.15; FGC: 29. Hector Paz 4:09.12, time drop 26.70.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Owen McDonald, DYN 54.55, 2. David Gapinski, LA 54.82, 3. Bradfoed Johnson, HSA 55.01; FGC: 14. Zerek Wilson 56.54, 22. Dylan Smiley 56.61, time drop 0.92.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. William Hack, BSS 2:16.46, 2. Harrison Herrera, BSS 2:17.08, 3. Will Scholtz, LAK 2:18.60; FGC: Giulian Martin, CANE 2:22.39, 21. Jacques Sonnier, BRST 2:24.68, 31. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 2:25.85.

400-meter freestyle relay: 1. TAC Titans 3:26.42, 2. Dynamo 3:27.39, 3. Bolles 3:28.53.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Leads Combined After Day One Of FGC Senior Championships

By Sharon Robb
CORAL SPRINGS, July 30, 2021—Defending champion South Florida Aquatic Club took the early lead after opening day of the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships Friday at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

In what promises to be a close competition, SOFLO leads the combined team standings with 648 points followed by St. Andrew’s Aquatics with 567 and Jupiter Dragons with 483 points.

St. Andrew’s Aquatics leads the men’s competition with 428 followed by SOFLO with 388 and Swim Fort Lauderdale with 342 points.

Jupiter Dragons leads the girls field with 314 points followed by Gulliver with 302. SOFLO is fourth with 260.

After a challenging 16 months of COVID-19 protocols, empty pools and restrictions, parity has returned to Florida Gold Coast swimming.

Four different girls teams and four different boys teams won senior titles on the first of three days of competition.

Pine Crest had two individual champions with Paige Maceachern in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:19.47 and Riley Botting in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:29.40.

St. Andrew’s dominated the boys competition with individual champion Reese Branzell in the 100-meter freestyle in 50.92. St. Andrew’s swept the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter medley relays.

SOFLO’s Top 10 finishers were:

Sebastian Lares, 200-meter backstroke, fifth 2:12.82, time drop 6.37.

Alex Golding, 200-meter backstroke, sixth 2:13.09, time drop 1.44.

Gaby Banks, 100-meter freestyle, sixth 1:00.31.

Michelle Marinheiro, 200-meter butterfly, seventh 2:31.76, time drop 4:57.22.

Nat Gembicki, 400-meter freestyle, seventh 4:38.37, time drop 13.18.

Javier Roman, 200-meter butterfly, seventh 2:11.95, time drop 1.77.

Ivan Grass, 400-meter freestyle, seventh 4:18.37.

Rafael Rodriguez, 100-meter freestyle, ninth 53.68, time drop 3.19.

Enrique Rodriguez, 200-meter butterfly, tenth 2:11.99, time drop 0.57.

SOFLO’s women’s relays finished fourth in the 200-meter medley relay and fifth in the 200-meter freestyle relay. The men’s relays finished fourth in the 200 medley and fifth in the 200 freestyle.

In March, SOFLO won its seventh title in at its home pool. SOFLO swept the combined (2,007 points), women (1,013.50) and men (993.50) team titles.

The meet continues on Saturday. Prelims are 8:30 a.m. and finals 5 p.m. each day. On Sunday, the men’s and women’s 1500 freestyle distance finals are 11:25 a.m. with the remaining finals at 5 p.m.

For the three-day long course meet in the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions, 41 SOFLO swimmers, ages 15-and-over, (26 men and 15 women) have qualified for 174 individual and eight relay events.

Everyone is encouraged to wear face coverings or face masks while at the facility. Hand sanitation stations are available throughout the facility.

FRIDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 648.5, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 567, 3. Jupiter Dragons 483, 4. Pine Crest 437, 5. Gulliver 373, 6. Swim Fort Lauderdale 370, 7. Midtown Weston 349, 8. TS Aquatics 283, 9. Coral Springs Swim Club 245, 10. Metro Aquatics 228.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 428, 2. SOFLO 388, 3. Swim Fort Lauderdale 342, 4. Jupiter Dragons 169, 5. Metro Aquatics 166, 6. Eagle Aquatics 162, 7. TS Aquatics 144, 8. Pine Crest Swimming 142, 9. Pompano Beach Piranhas 106, 10. Coral Springs Swim Club 99.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Jupiter Dragons 314, 2. Gulliver 302, 3. Pine Crest Swimming 295, 4. SOFLO 260.5, 5. Midtown Weston 255, 6. Coral Springs Swim Club 146, 7. tie, TS Aquatics, St. Andrew’s 139, 9. Golden Panther Aquatics 127, 10. Sunrise Swimming 110.

WOMEN
200-meter backstroke: 1. Solana Capalbo, AZFL 2:23.86, 2. Riley Macvane, NPB 2:27.41, 3. Sophia Perez, GRSC 2:27.83; SOFLO: 12. Sally Golding 2:33.07, 20. Sara Quintero 2:34.70, 21. Mariann Catalasan 2:35.09, time drop 3.64.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Heidi Smithwick, JUP 57.41, 2. Eriana Temperino, GPA 58.49, 3. Nicole Aguilar, WOW 59.24; SOFLO: 6. Gaby Banks 1:00.31, 26. Nat Gembicki 1:00.91, time drop 0.13.

200-meter butterfly: 1. Paige Maceachern, PC 2:19.47, 2. Julian Atkinson, MTSC 2:19.80, 3. Heidi Smithwick, JUP 2:21.27; SOFLO: 7. Michelle Marinheiro 2:31.76, time drop 4.57, 22. Jennamarie Brames 2:40.34.

400-meter freestyle: 1. Riley Botting, PC 4:29.40, 2. Faith Mutschler, WOW 4:33.10, 3. Helvina Huet, GPA 4:33.56; SOFLO: 7. Nat Gembicki 4:38.37, time drop 13.18, 12. Michelle Marinheiro 4:42.78, time drop 1.08, 13. Mariangela Cincotti 4:43.20, 18. Jennamarie Brames 4:46.00, time drop 5.81.

200-meter freestyle relay: 1. Jupiter 1:47.16, 2. Pine Crest 1:51.09, 3. Midtown Weston 1:51.15, 5. SOFLO 1:53.47 (Nat Gembicki, Mariangela Cincotti, Sally Golding, Gaby Banks), 21. SOFLO B 2:05.49 (Jennamarie Brames, Sabrina Osorio, Sofia Osorio, Jena Legaspi).

200-meter medley relay: 1. Midtown Weston 2:01.78, 2. Jupiter 2:01.98, 3. Pine Crest 2:02.84, 4. SOFLO A 2:06.41 (Jena Legaspi, Michelle Fernandez, Michelle Marinheiro, Gaby Banks), 17. SOFLO B 2:13.93 (Jennamarie Brames, Sabrina Osorio, Mariangela Cincotti, Nat Gembicki).

MEN
200-meter backstroke: 1. Joshua Zuchowski, FAST 2:01.62, 2. Lance Lesage, PC 2:11.35, 3. Jack Faulkner, SFTL 2:11.87; SOFLO: 5. Sebastian Lares 2:12.82, time drop 6.37, 6. Alex Golding 2:13.09, time drop 1.44.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Reese Branzell, SAS 50.92, 2. Kaii Winkler, EA 51.51, 3. Jorge Depassier, AZFL 51.94; SOFLO: 9. Rafael Rodriguez 53.68, time drop 3.19

200-meter butterfly: 1. Gabriel Araya, AZFL 2:03.6, 2. Dario Martin, OSC 2:04.49, 3. Caleb Petranchuk, JUP 2:07.98; SOFLO: 7. Javier Roman 2:11.95, time drop 1.77, 10. Enrique Rodriguez 2:11.99, time drop 0.57, 15. Alejandro Mateus 2:17.61, 17. Adrian Hernandez 2:15.15, 23. Brennan Binder 2:17.89, time drop 3.80, 24. Christian Tijero 2:20.04, time drop 6.03.

400-meter freestyle:1. Dylan Felt, SFTL 4:04.02, 2. Kaii Winkler, EA 4:07.40, 3. Dylan Brisco, SAS 4:07.54; SOFLO: 7. Ivan Grass 4:18.37, 15. Christian Tijero 4:26.12, time drop 12.81, 22. Nathaniel Garrick 4:28.08, time drop 6.95, 30. Zachary Harris 4:34.64.

200-meter freestyle relay: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics A 1:32.48, 2. Eagle Aquatics 1:37.54, 3. St. Andrew’s B 1:38.55, 5. SOFLO A 1:40.31 (Alex Golding, Brennan Binder, Sebastian Lares, Rafael Rodriguez), 12. SOFLO B 1:42.55 (Philo Ibrahim, Zackary Harris, Adrian Hernandez, Aldo Zepeda).

200-meter medley relay: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics A 1:44.47, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics B 1:47.51, 3. Pine Crest 1:50.96, 4. SOFLO A 1:51.33 (Sebastian Lares, Javier Roman, Rafael Rodriguez, Alex Golding), 12. SOFLO B 1:55.10 (Alejandro Mateus, Manuel Melendez, Enrique Rodriguez, Brennan Binder).

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

South African Tatjana Schoenmaker Breaks First Individual Swimming World Record At Olympics

By Sharon Robb
TOKYO, Japan, July 29, 2021–An emotionally-charged Tatjana Schoenmaker broke the first individual world record in swimming Thursday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

The 24-year-old South African set a blistering pace in the final 50 meters of the 200-meter breaststroke to win in a world record time of 2:18.95. The previous world record of 2:19.11 was held by Rikke Moller of Denmark since 2013.

It was the first gold medal won by a South African woman since 1996 and first gold of the Olympics for any South African athlete. Schoenmaker also won silver in the 100-meter breaststroke.

American training partners and good friends Lily King and Annie Lazer finished second and third. King took silver in a breakthrough swim of 2:19.92 and Lazor the bronze in 2:20.84.

“I wouldn’t have done that if she wasn’t next to me,” King said of Lazor. “This is what we were working for.”

King led until the 150-meter turn when Schoenmaker turned on the after jets to touch the wall first.

“My love for swimming makes me want to get up every morning and go to training,” Schoenmaker said. “It’s like my second home. Being fortunate enough to travel the world doing what I love, seeing new places and meeting new people and sports heroes, motivates me a lot. The most important thing every young swimmer should realize is that nothing is impossible. They only need to believe and be prepared to put in the long and hard hours.”

Local swimmers results:

Plantation American Heritage alum Dylan Carter of Trinidad & Tobago was second in his 100 butterfly heat in 52.36.

Azura’s Abbas Qali of Kuwait, fourth in his 100 butterfly heat in 53.62.

Azura’s Steven Aimable, fifth in his 100 butterfly heat in 53.64.

Azura’s Davidson Vincent of Haiti finished tied for seventh in his 100 butterfly in 54.81.

Qali, Aimable and Vincent all swam in the same heat.

Azura’s Celina Marquez of El Salvador was second in her 200 backstroke heat in 2:14.72.

In other championship medal finals:

Men’s 200-meter backstroke: Russian Evgeny Rylov became the seventh man to win both backstroke events in a single Olympics. He won in an Olympic record 1:53.27. Defending gold medalist and Bolles alum Ryan Murphy took silver in 1:54.15. Luke Greenbank of Great Britain took third in 1:54.72. The U.S. men had won seven consecutive gold medals in the event. “I put myself in a lot of pain,” Murphy said. “I just ran into a very good guy from Russia.”

Women’s 100-meter freestyle: The Aussies took first and third in the event. Emma McKeon, 27, won her first individual gold medal in an Olympic record 51.96 and teammate Cate Campbell was third in 52.52. Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong took the silver in 52.27.

Men’s 200-meter individual medley: Underdog Shun Wang, 27, of China won the gold in an Asian record 1:55.00. Favorite Duncan Scott of Great Britain took silver in 1:55.28 and Jeremy Desplanches of Switzerland won the bronze in 1:56.17. American Michael Andrew, the early leader, faltered in the last 50 and finished a disappointing fifth in 1:57.31.

THURSDAY RESULTS
WOMEN
200-meter breaststroke: 1. Tatjana Schoenmaker, RSA 2:18.95, WR, OR 2. Lilly King, US 2:19.92, 3. Annie Lazor, US 2:20.84.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Emma McKeon, AUS 51.96, OR, 2. Siobhan Haughey, HKG 52.27, AS, 3. Cate Campbell, AUS 52.52.

MEN
200-meter backstroke: 1. Evgeny Rylov, ROC 1:53.27, OR, 2. Ryan Murphy, US 1:54.15, 3. Luke Greenbank, GB 1:54.72.

200-meter individual medley: 1. Shun Wang, CHN 1:55.00, 2. Duncan Scott, GBR 1:55.28, 3. Jeremy Desplanches, SUI 1:56.17.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Gabriella DeLuna Top FGC Finisher At Southern Zones Age Group Championships

By Sharon Robb
TUPELO, Miss., July 29, 2021—Gabriella DeLuna was top Florida Gold Coast finisher Thursday at the USA Swimming Southern Zones Age Group Championships at Tupelo Aquatic Center.

DeLuna, 14, was fifth in the 400-meter individual medley in 5:17.01. She qualified fifth in prelims in 5:16.78.

DeLuna was also 14th in the 200-meter backstroke prelims in 2:29.34. She was also a member of the seventh place 400-meter freestyle relay. DeLuna has the 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 200 IM left to swim.

SOFLO teammate Izzy Wilson, 14, was 21st in the 200-meter backstroke in a best time 2:32.76, a time drop 0.21. She has the 400 freestyle and 200 butterfly remaining.

Nicholas Pelaez, 14, was 40th in the 100 freestyle in a best time of 1:00.13, dropping 0.79. He was also 23rd in the 400 IM in a best time of 5:18.74, a time drop 1.31. He has the 400 freestyle and 200 butterfly remaining.

North Carolina leads the combined, boys and girls team standings. Florida Gold Coast, coached by Jennifer Gibson of Swim Fort Lauderdale and Rodrigo Mendes of Midtown Weston, is eighth in combined, 12th among boys and seventh among girls teams.

FGC’s 11-12 girls team: Alera Hurwitz, St. Andrew’s; Natalie Dufflocq, North Palm Beach; Maria Perez, Midtown Weston; and Emma Han, Wahoos of Wellington. There is no boys’ 11-12 team.

FGC’s 13-14 girls’ team: Izzy Wilson, SOFLO; Gabriella DeLuna, SOFLO; Reese Andres, St. Andrew’s; Samantha Schoenborn, St. Andrew’s; Sidney Anton, Pine Crest; Reese Rosenthal, Gulliver Swim Club; Abbie Sargent, Florida Keys Swim Club; and Sara Miller, St. Andrew’s.

FGC’s 13-14 boys’ team: Nicholas Pelaez, SOFLO; Dylan Ferguson, Metro Aquatics; Nahuel Balade, Ransom Everglades; Lucas Franchak, Hurricanes; and Andy Serrano-Pena of Ransom Everglades.

The five-day meet continues Friday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 592, 2. Florida Swimming 542.5, 3. Team Georgia 402.5, 4. South Carolina 300.5, 5. South Texas 237, 8. Florida Gold Coast 45.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 286.5, 2. Florida Swimming 253.5, 3. Team Georgia 194.5, 4. South Texas 138, 5. South Carolina 87, 12. Florida Gold Coast 7.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 255.5, 2. Florida Swimming 253, 3. South Carolina 191.5, 4. Team Georgia 180, 5. Southeastern Swimming 109, 7. Florida Gold Coast 38.

GIRLS
200-meter backstroke:
13-14, 1. Hattie Wasmuth, GA 2:21.83; 15-18, 1. Danka Ndubuisi, SC 2:23.44.

Mixed 50-meter backstroke:
Mixed 11-12, 1. Seb Jaramillo, GA 33.23; 11-12, 1. Janae Sanders, FL 32.36.

100-meter freestyle:
11-12, 1. Peyton Williams, SES 59.76; 13-14, 1. Lilly Gault Abdella, SC 58.37; 15-18, 1. Isabella Ekk, FL 58.06; Mixed, 1. Seb Jaramillo, GA 1:04.63.

400-meter individual medley: 13-14, 1. Sophie McCammon 5:07.70; FGC: 5. Gabriella DeLuna 5:17.01, 7. Sam Schoenborn 5:21.81; 15-18, 1. Emily McMahan, SC 5:16.26.

400-meter freestyle relay: 11-12, 1. North Carolina 4:08.01, 6. Florida Gold Coast 4:21.16 (Maria Perez, Emma Han, Natalie Dufflocq, Alera Hurwitz); 13-14, 1. Team Georgia 4:00.13, 7. FGC 4:15.90 (Abbie Sargent, Sam Schoenborn, Gabriella DeLuna, Sidney Anton); 15-18, 1. South Carolina 3:59.38.

BOYS
200-meter backstroke: 13-14, 1. Abhay Tharakan, NCS 2:09.74; FGC: 6. Any Serrano-Pena 2:15.45;15-18, 1. Collin Davis, NCS 2:09.99.

50-meter backstroke: 11-12, 1. Owen Ekk, FL 30.14.

100-meter freestyle: 11-12, 1. Owen Ekk, FL 55.77; 13-14, 1. Oliver Rowe, STX 52.57; 15-18, 1. Collin Davis, NCS 53.51.

400-meter individual medley: 13-14, 1. Baylor Stanton, GA 4:42.27; 15-18, 1. Charles Heisig, NCS 4:46.01.

400-meter freestyle relay: 11-12, 1. Florida Swimming 3:54.80; 13-14, 1. North Carolina 3:37.28, FGC, DQ; 15-18, 1. Team Georgia 3:36.97.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Dominic Bono Makes Top 20 On Day Two Of USA Swimming Futures Championships

By Sharon Robb
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., July 29, 2021—Dominic Bono was South Florida Aquatic Club’s top finisher on Day Two of the USA Swimming Futures Championships Thursday at Huntsville Aquatics Center.

Bono, 18, was 20th in the 400-meter individual medley in 4:37.36. In morning prelims he went a best time 4:34.61 for a time drop of 3.51. His previous best was 4:38.12.

SOFLO’s Javier Colmenares, 15, did a 100-meter freestyle time trials in 56.92 for 19th place.

The top Florida Gold Coast finisher was University of Miami’s Aino Otava of Finland, 16th in the 400-meter individual medley in 5:03.19.

Atlanta-based Dynamo Swim Club leads the combined (462), men (188) and women (274) team standings.

An estimated 1,000 swimmers are competing. The Aquatic Center has two Olympic-size pools with 1,400 seats.

The meet continues Friday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. The four-day meet ends on Saturday.

THURSDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo 406, 2. TAC Titans 316.5, 3. Club Wolverine 156.5, 4. Bolles 126, 5. Blue Dolfins 96.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo 188, 2. Bolles 124, 3. TAC Titans 115, 4. Lakeside 59, 5. Club Wolverine 54.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo 218, 2. TAC Titans 201.5, 3. Club Wolverine 102.5, 4. Y-Spartaquatics 85, 5. Blue Dolfins 78, 14. Hurricane Aquatics 16.

GIRLS
100-meter freestyle: 1. Ella Welch, CARD 55.55, 2. Gretchen Walsh, NAC 55.74, 3. Kirsti McEnroe, YSSC 56.59.

400-meter individual medley: 1. Elizabeth Tilt, GOLD 4:51.61, 2. Lily Ann Willis, TAC 4:52.91, 3. Keelan Cotter, TAC 4:55.57; FGC: 16. Aino Otava, CANE 5:03.19.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Ryenne Ulett, DYN 1:01.94, 2. Catherine Choate 1:02.04, 3. Kyla Maloney, DYN 1:03.27.

800-meter freestyle relay: 1. Gator Swim Club 8:08.99, 2. Irish Aquatics 8:12.53, 3. TAC Titans 8:16.73.

BOYS
100-meter freestyle: 1. Macguire McDuff, BSS 50.98, 2. Chance Tirheimer, TBAY 51.31, 3. William Thompson, TAC 51.43.

400-meter individual medley: 1. Peter Meng, DYN 4:35.38, 2. Stuart Higdon, ATAC 4:35.72, 3. Samuel Kohm, TAC 4:37.02; SOFLO: 4. Dominic Bono 4:37.36, time drop 3.51.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Nathaniel Stoffle, SPAC 55.28, 2. Andrew Simmons, DYN 56.46, 3. William Thompson, TAC 56.70.

800-meter freestyle relay: 1. Dynamo A 7:31.11, 2. TAC Titans 7:33.08, 3. Dynamo B 7:43.46.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Floridians Finke, Dressel Win Gold For Team USA On Historical Night At Tokyo Olympics

By Sharon Robb
TOKYO, Japan, July 28, 2021–In one of the most exciting nights in the history of Florida swimming, Caeleb Dressel and Bobby Finke won gold medals for Team USA Wednesday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

It was Dressel’s first individual gold medal and fourth overall (three others on relays in two Olympic Games) against the world’s fastest final field ever assembled in the event.

Dressel was emotional after the race, trying to hold back tears that kept coming while watching his parents, wife and sister on NBC’s coverage of the watch party in Orlando.

“I don’t know if this has set in yet,” Dressel said. “Right now I’m kind of hurting. It’s been a really tough year, it was really hard, so to have the results show up really makes me some kind of happy.”

Finke, 21, of University of Florida and St. Petersburg Aquatics, won the first-ever men’s 800-meter freestyle in an American record 7:41.87. Reigning world champion Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy was second in 7:42.11 and Ukraine’s Mykhailo Romanchuk was third in 7:42.33.

Looking out of medal contention for most of the race in fifth place, Finke found another gear after the final turn with a 26.3 split and reeled in four swimmers in the final 25 meters to win his first Olympic final.

“Oh yeah,” Finke said, when asked if he had surprised himself with his performance. “My best time going into this was (7:47). And then in prelims, I dropped down to (7:42). And then here I dropped another second. So I had no idea that I was going to do that, honestly.”

The gold is the first for an American male swimmer in an Olympic distance race since 1984.

“The pain kind of goes away once you just start,” Finke said. “Your mind just kind of disappears, and you’re just kind of blacking out a little bit. I just wanted to get my hand on the wall. I am so happy that I was able to switch it into another gear. This means a lot. Coming into this there was a lot of doubt behind American distance.”

Local swimmers results:

Azura’s Colleen Furgeson of the Marshall Islands was fifth in her 100-meter freestyle heat in 58.71.

Azura has four swimmers competing Thursday. They are Abbas Qali of Kuwait, 100 butterfly; Davidson Vincent of Haiti, 100 butterfly; Steven Aimable, 100 butterfly; and Celina Marquez of El Salvador, 200 backstroke.

In other championship medal finals:

Women’s 200-meter butterfly: No one was going to catch China’s Yufei Zhang who won in an Olympic record 2:03.86, the fastest time in 12 years. China has won three of the last four gold medals in the event. The U.S. took silver and bronze with Regan Smith in 2:05.30 and Hali Flickinger in 2:05.65.

Women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay:
China upset Australia for the gold medal and Katie Ledecky turned in on with her 1:53 anchor leg to give the U.S. a silver medal. Heavy favorite Australia took the bronze. All three teams swam under the old world record of 7:41.50. China won in a world record 7:40.33, the U.S. took silver in an American record 7:40.73 and Australia third in an Oceanic record 7:41.29. Ledecky has now won three Olympics medals including one gold. She can win one more Saturday in the 800 freestyle.

Men’s 200-meter breaststroke: Aussie Izaac Stubblety-Cook surged in the final 50 meters to win in an Olympic record 2:06.38. Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands was second in 2:07.01 just ahead of Finland’s Matti Mattsson in 2:07.13.

WEDNESDAY RESULTS
WOMEN
200-meter butterfly: 1. Yufei Zhang, CHN 2:03.86, 2. Regan Smith, US 2:05.30, 3. Hali Flickinger, US 2:05.65.

4×200-meter freestyle relay: 1. China 7:40.33, 2. United States 7:40.73, 3. Australia 7:41.29.

MEN
800-meter freestyle: 1. Bobby Finke, US 7:41.87, 2. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy 7:42.11, 3. Mykailo Romanchuk, UKR 7:42.33.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Izaac Stubblety-Cook, AUS 2:06.38, 2. Arno Kamminga, NED 2:07.01, 3. Matti Mattsson, FIN 2:07.13.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Caeleb Dressel, US 47.02, 2. Kyle Chalmers, AUS 47.08, 3. Kliment Kolesnikov, ROC 47.44.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s DeLuna, Wilson Swim Best Times; FGC Girls Seventh At Southern Zones Age Group Championships

By Sharon Robb
TUPELO, Miss., July 28, 2021—Against a strong field, Gabriella DeLuna and Izzy Wilson swam lifetime-bests Wednesday at the USA Swimming Southern Zones Age Group Championships.

In prelims, DeLuna, 14, just missed finals placing ninth in the 100-meter butterfly in a best time 1:06.75, dropping 1.16. She has the 200 backstroke, 400 IM, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 200 IM left. DeLuna was also a member of the sixth place 400-meter medley relay.

Wilson, 14, was 24th in the 200-meter freestyle prelims in a best time 2:16.34, dropping 0.19. She has the 200 backstroke, 400 freestyle and 200 butterfly remaining to swim.

SOFLO teammate Nicholas Pelaez, 14, was 38th in the 200-meter freestyle in 2:12.41. He has the 100 freestyle, 400 IM, 400 freestyle and 200 butterfly left to swim.

Alera Hurwitz of St. Andrew’s Aquatics was top FGC finisher with a fifth place in the 100-meter butterfly in a best time 1:07.92, dropping 3.53. She was also a member of the fifth place 400-meter medley relay.

Florida Gold Coast, coached by Jennifer Gibson of Swim Fort Lauderdale and Rodrigo Mendes of Midtown Weston, is seventh among the girls teams with 22 points, 12th among the boys teams with 4 points and 11th in the combined team standings with 26 points.

FGC’s 11-12 girls team: Alera Hurwitz, St. Andrew’s; Natalie Dufflocq, North Palm Beach; Maria Perez, Midtown Weston; and Emma Han, Wahoos of Wellington. There is no boys’ 11-12 team.

FGC’s 13-14 girls’ team: Izzy Wilson, SOFLO; Gabriella DeLuna, SOFLO; Reese Andres, St. Andrew’s; Samantha Schoenborn, St. Andrew’s; Sidney Anton, Pine Crest; Reese Rosenthal, Gulliver Swim Club; Abbie Sargent, Florida Keys Swim Club; and Sara Miller, St. Andrew’s.

FGC’s 13-14 boys’ team: Nicholas Pelaez, SOFLO; Dylan Ferguson, Metro Aquatics; Nahuel Balade, Ransom Everglades; Lucas Franchak, Hurricanes; and Andy Serrano-Pena of Ransom Everglades.

The five-day meet continues Thursday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 334, 2. Florida Swimming 331.5, 3. Team Georgia 223, 4. South Carolina 184.5, 5. South Texas 162, 6. Southeastern 131, 7. North Texas 65, 8. Kentucky 29, 9. tie, Louisiana Zone 27, Border Swimming 27, 11. Florida Gold Coast 26, 12. Mississippi Zone 16, 13. West Virginia 10.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. North Carolina 152.5, 2. Florida Swimming 146.5, 3. Team Georgia 113, 4. South Texas 86, 5. Southeastern 45, 12. Florida Gold Coast 4.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Florida Swimming 149, 2. North Carolina 131.5, 3. South Carolina 119.5, 4. Team Georgia 82, 5. Southeastern 60, 7. Florida Gold Coast 22.

GIRLS
200-meter freestyle: 11-12, 1. Peyton Williams, SES 2:11.96; 13-14, 1. Carly Mauldin, STX 2:08.02; 15-18, 1. Kaitlyn Golyski, SC 2:07.80.

50-meter breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Blakely Hammel, FL 35.95.

200-meter breaststroke: 13-14, 1. Savannah Branon, FL 2:42.50; 15-18, 1. Emily McMahan, SC 2:43.71.

100-meter butterfly: 11-12, 1. Peyton Williams, SES 1:05.94; FGC: 5. Alera Hurwitz 1:07.92, time drop 3.53; 13-14, 1. Zetta Bartee, NCS 1:03.32; 15-18, 1. Jayla Thompson, GA 1:04.21.

400-meter medley relay: 11-12, 1. North Caroline 4:38.85, 2. Florida Swimming 4:42.77, 3. Southeastern 4:47.67, 5. Florida Gold Coast 4:53.50 (Maria Perez, Emma Han, Alera Hurwitz, Natalie Dufflocq); 13-14, 1. Team Georgia 4:28.17, 2. Florida Swimming 4:31.55, 3. South Carolina 4:34.22, 6. Florida Gold Coast 4:38.66 (Sam Schoenborn, Reese Andres, Gabriella DeLuna, Sidney Anton); 15-18, 1. South Carolina 4:30.70, 2. Florida Swimming 4:34.37, 3. North Carolina 4:35.12.

BOYS
200-meter freestyle: 11-12, 1. Owen Ekk, FL 2:00.49; 13-14, 1. Oliver Rowe, STX 1:54.46; 15-18, 1. Collin Davis, NCS 1:56.79.

50-meter breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Gabrian Hardy, NCS 33.08.

200-meter breaststroke: 13-14, 1. Coleman Kimmel, SES 2:29.89; 15-18, 1. Kole Petersen, STX 2:26.72.

100-meter butterfly: 11-12, 1. Joseph Campagnola, FL 1:01.90; 13-14, 1. Oliver Rowe, STX 56.41; 15-18, 1. Eamon Monaghan, GA 57.23.

400-meter medley relay: 11-12, 1. Florida Swimming 4:24.23, 2. North Carolina 4:28.45, 3. Team Georgia 4:34.24; 13-14, 1. North Carolina 4:02.70, 2. Southeastern 4:07.93, 3. Team Georgia 4:10.93, 7. Florida Gold Coast 4:18.72 (Dylan Ferguson, Lucas Franchak, Andy Serrani-Pena, Nahuel Balade); 15-18, 1. South Carolina 4:02.24, 2. Florida Swimming 4:04.73, 3. North Carolina 4:06.30.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Molly Golding Top SOFLO Finisher On Day One Of USA Swimming Futures Championships

By Sharon Robb
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., July 28, 2021—Molly Golding of South Florida Aquatic Club was top finisher on opening day of the USA Swimming Futures Championships.

The University of Florida-bound 18-year-old was fifth in the “D” final and finished 26th overall in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:14.15, just off her entry time of 1:14.01. In prelims she went 1:14.44.

Other SOFLO finishers were:

Javier Colmenares, 15, 50th in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:07.70.

Sophia Grubbs, 16, 54th in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:16.47.

The top Florida Gold Coast finisher was University of Miami’s Aino Otava, 22, of Finland, fourth in the 800-meter freestyle in 8:58.89. Gulliver’s Kyle Korvick, 17, was 18th in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:54.72, a best time with an 0.26 drop.

Atlanta-based Dynamo Swim Club dominated opening day action and leads the combined (193) and women’s (79) team points. Bolles School Sharks leads the men’s team standings with 79 points, just two points ahead of Dynamo.

An estimated 1,000 swimmers are competing. The Aquatic Center has two Olympic-size pools with 1,400 seats.

The meet continues Thursday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. The four-day meet ends on Saturday.

WEDNESDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo Swim Club 193, 2. TAC Titans 125.5, 3. Bolles 81, 4. Club Wolverine 75.5, 5. Lakeside 43.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Bolles 79, 2. Dynamo 77, 3. Lakeside 36, 4. TAC Titans 32, 5. Sarasota Tsunami 31.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Dynamo 116, 2. TAC Titans 93.5, 3. Club Wolverine 53.5, 4. Y-Spartaquatics 40, 5. Blue Dolfins 29.

GIRLS
200-meter freestyle: 1. Charlotte Hook, TAC 2:02.54, 2. Keelan Cotter, TAC 2:02.82, 3. Catherine Choate, DYN 2:02.94.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Alicia Henry, DYN 1:09.72, 2. Katie Christopherson, USAC 1:10.29, 3. Jordyn Libler, CW 1:11.28; SOFLO: 26. Molly Golding 1:14.15, fifth in D final.

200-meter butterfly: 1. Charlotte Hook, TAC 2:09.80, 2. Hannah Bellard, CW 2:10.40, 3. Avery Bargeron, DYN 2:14.02.

800-meter freestyle: 1. Hannah Bellard, CW 8:38.84, 2. Summer Cardwell, TBAC 8:55.09, 3. Keelan Cotter, TAC 8:58.64; FGC: 4. Aino Otava 8:58.89, 21. Mariana Cote, MWA 9:20.39.

BOYS
200-meter freestyle: 1. Owen McDonald, DYN 1:51.56, 2. Zachary Kohm, Unattached 1:52.16, 3. Kenneth Carter, SPAC 1:53.10; FGC: 18. Kyle Korvick, GULL 1:54.72.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Arie Voloschin, DYN 1:02.42, 2. William Heck, BSS 1:02.69, 3. Will Scholtz, LAK 1:02.70; FGC: 30. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 1:06.56, 31. Giulian Martin, CANE 1:06.58, 32. Jacques Sonnier, BRST 1:06.93.

200-meter butterfly: 1. Michael Mullen, BSS 2:00.32, 2. Jackson Mussler, LAK 2:01.68, 3. Spencer Carol, MLA 2:02.62; FGC: 21. Hector Paz, MAC 2:08.16.

1500-meter freestyle: 1. Andrew Christensen, BD 16:12.93, 2. Raymond Prosinski, LA 16:26.35, 3. Keith Williams, TAC 16:27.97.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com