U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022 Day 3 recap, results, and more

Highlights of the third day of the U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022 (Image via USA Swimming)

On the third day of the U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022, there were only two major events: the 400-meter individual medley and the 100-meter butterfly. The tournament commenced on July 26, 2022.

While Katie Ledecky and Kevin Vargas won the 400-meter individual medley, Gretchen Walsh and Shaine Casas took home the gold medal for the 100-meter butterfly race. The U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022 will conclude on Sunday, July 31.

U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022 recap: Day 3

The U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022 is being held at the William Woollett Junior Aquatic Centre in Irvine, California. Here are the highlights of the finals of the two main events of the competition:

400-meter individual medley (Men)

From the very beginning, it was an intense battle between the top two seeds before Kevin Vargas touched the wall in 4:11:45 minutes. The time taken by him to complete the 400-meter individual medley is his lifetime best.

Vargas is a senior-to-be at the University of Florida and has represented the La Mirada Armada club. His achievement was even more immense as he beat British Olympian Max Litchfield by 1.5 seconds. Speaking about the same, Vargas commented:

“Seeing my club coach (Rick Shipherd) really made me kind of teary-eyed because I never got to truly step up at an age-group level so it was nice to finally show him that it was worth all the time he put into me when I was younger.”

Medalists

Gold – Kevin Vargas
Silver – Max Litchfield
Bronze – Kieran Smith

400-meter individual medley (Women)

The competitor of the most decorated female swimmer, Katie Ledecky, was none other than fellow Olympian, Leah Smith. The former covered the distance in a span of 4:35:77 minutes, which happens to be her personal best.

Despite winning the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, Ledecky revealed that she would not add the category to her standard lineup. With regards to her performance and fellow competitor Smith, Ledecky commented:

“Leah is one of the few people that I knew I couldn’t be very far behind going into the freestyle... As much fun as a 400 IM can be. It hurts like something totally different than any other race.”

Medalists

Gold – Katie Ledecky
Silver – Leah Smith
Bronze – Felicia Pasadena

100-meter butterfly (Men) cc3

Rankings in the 100-meter butterfly (women) category (Image via USA Swimming)

Shaine Casas representing Texas’ Longhorn Aquatics finished the race in 50:40 seconds. He became the third-fastest swimmer in the world after Caeleb Dressel and Michael Phelps.

Casas was followed by Shaun Champion and Gabriel Jett, who completed the race in 51:54 and 52:19 seconds, respectively, at the U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022. He also became the third-fastest American swimmer of all time and tied with Ian Crocker.

Medalists

Gold – Shaine Casas
Silver – Shaun Champion
Bronze – Gabriel Jett

100-meter butterfly (Women) cc2

Gretchen Walsh was in the lead from the very beginning and completed the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022 in 57:44 seconds. Walsh came close (0:01 seconds) to breaking her personal-best record that stands at 57:43 seconds.

Medalists

Gold – Gretchen Walsh
Silver – Gabi Albiero
Bronze – Dakota Luther

Streaming details

Here is where viewers can stream the U.S. National Swimming Championships 2022:

July 29, 2022 – 8 PM (Olympics Channel)
July 30, 2022 – 1 PM (CNBC) and 8 PM (Olympics Channel)
July 31, 2022 – 12 noon (NBC) and 5 PM (CNBC)

Note: The times given above are local timings and are denoted in ET or Eastern Time Zone. The broadcasts at 1 PM and 12 noon are delayed broadcasts.

Edited by Ritwik Kumar