Monday, January 9, 2023
Five Storylines Heading into TYR Pro Swim Series Knoxville
The TYR Pro Swim Series will make its 2023 debut next week in Knoxville, Tenn., seeing 30 National Team talents take to the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. The long course meter competition takes place January 11-14.
Before racing kicks off, here are five things to look forward to watching in Knoxville.
Return of 50’s
For the first time since 2019, a TYR Pro Swim Series competition will feature 50’s-of-stroke events. The races are filled with intriguing matchups in Knoxville, headlined by the women’s 50-meter backstroke which features a field highlighted by Regan Smith, Katharine Berkoff and Canada’s Kylie Masse. The men’s 50 back event will also be one to watch as the first six seeds on the psych sheet are all U.S. National Team members.
Veteran Presence
A strong veteran presence fills up the competition’s psych sheet, including multi-time Olympians Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy, Olivia Smoliga and Simone Manuel. Ledecky and Murphy both had stellar 2022 seasons – Ledecky recently winning the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award and Murphy earning Male Swimmer of the Meet honors at December’s FINA World Championships (25m) – while Smoliga and Manuel make their returns to a USA Swimming national meet for the first time since April 2022 and June 2021, respectively.
Other notable attendees include U.S. team captains at the 2022 FINA World Championships (25m) Leah Smith and Natalie Hinds, as well as Tokyo Olympians Zach Harting, Abbey Weitzeil and more.
Smith’s Busy Schedule
In addition to her 50 back showdown, Smith is teed up for a busy meet to kick off her 2023 season. She put on a stellar display at December’s Toyota U.S. Open, winning all five of the events she swam. While most known for – and decorated in – backstroke and butterfly events, Smith enters Knoxville in a slew of different events and disciplines: 100/200/400 free, 50 back, 200 fly, 200 IM.
Sandpiper Trio on Stage
After an exciting December 2022 that featured World Junior Records, National Age Group records and more, the Sandpipers of Nevada will once again be represented on the national stage by Katie Grimes, Bella Sims and Claire Weinstein. The trio, all 17 years old or younger, are each entered in at least seven events in Knoxville. Grimes, Sims and Weinstein are also the top three seeds (respectively) in the very first race of the competition, the 800 free.
Men’s Distance Stars Go Head-to-Head
Two male swimmers who produced some of the most memorable moments from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Bobby Finke and Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, will make their presence known in the men’s distance events this week. The duo is entered in three of the same events – 400, 800 and 1500 free. While they will both go down in history for their memorable performances in Tokyo – Finke in the 800 and Hafnaoui in the 400 – this will be their first time competing head-to-head.
Before racing kicks off, here are five things to look forward to watching in Knoxville.
Return of 50’s
For the first time since 2019, a TYR Pro Swim Series competition will feature 50’s-of-stroke events. The races are filled with intriguing matchups in Knoxville, headlined by the women’s 50-meter backstroke which features a field highlighted by Regan Smith, Katharine Berkoff and Canada’s Kylie Masse. The men’s 50 back event will also be one to watch as the first six seeds on the psych sheet are all U.S. National Team members.
Veteran Presence
A strong veteran presence fills up the competition’s psych sheet, including multi-time Olympians Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy, Olivia Smoliga and Simone Manuel. Ledecky and Murphy both had stellar 2022 seasons – Ledecky recently winning the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award and Murphy earning Male Swimmer of the Meet honors at December’s FINA World Championships (25m) – while Smoliga and Manuel make their returns to a USA Swimming national meet for the first time since April 2022 and June 2021, respectively.
Other notable attendees include U.S. team captains at the 2022 FINA World Championships (25m) Leah Smith and Natalie Hinds, as well as Tokyo Olympians Zach Harting, Abbey Weitzeil and more.
Smith’s Busy Schedule
In addition to her 50 back showdown, Smith is teed up for a busy meet to kick off her 2023 season. She put on a stellar display at December’s Toyota U.S. Open, winning all five of the events she swam. While most known for – and decorated in – backstroke and butterfly events, Smith enters Knoxville in a slew of different events and disciplines: 100/200/400 free, 50 back, 200 fly, 200 IM.
Sandpiper Trio on Stage
After an exciting December 2022 that featured World Junior Records, National Age Group records and more, the Sandpipers of Nevada will once again be represented on the national stage by Katie Grimes, Bella Sims and Claire Weinstein. The trio, all 17 years old or younger, are each entered in at least seven events in Knoxville. Grimes, Sims and Weinstein are also the top three seeds (respectively) in the very first race of the competition, the 800 free.
Men’s Distance Stars Go Head-to-Head
Two male swimmers who produced some of the most memorable moments from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Bobby Finke and Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, will make their presence known in the men’s distance events this week. The duo is entered in three of the same events – 400, 800 and 1500 free. While they will both go down in history for their memorable performances in Tokyo – Finke in the 800 and Hafnaoui in the 400 – this will be their first time competing head-to-head.