Thursday, April 13, 2023
TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont Opens With Smith, Finke Wins in 800m Freestyle
Action kicked off at the 2023 TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont with distance swimming stalwarts Leah Smith and Bobby Finke claiming the 800m freestyle titles on opening day of the four-day, long-course meet. The TYR Pro Swim Series runs through Saturday at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont, Illinois.
Smith won the event by more than four seconds in a time of 8:28.23. Beatriz Dizotti of Brazil finished in second with a time of 8:32.93 and Kristel Korbich of Chile finished in third with a time of 8:37.18.
“That was my first 800 long course since World Championships in 2022 so I was just hoping to put up a good time and get this season kicked off,” Smith said. “It’s fun racing here with my Longhorn teammates and they had such a great season so I’m just excited to be here.”
Olympic gold medalist Finke also won his event by more than four seconds in a time of 7:53.96. Fellow National Team member Charlie Clark finished in second in a time of 7:57.97 and Tommylee Camblong of France finished in third in a time of 8:01.02.
“[My] time was pretty good,” Finke said. “I did think I was going much faster – I didn’t think I was out that slow – but I was out pretty slow then came back pretty strong which is always nice to see.”
Competition continues through Saturday at the FMC Natatorium. Tonight’s and Saturday’s finals, along with all prelim sessions, can be viewed on www.usaswimming.org/watch. Prelims take place Thursday through Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. CT while finals will be at 6 p.m. for the Thursday-Saturday sessions.
The TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont marks the competition’s third stop in 2023, following the series meets in Knoxville, Tennessee in January and Fort Lauderdale, Florida in March. The four-part competition brings back the 50m events for the first time since 2019.
Smith won the event by more than four seconds in a time of 8:28.23. Beatriz Dizotti of Brazil finished in second with a time of 8:32.93 and Kristel Korbich of Chile finished in third with a time of 8:37.18.
“That was my first 800 long course since World Championships in 2022 so I was just hoping to put up a good time and get this season kicked off,” Smith said. “It’s fun racing here with my Longhorn teammates and they had such a great season so I’m just excited to be here.”
Olympic gold medalist Finke also won his event by more than four seconds in a time of 7:53.96. Fellow National Team member Charlie Clark finished in second in a time of 7:57.97 and Tommylee Camblong of France finished in third in a time of 8:01.02.
“[My] time was pretty good,” Finke said. “I did think I was going much faster – I didn’t think I was out that slow – but I was out pretty slow then came back pretty strong which is always nice to see.”
Competition continues through Saturday at the FMC Natatorium. Tonight’s and Saturday’s finals, along with all prelim sessions, can be viewed on www.usaswimming.org/watch. Prelims take place Thursday through Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. CT while finals will be at 6 p.m. for the Thursday-Saturday sessions.
The TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont marks the competition’s third stop in 2023, following the series meets in Knoxville, Tennessee in January and Fort Lauderdale, Florida in March. The four-part competition brings back the 50m events for the first time since 2019.