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Casas clocks top 200m medley time of 2022
Casas clocks top 200m medley time of 2022
American Shaine Casas won the men's 200m individual medley at the San Antonio Pro Swim on Saturday with a world-leading time and personal best of 1min 56.70sec.
Thanks to his strong butterfly and backstroke legs, Casas led compatriot Michael Andrew by almost a second at the halfway stage, and he held on over the breaststroke and freestyle legs to beat Leon Marchand, whose runner-up time of 1:56.95 was a French national record.
Chase Kalisz, who won Olympic gold in the 400m medley in Tokyo last year, was third in 1:57.10.
"I had a feeling that Leon was coming back," Casas said of the 19-year-old rising French star, who is training at Arizona State University under US great Michael Phelps's longtime mentor Bob Bowman.
"Everybody was so close. I went out -- I went for it, and that is kind of how I like to swim that race.
"It was a best time, so I can’t be mad with that. Definitely will give me some things to think about."
The race gave a tantalizing glimpse of what the event could offer at the US trials for the 2022 World Championships, which will be held in Budapest June 18-July 3.
Marchand, meanwhile, punched his third World Championships ticket, after qualifying with his performances in San Antonio in the 400m individual medley and the 200m breaststroke.
T. Jones--BTZ
