Emma Weyant appeared headed to the finals in the 400-meter individual medley preliminary race at USA Swimming’s Phillips 66 National Championships on Thursday afternoon at Indianapolis, chasing down Florida’s Alex Walsh in the final 50 meters for a close second-place time of 4:38:08.
Walsh grabbed the victory but judges disqualified Weyant for a dolphin kick during the breaststroke — the third leg of an IM race — putting an abrupt end to the 2021 Olympic silver medalist’s celebration. She exited the pool to seek counsel from her coach while the ruling was confirmed in a video review.
In the event’s championship heat Thursday night, Katie Grimes took the title at 4:33.80, with Walsh claiming second place at 4:35.46. Leah Hayes came in third at 4:38.45.
When the public address announcement of Weyant’s disqualification was made, fans in attendance at IUPUI Natatorium let out a collective gasp, followed by boos. Weyant won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships.
USA Swimming explained the disqualification with the rulebook guidelines stating “one butterfly kick is permitted after each start or turn in breaststroke. After that one fly kick is performed, all movement of a swimmer’s legs must be simultaneous without alternating movement.”
The ruling likely ends any chance for Weyant to reach Worlds in Japan next month. She did not reach the final in the 200 freestyle on Wednesday and is seeded 12th in the 400 freestyle, her only remaining event.
Olympian Caeleb Dressel failed to qualify for Worlds in a third event on Thursday. He bumped up to the A final in the 100 butterfly after Ryan Murphy scratched for the finals, but Dressel wound up tying for fifth. Dare Rose (50.74 seconds) won the event, with Thomas Heilman (51.19) placing second and Shaine Casas (51.42) taking third.
Dressel, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist entered in his first major swimming event in more than a year, owns the world record time of 49.45 in the 100 fly but swam a 51.66 in the Thursday finals.
Dressel gets his last shot at reaching the Worlds when he swims in the 50 freestyle on Saturday.
The women’s 100 butterfly finals featured the top three times in the world this year. Tori Huske prevailed at 56.18, with Gretchen Walsh (56.34) and Kate Douglass (56.43) close behind.
The day’s tightest result occurred in the women’s 50 backstroke, where Katharine Berkoff (27.13 seconds) won by one-100th of a second over Regan Smith (27.14). Gretchen Walsh placed third at 27.54.
Other top-three finishers on Thursday:
–Men’s 50 backstroke: 1. Justin Ress, 24.10 seconds; 2. Hunter Armstrong, 24.16; 3. Wyatt Davis, 24.62.
–Women’s 50 breaststroke: 1. Lilly King, 29.77 seconds; 2. Lydia Jacoby, 29.81; 3. Kaitlyn Dobler, 30.36.
–Men’s 50 breaststroke: 1. Nic Fink, 26.74 seconds; 2. Michael Andrew, 26.87; 3. Noah Nichols, 27.30.
–Men’s 400 individual medley: 1. Carson Foster, 4:08.14; 2. Chase Kalisz, 4:08.22; 3. Bobby Finke, 4:09.55.
–Field Level Media
