2026 U.S. Short Course World Championship Trials
The top two seeds in the men’s 200 IM have opted for a different event in the final prelims session of the 2026 U.S. Short Course World Championship Trials, with Owen McDonald and Kieran Smith scratching to leave Maximus Williamson as the top seed.
That gives Williamson a great chance at making his first senior international team, having finished an agonising third in the 100 IM on day 2, just 0.06 seconds behind Grant House in second. House is the #2 seed in the 200 IM behind Williamson today.
Smith will focus on the 200 free today, the event in which he made the Olympic final in back in 2021. He is the #3 seed in a tie of 1:42.02, but faces a strong field. World record holder and reigning world champion Luke Hobson is the top seed in 1:39.94, and Chris Guiliano (1:40.19), Grant House (1:41.52), Jack Alexy (1:42.16), Patrick Sammon (1:42.35), Mitchell Schott (1:42.50) and Brooks Curry (1:42.86) are also entered.
Smith is yet to confirm his spot on the team for the World Championships in December. He currently sits in priority 3 after a second-place finish in the 400 free on day 2, but is ranked fifth out of seven swimmers at that level. With 19 men already fulfilling at least one criterion for making the team, he could be in jeopardy if he does not finish in the top two in the 200 free tonight.
The 100 free and 200 free are unique among events with regards to the selection policy, as the top two swimmers in each go straight into priority 1. If Smith can replicate his finish from the 400 free on Thursday, he will lock up a spot.
McDonald will swim the 100 back, where he is the #2 seed in 51.96 although his PB is 50.84, set earlier this month. He took third in the 200 back on Thursday in a new lifetime best of 1:50.10, just over two seconds behind the leading pair of Gabriel Jett and Destin Lasco.
Also in the field in the 100 back is the former NCAA record holder in the event in yards, Luca Urlando. He owns a lifetime best of 51.70 from 2022, and will swim out of lane 1 in the first heat. After setting an American record in the 200 fly last night, as well as a big lifetime best in the 100 fly on Thursday, he will be one to keep an eye on.
Irish record holder Jack Kelly is out of the 200 breast, while Alex Walsh is the only big name to scratch an event on the women’s side. She has dropped the 50 breast, where she was the #2 seed, for the 400 IM, in which she is the #1 seed, in an expected decision.
