Zach Apple Breaks Down Mixed Bag Results at First LCM Meet of 2021 (Video)

2021 PRO SWIM SERIES – SAN ANTONIO

Reported by James Sutherland.

MEN’S 100 FREE FINALS

• PSS Record: 48.00, Nathan Adrian (USA), 2016
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 50.49

1. Ryan Held, NYAC, 49.86
2. Zach Apple, MVN, 49.91
3. Tate Jackson, TEX, 50.40

The margin of victory in the men’s 100 freestyle was razor-thin, both in the race for first and the battle for third.

Up front, Ryan Held got out to the lead at the 50 in 23.67, slightly slower than his 23.56 from this morning. Zach Apple began to close on him down the stretch, and employed his patented straight arm technique over the closing meters.

At the touch it was Held getting his hand on the wall first in 49.86, with Apple a few one-hundredths back in 49.91.

Held was slightly faster in the heats at 49.70, and maintains his spot as the fastest American this season with his 49.00 from the U.S. Open.

Apple, who tied with Drew Kibler for the fastest second 50 in 25.88, was almost a second faster at this time last year (48.98 at the Knoxville PSS).

The other insanely close race included the entire rest of the field, as finishers third through eighth were separated by less than a quarter of a second.

Tate Jackson managed to sneak in for third in 50.40, followed by Andrew Seliskar (50.45) and Kibler (50.46). Brett Pinfold (50.59), Dean Farris (50.61) and Daniel Krueger (50.64) rounded out the event, while Townley Haas hit a 50.56 in the ‘B’ final.