Torri Huske wins Olympic Trials butterfly preview, just misses American record

Torri Huske swam the third-fastest 100m butterfly in U.S. women's history to win at the last Tyr Pro Series meet before June's Olympic Trials.

Huske clocked 55.68 seconds, four hundredths off her American record, on Friday in San Antonio to consolidate her status as a favorite at June's trials.

In 2021, Huske missed a 100m fly medal by one hundredth in her Olympic debut at age 18.

She then won the 2022 World title and placed third at the 2023 Worlds behind China's Zhang Yufei and Canada's Maggie Mac Neil, who are two of three women in history to have a faster personal best than Huske.

SWIMMING: Full Results

Friday's field included the four fastest American women in the event this year, serving as a preview for trials, where the top two make the team for Paris.

Gretchen Walsh was runner-up Friday, chopping two tenths off her personal best to become the third-fastest American in history behind Huske and retired 2012 Olympic gold medalist Dana Vollmer. Walsh, coming off a historic NCAA season, eyes her first Olympics this summer.

Also Friday, Caeleb Dressel tied Hungarian Hubert Kós for the men's 100m fly win in 50.84, which is Dressel's best time since he returned from a months-long break from the sport last spring.

Dressel, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, is the fastest American in the 100m fly this year by 56 hundredths.

Regan Smith won a 200m backstroke final that included the five fastest Americans from last year, who were also the second-through-sixth fastest women in the world in 2023.

Smith, the second-fastest woman in history behind reigning Olympic and world champion Kaylee McKeown of Australia, clocked 2:05.46, distancing Tokyo Olympian Phoebe Bacon by 1.78 seconds.

World champion Siobhán Haughey of Hong Kong won the women's 200m freestyle in 1:54.52, while Katie Ledecky was runner-up in 1:54.97, her best time since March 2023.

Ledecky won the 200m free at the 2016 Olympics, was fifth in Tokyo and dropped the event from her world championships program in 2022 and 2023 to focus on longer distances.

Ledecky has not said whether she wants to swim the 200m free in Paris, but expect to see her race it at trials and be part of the 4x200m free relay at the Olympics.

Frenchman Léon Marchand topped American Chase Kalisz in a matchup of reigning world and Olympic champions in the men's 400m individual medley.

Marchand clocked 4:11.21, while Kalisz touched in 4:12.45, the best time by an American this year.

The Pro Series meet finishes Saturday.