Pan Pacific Championships gold medalist Zane Grothe battled 19-year-old Alexander Norgaard of Denmark down the stretch in the 800m freestyle on the opening night of competition at the TYR Pro Swim Series at Knoxville. The two 2019 World Championships participants kept it close to the finish.
Zane Grothe left no doubt that he'll be mentioned on the list of contenders in the 1500 heading into Omaha. Grothe claimed the top spot for the mile in Knoxville on Sunday night.
In the men’s race, Grothe easily outdistanced Marcelo Acosta of the University of Louisville, 15:17.12 to 15:28.66. Ricardo Vargas of the University of Michigan was third in 15:30.04.
"I tried to stay smooth," Grothe said. "I'm swimming a little better than I have been. My race strategy (in the 1500) is probably one of my weakest race strategies, but I just tried to stay smooth and build through ...
Zane Grothe continued his winning ways with a third win of the meet, taking the 800 free in 7:53.40. He also won the 400 and 1500 freestyles and finished second in the 200 free. Felix Auboeck and Mikey Calvillo rounded out the top three.
“I wanted to set it up just like I will be at the end of the season, so good race strategy,” Grothe said. “I felt pretty good. I texted my mom before the start o...