Claire Curzan won the 50m butterfly and 200m backstroke, with just 17 minutes in between, at a Pro Swim Series stop in Mission Viejo, California, on Friday night.
Curzan, a five-time 2022 World Championships medalist, is ramping up for next month’s U.S. Championships, where the top two in most individual events qualify for July’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Mission Viejo marks her first meet in an Olympic-size 50-meter pool this year after competing for Stanford in the winter in smaller, 25-yard NCAA pools.
On Friday, Curzan won the 50m fly in 25.88 seconds, the fastest time by an American this year in an event that is not on the Olympic program but is contested at worlds. She edged Stanford teammate Torri Huske, the other top U.S. female butterflier, by two tenths.
Seventeen minutes later, Curzan won the 200m back in 2:07.78, a personal best by 1.96 seconds. She prevailed by 1.23 seconds over world bronze medalist Rhyan White.
Curzan, 18, is now the second-fastest American this year in that event behind former world record holder Regan Smith.
Curzan’s individual medal at last year’s worlds came in the 100m back (bronze), along with four relay medals. She did not contest the 200m back at last year’s U.S. trials, where Phoebe Bacon and White made the team in 2:05.08 and 2:05.13.
Mission Viejo, the final Pro Series stop before nationals, finishes with finals on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on USASwimming.org. CNBC airs highlights on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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