Erisman takes over in convincing 400m IM victory
Ryan Erisman surged to an impressive victory in the men's 400m individual medley at the Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, where he beat a field that included Bobby Finke.
Video Transcript
Now speaking of top performers here, we'll see what we've got in the men's 400 IM.
Leon Marchand, world record holder.
Michael Phelps still has the American record.
Bobby Finke, again, the 1500 for him earlier.
Ended up running second to Will Mulgrew.
That started the session, and now Bobby gonna end it in the 400 free.
Again, guy that won the US national title last summer.
US Open in the winter, he was sixth.
Didn't swim it at Worlds last year.
Again, focusing on his signature events, the 1500 and the 800 free.
There's Tristan Jankovic from Ohio State University, Paris Olympian in the 400 IM for Canada.
Yuki Ikari, Tokyo Olympian for Japan in this event.
He'll be in lane two.
Ryan Eiserman from Cal Aquatics, second of the 200 free at this meet.
Personal best time in the heats to qualify third for the 400 IM final.
Lorne Wigginton, the Canadian who swims in Michigan.
Top 15 finishes in this race at the last three world championships for Canada.
There's Yi Zhang from Carmel Swim Club here in Indiana, fourth at the World Juniors last summer in the 400 IM, the 16-year-old there in lane five.
Grant Sanders, 28-year-old from St. Petersburg Aquatics.
He'll be in lane six.
Dominik Mark-Tarock from Wisconsin Aquatics, two-time Big 10 champion in the 400 IM at Wisconsin for the man from Hungary.
And there is Bobby Finke and his two Olympic golds in the 1500 free.
Olympic gold and Olympic silver in his two runs at the Olympics in the 800 free.
Wigginton again has been in the mix for Canada at the last three Worlds in this race.
Take your marks.
Jason, Finke had, what, an hour and 20 minutes about rest?
That's a, a lifetime for the average double.
This is no average double though with a 1500 and 400 IM.
But still should be plenty of time for a great swimmer like Bobby Finke to, to come back.
He's way up there at the very top of the screen.
This kid in lane number five, only 16 years of age.
Like Darriveau in the previous women's final, that stroke probably breaststroke.
He's had some good history on the world junior level.
You mentioned him just outside that medal last summer at Junior Worlds.
Wigginton with the lead over the teenager Zhang and Eiserman by about four-tenths as they flipped over for backstroke.
See if Bobby Finke can get himself going again.
He was last at the turn there.
Now trying to work his way up in backstroke.
But still a sizable gap for him.
Eiserman now stretching his way to the lead.
Wigginton just above him in second.
And Zhang, 16-year-old, in the mix right now in lane five.
Well, for those that don't know much about the sport just tuning in, you see Eiserman right in front of you, the 19-year-old.
Yes, he is related to Riley, the older brother of Riley Eiserman, who Greg Meehan was so high on earlier when we talked to him during that 1500.
Another great young swimmer on the women's side.
Well, this is a great young swimmer on the men's side.
And he is a very good freestyler, so you don't want to be close to him on freestyle.
Grant Sanders up there in lane six has got a long way to go.
But Zhang right there, this is his best stroke, the breaststroke.
Let's see what he does with it.
He's two lanes above Eiserman, and now he's starting to move up just a touch, Jason.
Again, fourth at the World Juniors last summer for the United States.
And now ahead by almost six tenths over Eiserman.
Wigginton's been in the top three the entire way, and he remains there, albeit in third.
Well, you know, Wigginton has the best time by far of these three swimmers that are up there.
I mean, he's been 4:12, Zhang 4:17.
Eiserman actually has the slowest of those three at 4:18.
And again, that time came for Eiserman from prelims.
Can he lower his best ever swim in this event here?
He might because it's really racey right now.
Those top three separated by less than a second as we get into freestyle.
Yeah, and I thought that's where Eiserman needed to be.
He needed to be under a second to have a chance.
This guy's gonna be a great freestyler.
Really, really good freestyler.
Might be a really good 400 IM.
I like the way he's looking.
You can see that tempo starting to move up, and he goes by the other two swimmers right now.
I love the way he looked going into that third turn, or that third 100 rather.
Well, he was second to the 200 free already here in Indy, and right now- Looking strong in this freestyle finish in the 400 IM.
Erismann pouring it on.
4:18.3 is his best time.
Remember that as far as the clock goes.
He's gonna blow by that 4:03.
He's got 15 seconds to get in, and he's only five meters left to go.
Ryan Erismann with another signature swim, and he destroys his lifetime best by about six seconds in taking a massive win here in the 400 IM.
Massive indeed.
I mean, what a swim.
And what a swim from all three, especially Zhang.
Well, you know, he gets lost in the mix because he got passed there at the end by Erismann and Wigginton, but the young 16-year-old goes his best time by almost two seconds.
16, don't forget.
19 for Erismann.
Yeah, you peek into this crystal ball, man.
Two years, these kids right here, they're the real deal.
They could join the likes of Foster and Maurer and some of these other great 400 IMers that have a really solid 400 IM when we get back here two years in Indy.
And Erismann, what a last 100.
28.3 and 27.4 his last 100.
He's 55-plus on the end in that last 100.
What a swim from Ryan Erismann to cap this night of action at the TYR Pro Swim Series.
Let's hear from the victor.
Nicole's got him.
Well, he just keeps creating a new lifetime best, this one by about six seconds.
Ryan, you know, you took over that race in the freestyle leg, but what's going through your mind when you look up and you see that time of 4:12?
Yeah, it feels great.
definitely this time of year, you know, like pretty deep into a pretty big training block right now, so it just feels great to go a time like that, yeah.
And, you know, you're trying to continue to break through and take next steps and strides in your career.
What does a swim and a performance like that here in Indy do for you?
Yeah, you know, it's just a reminder, you just gotta stay focused on the goal, you know, long term, which is LA and Worlds next year.
So just, taking that, you know, and just getting back to work with it.
Well, congratulations.
Great swim.
Thank you
