World Champs Profile: Claire Weinstein a Major Factor on Middle-Distance Scene
Leading into the start of the World Championships this weekend, Swimming World will publish a handful of short profiles on top contenders for the podium in Singapore. Our next entry in this series features the United States’ Claire Weinstein, who has continually dropped time in the middle-distance freestyles to establish herself as a global threat.
Claire Weinstein
United States
Events: 200 Freestyle/400 Freestyle/800 Freestyle
The Road to Singapore
Weinstein put her freestyle range on display at last month’s United States Nationals, where she qualified for the World Championships in four events – 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle. She opted to scratch the 1500 free from her schedule, but will be plenty busy in Singapore.
Heading into Worlds, Weinstein ranks third in the 200 freestyle, behind her winning time of 1:54.92 from Nationals. She sits fifth in the 400 freestyle at 4:00.05, a time that left her just shy of becoming the eighth woman in history to break the four-minute barrier. The 18-year-old is ranked fourth in the 800 freestyle at 8:19.67.
Top Career Achievement
As the United States claimed the silver medal behind Australia in the 800 freestyle relay at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, Weinstein was a catalyst. She led off the relay in 1:54.88, which was faster than what she produced during the 200 freestyle, where she finished eighth. Weinstein’s split was the fastest for Team USA.
Previous World Champs Hardware
Weinstein’s lone medal from the World Championships was a gold from the 2022 edition in Budapest, where she helped the United States prevail. At the 2024 World Short Course Championships, Weinstein was a member of Team USA’s triumphant 800 freestyle relay and she earned the bronze medal in the 200 freestyle.
Stat Fact
When Weinstein clocked 4:00.05 in the 400 freestyle at Nationals, she moved to eighth in the all-time rankings. The seven women ahead of Weinstein are the only members of the sub-4:00 club, territory that Weinstein could visit for the first time in Singapore. Weinstein is the No. 2 ranked American in history, behind only Katie Ledecky.
World Champs Profiles
