19-Year-Old Olympic Champion Claire Curzan Wins 200M Backstroke at Knoxville Series

The TYR Pro Swim Series in Knoxville, Tennessee saw the spectators cheering wildly as the women’s 200m backstroke race unfolded. Taking a clean and smooth victory in the category, Claire Curzan clinched the gold medal.

Speeding past everyone, the 19-year-old won the race on the third day of the Swim Series Tournament. A social media post announced the result of the highly-anticipated race as Claire Curzan cleared her first event with flying colors.

Claire Curzan earns gold medal with more than a second to spare

According to a tweet by SwimSwam Live on X, “Knoxville Women’s 200 Backstroke Podium: (1) Claire Curzan (UN) — 2:07.38. (2) Isabelle Stadden (UN) — 2:08.42. (3) Josephine Fuller (TENN) — 2:09.16.”

Claire Curzan managed to touch the finishing line by clocking 2:07.38 in her 200m backstroke pursuit, while Isabelle Stadden clocked 2:08.42 and Josephine Fuller took the third place finish with the timeframe 2:09.16. Speaking about her winning strategy, Claire Curzan said, “I think the strategy was to adjust slightly from this morning work the under-waters, try to be strong, and feel my connection to my shoulders to the middle 20. I also wanted to work into the turn, and it turned out well. I felt really strong the last 50, so I’m happy with that one.”

Nevertheless, along with making headlines in the international events, Curzan left no stone unturned to make her collegiate career one of a kind. However, while she had a great season at Stanford University, she decided to transfer to Virginia. In fact, she entered the transfer portal despite winning the 2023 NCAA Championship as a Cardinal.

The exodus of top swimmers from Stanford University

Claire Curzan was the top high school recruit in the class of 2022. The Olympian won the women’s 200m backstroke NCAA event by shaving almost two seconds off the previous national record. Despite this, she entered the transfer portal and decided to continue her collegiate career somewhere else. Now, Claire Curzan swims for Virginia and has three years of eligibility remaining.

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The 19-year-old made her exit after senior swimmers Taylor Ruck and Morgan Tankersley also parted ways with Stanford University. Because of these high-profile exits, Stanford has lost 123 individual points contributed by these three swimmers from a total of 183 points.

While Curzan aced the backstroke event, she also has the 100m butterfly waiting for her on day three. Will she be able to carry her momentum in the butterfly race as well?

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