Senior swimmer Matt Fallon broke the American record in the 200 meter breaststroke en route to qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team.
Credit: Anna VazhaeparambilINDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — “I’m Matt Fallon and I’m a Paris Olympian!”
At Lucas Oil Stadium, flashing lights shifted from the American red and blue to a bright, shimmering gold. The crowd rose to their feet and roared with applause. In the center of all the glory was rising senior breaststroker Matt Fallon receiving some new and shiny accolades — an Olympic berth and an American record.
After nearly breaking the American record in the semifinals yesterday, Fallon touched the wall first during the finals of the 200-meter breaststroke. He stopped the clock in a time of 2:06.54 — smashing the eight-year standing American record by 0.63 seconds and punching his ticket to Paris.
“I’ve been eyeing that record for a while,” Fallon said. “I knew that I definitely had the capability to do it. … I know I’ve had it in me this entire time. I just wanted to get out and do it on the biggest stage.”
Furthermore, the time catapults him atop international rankings. He is now the fastest man in the world this year in the 200m breaststroke.
At the starting blocks, all eyes were truly on Fallon, who was in the center of the pool in lane four. Fallon was off to a quick start with a reaction time of 0.64 seconds, on par with his earlier swims. After the first 50 meters, Fallon trailed and touched in fifth. However, Fallon was still close to the pack — only trailing leader Indiana University rising senior Josh Matheny by 0.47 seconds. Notably, Fallon’s split continues his trend of improving his early times from his earlier races.
During his second 50, Fallon started to make his move. At the 100m mark, he touched the wall in third. Matheny continued to lead the field, but Fallon was close behind — closing the gap to only 0.34 seconds.
“Obviously, I’m never gonna go out super all out — because then I’ll really feel it on the last 100 — but just kind of experimenting with going out a little bit faster so that I’m right there with everyone else,” Fallon said about his first half performances in an interview on the Quaker Nation Podcast late last year.
But the back half of the race is always where he excels. And excel he did.
In his signature fashion, Fallon pulled ahead of the competition during this last half of the race. At 150 meters, he touched with a time of 1:34.00 for first and created a 0.69 second gap between himself and his next competitor.
“I was strong but still kind of keeping it gentle on the first 100, don’t want to get out too fast,” Fallon said. “Then on the back half, just really doing more of the same stuff but really still trying to keep it together, even though I’ve gone out pretty fast.”
In the final lap of the race back to the blocks, Fallon never looked back and continued to pull further and further away from the pack. At the final touch, Fallon stopped the clock at 2:06.54 — a full two seconds ahead of second-place finisher Matheny.
Fallon shot his head back to look at the scoreboard and the realization set in. He now was an Olympian and the fastest American in this event in history. And Fallon did what anyone would do: celebrate. He leapt out of the water, tore his cap off, and splashed his arms into the water in excitement.
Years of 6 a.m. practices, hundreds of hours spent traveling to meets, and millions of yards in the pool have culminated in this dream come true. For Fallon, this outcome was extra sweet, as just three years ago in the 2021 Trials, Fallon finished last in the finals of this event.
“In 2021, I was definitely really tight on that final day. I had given everything I had in the semis. Today, I was much more loose. It’s definitely just a testament to all the work I’ve done the past three years,” Fallon said.
Fallon better pack his bags, as the Olympics are only a month away in middle and late July.
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