The USA delegation is naturally the largest for the last leg of the FINA Championships Swim Series 2019 to be held in Indianapolis (USA) on May 31 and June 1 and FINA has invited Team USA young talents Townley Haas, 22, and Jack Conger, 24, to race in the 100/200/400m free and the 100/200m fly respectively.

Both talented College swimmers but also Olympians and World medallists are looking forward to taking part in the Series on home-soil.

“I am a freestyler” started Haas. “I went to University of Texas and I still train there now. My best event is the 200m free and I want to beat everyone here. Winning the 200m free in Gwangju is my main goal and I want to swim fast in my two relays too.”

“The new format of this competition is definitely interesting. I have never done anything like it so I am excited to try it out. A little bit of a change might be good.” he added.

Asked about the strengths of the Champions Swim Series, without hesitating Haas said:

“The shortness of the session might actually be good for spectators and for TV as well. The in-between race show was pretty cool as well, pretty entertaining.”

“There is a pretty good amount of money here which I think is great for a number of reasons but it helps start that trend for us to be able to make more money.”

Also a University of Texas ace, Conger’s reaction when he was selected and invited to race in the third Champions Swim Series leg was very positive as he immediately spotted the potential to grow the sport.

“My first initial response was 'wow only four blocks it’s weird', but in the end I think it is awesome. It is amazing that there is no prelims, no semis. You get to do it once, you only have to focus for one or two races depending on how many you have entered, it is awesome. The whole concept is super cool and unique. I think it is a great way to grow the sport.”

“We are about 7/ 8 weeks away from the World’s so this event will be a great benchmark to see where I am at right now and I still have time to make training adjustments. Here you get to race not only great Americans but also some amazing international swimmers. It is great practice to be able to race each other’s on an international stage. Luckily it is nice to have a stop at home for us.”

Recognising the role and impact his predecessors Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte have had on the sport, Conger, who trains in Virginia since November 2018, said:

“Thanks to Michael and Ryan now swimming is the premier event at the Olympic Games but unfortunately I feel like the sport dies down after the Games. People are super interested about the sport but they have no way to follow it in between. There are not enough opportunities to grasp the public’s attention. I am convinced tough that it will continue to grow and I feel blessed to be part of it.”

“The Champions Swim Series is the first opportunity to show that there is more to swimming than just the Olympics. This is really a big deal and it is exciting.”, said Conger who bagged two bronze medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”