IRVINE, Calif. — The women’s 200-meter freestyle at the national swimming championships served as a giant petri dish for studying the mental health culture in the sport of swimming.
Advancing to the championship final was the American record-holder Allison Schmitt, a three-time Olympian and eight-time Olympic medalist who has talked openly of her struggles with performance anxiety and depression.
Finishing third in the “C” final, at 19th over all, was the two-time Olympian and six-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin, who saw in Schmitt’s runner-up finish a reason to believe she, too, could fight her way back to the surface.