Soon-To-Be Virginia Cavalier Madi Mintenko on Path Toward 200 Freestyle Contention
Two years ago, Madi Mintenko provided a sensational relay anchor for the U.S. women at the World Junior Championships. Mintenko was trying to bring home gold in the 800 freestyle relay, and she had to come from behind against Australia to secure the win with a 1:57.45 split, more than a half-second quicker than her then-best time in the 200 free.
That performance set up the teenager as an outside threat to reach the U.S. Olympic team in the 800 free relay, with six swimmers slated to earn berths to Paris, but Mintenko would first have to make it through a deep field of swimmers to reach the top-eight in the 200 free. Mintenko qualified for the 400 free final at the high-stakes selection meet, but she came up just short in the 200 semifinals, ending up 10th. Further junior-level success followed, with two individual silvers and a pair of relay golds at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
Now, however, Mintenko looks poised to jump into the deep group of American 200 freestyle standouts following her effort at the TYR Summer Championships last week in Irvine, Calif. Her flat-start best time had been stuck at 1:58.0 for two years, but then she clocked 1:57.64 in Friday’s prelims. In the final, Mintenko staved off a finishing surge from Australia’s Jaimie De Lutiis by three tenths, 1:56.95 to 1:57.28.
Another enormous best time made Mintenko the sixth-fastest American this year in the 200 free, quicker than the times required to reach last year’s Olympic team and this year’s Worlds team.
Mintenko, who competes for Pikes Peak Aquatics in Colorado, is the daughter of Lindsay (Benko) Mintenko, a two-time U.S. Olympian who specialized in the 200 free before her run as U.S. national team managing director. Her father, Mike Mintenko, also swam at a pair of Olympics while representing Canada.
This latest performance by the younger Mintenko will have no practical effect regarding qualification. Mintenko declined a spot on the World Junior Championships team for this year as she prepares to begin her college career at the University of Virginia. Times from the Irvine meet will be considered for qualification toward the senior-level Pan Pacs next year, but that meet does not include relay prelims, so there is no pathway for the sixth-place swimmer in the 200 free to make the team.
Still, this breakthrough matters as the United States tries to assemble an 800 free relay capable of beating Australia by the time the 2028 Olympics come around. Mintenko is still a ways off the top-five swimmers in the country, all of whom were 1:55 or better this year, but the Aussies have been so good in this event for the past half-decade thanks to their constantly-replenished stable of swimmers in the 1:56-range.
Mintenko is also bound for a new training base known for helping freestylers take steps forward toward international teams. Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh have emerged as bona fide stars during their time at Virginia, and sprinters Maxine Parker and Anna Moesch have both earned World Championships relay spots after just one season with the program.
More immediately, Mintenko will take on a major role for a Virginia team that has won five consecutive national titles but loses Walsh and her older sister Alex this season. Her best time in the 200 free is already in scoring range at the NCAA Championships while her top 500 free time, a 4:39.89 that beat a Colorado high school record held by Missy Franklin, is just off that level.
This will be the first time in four summers that Mintenko does not compete for the U.S. junior team, with more important life events like the beginning of college taking precedence. But Mintenko’s finishing note for her club-swimming career was a major one, lifting her status among American 200 freestylers giving her a boost into a college career that will time up nicely with the LA Olympic quad.
