By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
A bet is a bet.
American swimmer Zach Harting challenged American swimmer Hunter Armstrong to a 50-meter backstroke swimoff in the team’s pre-Short Course Worlds training camp. Armstrong, the long course World Record holder, beat out Harting, a 200 butterflier but great underwater swimmer, in a closer-than-expected race.
The wager? The loser had to do a karaoke song of the winner’s choosing. Armstrong pegged his Team USA teammate Harting to sing Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You.
In true Zach Harting fashion, he went full send. Watch the damage below.
Harting, a late addition to the US roster after USA Swimming realized that they had erroneously entered Carson Foster in the 200 fly, which he was not qualified for, finished 11th in prelims of that event in 1:51.86 – just-missing his best time by three-tenths of a second. That’s not a bad result given the last-minute notice to prepare.
Armstrong, who is a long course specialist, finished 19th in the 100 free, 17th in the 100 back, and tied for 8th in the 50 back prelims – before losing a swimoff and being eliminated from the final.
Armstrong came away with a gold medal in the men’s 400 free relay and a silver medal in the men’s 200 medley relay as well.
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