2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
Day 3 Prelims Warmth Sheet
I hope all of you might be awake and in a position to perform after a weekend of such velocity and pleasure. Over the previous two days, we have now seen Katie Ledecky make her fourth Olympic group, Aaron Shackell dazzle a hometown crowd together with his first Olympic qualifying swim, and Gretchen Walsh drop a hammer on the competitors within the 100 fly semis, swimming a brand new World Report time of 55.18, and that was simply night time one.
Final night time was simply as entertaining as night time one. We noticed a powerful girls’s 200 free semifinals, Lilly King wow in entrance of a house crowd within the 100 breast, and a swim-off for the finals of the boys’s 200 free this night, which was one of the crucial entertaining swims of the week up to now.
Don’t let this morning’s lack of occasions lull you into the sense you can loosen up the day away. The ladies’s 400 IM and the boys’s 800 free proceed on to finals, so all of the prelims swimmers should be on high of their sport lest they find yourself in ninth. Nevertheless, we are going to begin our morning preview with one of the crucial aggressive strokes on the ladies’s aspect: backstroke.
We’ve already seen top-seeded Regan Smith in motion, as she joined the sub-56 membership on night time one. Final night time, she lowered her time within the occasion changing into the fifth quickest performer within the occasion ever. Regan, the previous world report holder on this occasion, had a season-best time of 57.51 from final month, which additionally stands as a brand new private greatest. On the cusp of becoming a member of Smith beneath 58 is NC State’s Katharine Berkoff. The 2023 bronze medalist from the Fukuoka World Championships, Berkoff has been seen as the simple shoo-in for the 2nd backstroke spot on the Olympics and a medal contender, however by no fault of her personal, home and worldwide competitors have stepped up their sport and it’ll be as much as Berkoff to see how she responds.
Claire Curzan, the third seed, is the defending World Champion within the occasion, having swum 58.29 in Doha, and seems to be all in on the backstroke as she didn’t enter any freestyle occasions. Overseas, Mollie O’Callaghan‘s robust efficiency at their Trials and the reemergence of Kylie Masse will make this occasion in Paris one of many ones to circle.
The morning begins out with the Ladies’s 400 IM, the place high seed Katie Grimes is entered greater than 5 seconds forward of Leah Hayes. Grimes completed seventh within the prelims of the 400 free, however scratched the ultimate, and final night time, within the 200 free she
Hayes, a UVA commit, is attempting to find her first Olympic group after bursting onto the scene in 2022, qualifying for the world group within the 200 IM. Nevertheless, her youth should attempt to maintain off the expertise of Emma Weyant and Leah Smith. Weyant represented the US on the Tokyo Video games, capturing the silver medal and claiming bronze in 2022 on the Budapest World Championships.
We finish the morning with the heats of the boys’s 800 free. Whereas we’ve seen the 400 and 200 go by, it’s time for our extra distance-orientated swimmers to step up. High seed Bobby Finke‘s gamble on selecting the 400 free over the 400 IM, appeared to have paid off. Regardless of ending 4th and out of doors of consideration for the Olympic Staff, he recorded a brand new PB of near 2 seconds and was beneath the OQT, an accolade that was a wrestle for the US males final go-around.
Seeking to problem Finke’s dominance is a bunch of each hungry youth and skilled veterans. Ross Dant and Will Gallant are coaching companions at NC State and can look to vie with David Johnston and Charlie Clark for topping billing behind Finke. Representing the youth are a pair of Lukes. Luke Whitlock is the 4th seed, and Luke Ellis is the tenth seed. Each have been born in 2006 and can look to not solely put themselves in rivalry for tomorrow’s ultimate but additionally might be trying to put themselves into consideration for the Jr. Pan Pacs Staff.