By: Ruihao Rick Shan
San Jose, California- Last week at the U.S. Olympic swim trials, two world records were broken, and all 46 roster spots were filled.
For over a decade, Katie Ledecky has been the best distance swimmer in the world. She’s a 7-time Olympic gold medalist and has 2 world records. She won the 800-meter freestyle at trials this weekend, becoming the first woman to win the same event at 4 consecutive trials. She also won the 1500, 400, and 200-meter freestyles as well. Despite winning the 200, Ledecky said she would most likely not swim it at Paris and just participate in the 4×200 free relay.
Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel has made a comeback after taking an 8-month break from swimming in mid-2022. He withdrew from the 2022 World Championships and left the spotlight because of mental health matters. This year at trials he won both the 100-meter fly and 50-meter free, securing himself Olympic spots in both events. He’ll also be a member of this year’s 4×100 meter free relay.
Reagan Smith, another swimmer who struggled after Tokyo, has also made a comeback. During the pandemic, Smith had too much time on her hands. That caused her to overthink to become paralyzed with the fear of not being able to replicate their own past performances. Smith secured an Olympic spot in the 100-meter backstroke, setting a new world record of 57.13 seconds in the process. She also won the 200-meter backstroke and the 200-meter butterfly.
Meanwhile, 5-time Olympic Medalist Simone Manuel secured her spot for Paris by winning the 50-meter freestyle. However, her journey to this achievement wasn’t without challenges. In 2021, she experienced overtraining syndrome., which caused her body to break down. Consequently, she had to take a five-month break from the pool to allow her body to rest and recover.
The University of Virginia has shocked everyone with its athletes’ stunning performance at trials. Kate Douglas, a UVA alumni, won the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter breaststroke, and 200-meter individual medley. Another alumni, Paige Madden, qualified for the 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle, and 4 by 200 freestyle.
Meanwhile, Gretchen Walsh set a new world record in the 100-meter butterfly with a blazing 55.18 seconds. In addition, she placed 2nd in the 50-meter freestyle and 3rd in the 100-meter. Meaning she qualified for the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Her sister Alex Walsh also qualified for Paris in the 200-meter individual medley.
Emma Weber also threw in a surprise qualification by placing 2nd in the 100-meter breaststroke.
On the men’s side, 17-year-old Thomas Heilman shocked everyone by winning the 200-meter butterfly and getting second in the 100-meter butterfly.
The U.S. Olympic swim trials wrapped up with two world records broken and the team roster filled. Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel performed strongly, while Reagan Smith and Simone Manuel made successful comebacks. University of Virginia athletes also stood out. These trials showed both experienced swimmers and new talents, setting up a promising U.S. team for Paris.