By: Hunter Ding
LUCAS OIL STADIUM, INDIANAPOLIS – The Olympic Swim trials were held on June 15 to 23, in which two world records were set, forty-six roster spots were filled, and the U.S. Swim Team was set for the Paris Olympics.
Three-time Olympians Katie Ledecky and Caleb Dressel remained in the roster’s headliners, but there were a number of fairly new faces, including Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Chris Guiliano, and 17-year old Thomas Heilman. What were the takeaways from the trials, though? What does it mean for the upcoming Summer Olympics? Here are a couple of the key points of the trials.
Katie Ledecky
This seven-time gold medalist is—and was for ten years—the best distance swimmer in the world. She became the first woman to win the same event in four consecutive U.S. swimming trials. At the 2024 meet, however, she did not break any of her own records, and did not seem particularly pleased with her performances. Her standards are significantly higher than this, and that’s why she trains for many long, and exhausting hours!
The University of Virginia Women
Since head coach Todd DeSorbo took the reins 7 years ago, the UVA women’s swimming program has been going very strong, winning four consecutive national championships. UVA alumnus Kate Douglass’ face was placed on the outside, knowing that she’ll impress inside— which she did by winning the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter breaststroke, and 200-meter individual medley events.
Meanwhile, Gretchen Walsh set a new world record for the 100-meter butterfly before qualifying for her first Olympic team. She’ll swim the 100 fly and the 50 free in Paris, in addition to the 4×100 free relay.
Additionally, there was a surprise 100-meter breaststroke qualification by Emma Weber and Paige Madden in the 400 and 800 freestyles as well as the 4×200 free relay. DeSorbo has been named the head women’s coach for the U.S. team.
What next?
The Paris Summer Olympics are coming up, and those athletes will, with little doubt, be pushed much harder than they were at the Trials.