By: Alexander Zhang

Indianapolis, Indiana- The United States Olympic Trials for swimming, held from June 15 – 23rd, showed the world the formidable speeds of American swimmers. Held in an olympic swimming pool inside Lucas Oil Stadium (NFL Stadium), the swim meet determined the 46 people who would represent USA Swimming and the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Butterfly Events

The most exciting part of the butterfly events was when Gretden Walsh broke the world record for the 100 meter fly during the semi-finals! 17 year old Thomas Keilman won the 200 meter fly and secured 2nd place in the 100 meter fly, qualifying for both the events, becoming the youngest American person to swim multiple events at the Olympics since Brian Goodell in 1976.

Backstroke Events

Reagan Smith, a swimmer who struggled between the Tokyo Olympics and the trials, overcame her challenges to secure her spot for the 100 and 200 meter backstroke. In the 100 meter backstroke, she set a new world record with a speedy time of 57.13 seconds!

Breaststroke Events

Kate Douglass won the 200 meter breaststroke, along with her wins in the 100 meter free and the 200 meter IM (individual medley).

Freestyle Events

The main highlight for the freestyle events was when Katie Ledecky, world record holder and 7-time Olympic gold medalist won four freestyle events- the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 meter freestyle. She used to be the fastest in both short and long distances, but now she is getting challenged by swimmers across the world for her short distance titles. Caeleb Dressel, a 7-time Olympic gold medalist, who took a two year break from swimming, won the mens’ 50 meter freestyle, along with the 100 meter fly. Simone Manuel, 5-time Olympic gold medalist, won the womens’ 50 free.