By: Claire Liu
After an eventful week of competing, 2024’s Olympic Swimming Trials has come to an end with a full roster ready to represent USA. Previous Olympians as well as newcomers are now ready to take the Gold this summer. Out of a thousand people who swam at the trials, only 46 swimmers have marked their spots on the team, and they have never been more excited to head to Paris.
This year’s team for the U.S has some surprising new members who had jaw-dropping swims at the trials. First timer Gretchen Walsh broke the world record for Women’s 100 butterfly, wowing everyone with her incredible swim. Walsh also placed second in the 50 freestyle, qualifying for the event (Only Top 2 swimmers per event qualify). She’ll be making her way to Paris along with her sister, Alex Walsh, who qualified in the 200 Individual Medley, and will be returning to the Olympics for the second time. This is a big moment for both sisters, as it’s rare for an Olympic team to have siblings, and the Walsh Sisters have never been more excited.
22-year old Carson Foster has also joined theteam, winning both the 200 and 400 Individual Medleys at Trials. He will be America’s biggest hope when it comes to these very two events.
Young Thomas Heilman is heading to Paris by winning both the 100 and 200 Butterfly at trials. At only 17, Heilman also broke the age-group record which was held by Michael Phelps for almost two decades.
Meanwhile, former Olympians are back to defend their title, including Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, and several others. Katie Ledecky is still the World’s best distance freestyler, winning the 200, 400, 800, and the 1500 at trials. It’s clear how hard she trains and what it has led to, but even being the best of the best in the U.S, competition this year in Paris will be tough as Ledecky may not be the favorite to win. She’ll have to look out for other incredible freestylers, like Summer McIntosh and Ariarne Titmus, who will both be representing Australia.
Caeleb Dressel is also back, placing first in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle at trials, qualifying for the 4×100 freestyle relay as well. This is a big accomplishment for Dressel, as he took an eight month break midway through 2022 to 2023, described by his coach as a mental health matter. Returning from his break, Dressel didn’t qualify for the 2023 championships as his time away from the sport had made it hard for him to recover. But now, after more hardwork and dedication, Dressel is back, here to defend his name.
Fans and coaches can’t wait to watch our favorite athletes compete in Paris, as they swim for the gold.
Each and Every swimmer on team USA all have their own unique stories and journeys, of their perseverance, strength, and hardwork, and how it has all led to this. And now they get to show it all off in this year’s Summer Olympics.