By: Troy Qian

Indianapolis, IN- As the Paris Olympics comes closer, a U.S. swim team must be set. Three-time Olympians Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel remain the roster’s headliners, but there are several potential stars waiting in the wings, from the versatile Kate Douglass and speedy Cavalier Gretchen Walsh to the 17-year-old Thomas Heilman. The group has a mix of veteran presence, youthful exuberance, and even two pairs of siblings.

Starting with Katie Ledecky: The 27-year-old seven-time Olympic gold medalist has been the best distance swimmer in the world for a decade. She became the first woman to win the same event in four consecutive U.S. Olympic swimming trials by winning the 800-meter freestyle final this weekend. She also cruised to victory in the 1,500-meter freestyle.

Moving on with Caeleb Dressel: Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel won both the 100-meter butterfly and 50-meter freestyle finals, so he’ll swim both individual events in Paris in addition to the 4×100 free relay. But things weren’t always great for him. He took an eight-month break from swimming from mid-2022 to early 2023, abruptly withdrawing from the 2022 world championships and disappearing from the spotlight. His coach told the NY Times that it was a mental health matter. And at the 2023 U.S. national championships, Dressel failed to qualify for the 2023 world championships.

And Cavalier Gretchen Walsh: who set a new world record in the 100-meter butterfly in the semifinals. Before qualifying for her first Olympic team, she’ll need to swim the 100 fly and the 50 free in Paris, in addition to the 4×100 free relay. After years of Walsh being told she was only good at short-course swimming and couldn’t be elite in long course. A world record does quite a bit to quiet those critics.