By: Felix Xie
INDIANAPOLIS—46 roster slots filled. Two world records fell when the slots were filled. Now, the US Olympic team will head to Paris for the ultimate test between our rivals, the French and the Aussies.
Three-time Olympic team qualifiers Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel are still the roster headliners. However, there are still a number of potential stars on the team, from Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh to Chris Guiliano and the youngest member on the team, Thomas Heilman. The roster has a balanced mix of veterans and rising stars.
Here are some of the most important takeaways from the Trials:
Katie Ledecky is still Katie Ledecky.
Katie Ledecky is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and has been the world’s best distance swimmer for a decade. Ledecky, 27, became the first woman to win the same event in 4 consecutive U.S. Olympic swimming trials by winning the 800-meter Long Course Meters (LCM) free final this weekend. She also won the LCM mile event as well as the 400-meter LCM freestyle. She even won the 200 free. However, she said later that she would skip the event in Paris and just take part in the 4 by 200 free relay.
Ledecky didn’t break any of her world records at this meet, nor did she seem too excited with her performances, even when she beat her fellow competitors. Her standard is higher than that of other people who are swimming, and that’s what gives her focus when she trains for what many of us would consider long, brutal, and boring events.
Caeleb Dressel is back! So is Regan Smith! And Simone Manuel!
Joining Ledecky in the headlines is Caeleb Dressel, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist. He won the 100-meter LCM fly and the 50-meter free finals, so he will swim both of the individual events in Paris in addition to the 4 by 100 LCM free relay.
Even though this program might seem lacking to an outside observer, it is a huge deal for Dressel. After taking an eight-month break from swimming from mid-2022 to early 2023 to treat what his coach described as a mental health matter, Caeleb Dressel is back in the sport, cementing his face on the Olympic team.
Aside from Caleb, Regan Smith is another swimmer who suffered after the Tokyo Games. She went to Indianapolis with little faith in herself as a swimmer after the COVID-delayed Tokyo Games and its aftermath. Here at the Lucas Oil Stadium, she set a new world record in the women’s 100-meter LCM back with a time of 57.13 seconds. She also won the women’s 200-meter LCM back final. She said it’s been a long time since she performed as well as she did here at a big meet and that she hopes to do the same in France.
Meanwhile, five-time Olympic medalist Simone Manuel won the women’s 50-meter freestyle at trials for an individual event at the Paris Olympics. Manuel, 27, had already qualified for her third Olympic team as part of the 4×100 freestyle relay. She’s happy to make the team after a challenging five months away from the pool because of overtraining syndrome. She was also disappointed by not qualifying as an individual in the event. To alleviate her stress, she watches videos of old races that she had won before—to remind herself that she is a winner. She then proved it.
Overall, the team for the Paris Olympics looks strong, with a balanced mix of veterans and new stars. We will see some intense rivalry between Team USA and Team Australia.