2024 US OLYMPIC TRIALS
Only three events will take place during Monday morning’s preliminaries at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, with the women’s 400 individual medley, women’s 100 backstroke and men’s 800 freestyle on the schedule.
Katie Grimesthe first athlete to qualify for Team USA in Paris after winning bronze in the women’s 10K at last summer’s World Championships, headlines the 400 IM as a two-time silver medalist at the World Championships, after placing second behind Canada. Summer McIntosh in 2022 and 2023.
Grimes has looked strong so far in Indianapolis, qualifying for the women’s 200 freestyle final tonight (she also competed in the 400 freestyle final but was eliminated).
Monitoring of world and American records will be on high alert for Regan Smith the next two nights in the 100 backstroke, while the 22-year-old put in a very impressive performance in the 100 butterfly, moving into 5th all-time (tie) despite his 3rd place finish and missing out on a spot in the 100 backstroke. Olympic team.
Smith lowered his American record to 57.51 less than a month ago and could aim Kaylee McKeownthe world record at some point over the next two days.
The battle for 2nd place in the women’s 100 backstroke has been a hotly debated topic with the 2023 World Championships bronze medalist. Katharine Berkoff2024 world champion Claire Curzan and Tokyo Olympic finalist Rhyan White among the main players in the running.
Olivia Smoligaseeded No. 4 entering the competition, was a surprising scratch this morning, making the battle for lanes in the semifinals and finals a little less crowded.
The session will conclude with seven rounds of the men’s 800 freestyle, where we expect to see an intense battle for the lanes in the final with the reigning Olympic champion. Bobby Finke the only swimmer who can put him on cruise control.
There are a total of 12 men registered under 8:00, behind Finke’s 7:38, Ross Dant And David Johnston are the only others within 7:50.
A name to watch will be Luke Whitlockthe 18-year-old who set a significant lifetime best in the 400 freestyle to move into second place all-time among boys 17-18.
Whitlock set a personal best of 7:50.20 in May and needed just two seconds more to break through. Larsen JensenThe NAG 17-18 record of 7:48.09 at the 2003 World Championships.
400 WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL IM – PRELIMINARIES
- World record: 4:24.38, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2024 Canadian Trials
- American Record: 4:31.12, Katie Hoff – 2008 US Olympic Trials
- US Open record: 4:28.61, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – US Open 2022
- Junior world record: 4:24.38, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2024 Canadian Trials
- 2021 US Olympic Trials Champion: Emma Weyant4:33.81
- 2024 Olympic qualifying time: 4:38.53
Final qualifications:
- Emma Weyant (FLOR), 4:38.96
- Katie Grimes (SAND), 4:39.63
- Lucy Bell (ALTO), 4:40.79
- Lilla Bognar (TG), 4:41.14
- Lea Hayes (TIME DIVISION), 4:42.97
- Zoe Dixon (FLOR), 4:43.30
- Léa Smith (TXLA), 4:43.45
- Audrey Derivaux (JW), 4:45.23
Emma Weyant made her move on the breaststroke leg in the final heat of the women’s 400 IM, overtaking Katie Grimes and held her off to take first place in tonight’s final in 4:38.96.
Weyant’s performance was four-hundredths shy of his season best, after posting a time of 4:39.00 at the Atlanta Classic last month. The 22-year-old is the reigning Olympic silver medalist in the event, having set a personal best of 4:32.76 in that Tokyo final.
Grimes, a two-time world championship silver medalist in the event, looked comfortable en route to second place in the final in 4:39.63. She should have a lot more in the tank tonight after going as fast as 4:32.76 this year.
The first three places before tonight came from this last round, while the Alto Swim Club Lucy Bell knocked almost a second off her personal best in 4:40.79 to place 3rd.
The Greenville team Little Bognar reigning junior world champion Lea Hayes in the first seeded heat, Bognar clocking 4:41.14 for 4th place overall. Bognar’s swim was just shy of his best time of 4:40.97 last summer, while Hayes clocked 4:42.97 after setting a personal best of 4:36.84 at Worlds junior.
Notable age group Audrey Dérivaux took a big swim out of an outside lane in Heat 3, losing more than four seconds to finish in 4:45.23 and move into 7th all-time among girls 13-14.
All-time rankings, US girls 13-14 400 IM (LCM)
- Becca Mann, 4:39.76 — 2012
- Katie Anderson, 4:39.82 — 2004
- Kayla Han, 4:42.96 — 2023
- Erika Hansen, 4:44.45 — 1985
- Claire Tuggle, 4:44.81 — 2018
- Elizabeth Beisel, 4:44.87 — 2007
- Audrey Dérivaux, 4:45.23 — 2024
- Mariah Denigan, 4:45.41 — 2018
The 14-year-old, who entered the competition with a lifetime best of 4:49.32 last summer, ended up qualifying for the final in 8th place.
Carmel particularly missed the final. Kayla Han, who has just won a very impressive 4th place in the 400 freestyle. Han, 16, has a personal best of 4:42.32, but only ran a time of 4:47.71 to finish 10th.
100 WOMEN’S BACK – PRELIMINARIES
- World record: 57.33, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2023 World Cup – Budapest
- American record: 57.51, Regan Smith – NOVA Speedo Grand Challenge 2024
- US Open record: 57.51, Regan Smith (United States) – NOVA Speedo Grand Challenge 2024
- Junior world record: 57.57, Regan Smith (United States) – 2019 World Championships
- 2021 US Olympic Trials Champion: 58.35, Regan Smith
- 2024 Olympic qualifying time: 59.99
Semi-final qualifying:
- Regan Smith (TXLA), 57.93
- Katharine Berkoff (WOLF), 58.09
- Kennedy Noble (WOLF), 58.55
- Josephine Fuller (TENN), 58.80
- Isabelle Stadt (CAL), 59.10
- Rhyan White (WOLF), 59.23
- Claire Curzan (TAC-NC), 59.43
- Phoebe Bacon (UW), 59.61
- Leah Shackley (BRY), 59.63
- Teagan O’Dell (MVN), 59.83
- Charlotte Crush (LAK), 1:00.02
- Erika Peláez (EA), 1:00.11
- Maggie Wanezek (EBSC), 1:00.33
- Caroline Bentz (NCAP), 1:00.47
- Emma Kern (TXLA), 1:00.54
- Rylee Erisman (LAKR), 1:00.71
Regan Smith asserted herself in the last wave of the women’s 100 backstroke, responding to Katharine Berkoffdazzling swim in the previous heat adding another sub-58 to his CV.
Smith clocked 57.93 for the 18th sub-58 of her career, transferring the positive momentum she created in the 100 fly forward into one of her main events. The 22-year-old broke her five-year-old American record in the 100m backstroke last month in 57.51, less than two-tenths off the world record.
Berkoff, who set a personal best of 58.01 last year, clocked 58.09 in the penultimate heat to advance to 2nd in the semifinals, alongside his Wolfpack teammate. Kennedy Noble, who clocked 58.55 for the first time. Noble, whose previous best was 59.11, moves into 16th all-time in the event and 8th among Americans.
Tennessee also fell below 59 for the first time. Josephine Fullerwho improved his lifetime best by almost nine-tenths of a second, from 59.67 to 58.80, to qualify 4th for the semi-finals.
Six other women spent less than 1 hour, including Cal’s. Isabelle Stadt (59.10), Tokyo Olympic finalist Rhyan White (59.23) and reigning world champion Claire Curzan (59.43). Stadden fell just over a tenth from his season high, while White was 0.03 off.
In 11th, 16 years old Charlotte’s Favorite lost five hundredths of his best time in 1:00.02, remaining 11th all time among 15-16 year olds.
After missing the 400 free final and the 200 free semi-finals, the Florida athlete Bella Sims was back in the water this morning in the 100 backstroke, clocking 1:01 for the first time in 1:00.88 and finished 18th overall.
800 FREE MEN — PRELIMINARIES
- World record: 7:32.11 — Zhang Lin (CHN) — 2009 World Championships
- American record: 7:38.67 – Bobby Finke – 2023 World Championships
- US Open record: 7:40.34 – Bobby Finke (United States) – 2023 US National Championships
- Junior world record: 7:43.37 — Lorenzo Galossi (ITA) – 2022 European Championships
- 2021 US Olympic Trials Champion: Bobby Finke7:48.22
- 2024 Olympic qualifying time — 7:51.65
Final qualifications:
Long Island Aquatic Club Sean Green stood out in the opening heats of the men’s 800 freestyle, smashing his personal best in 7:56.47 to move into 10th all-time among boys 17-18. The 17-year-old’s previous best was 8:05.34, set almost two years ago.