2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: Casas Breaks Through – Earns First Olympic Bid
2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
June 15-23, 2024
Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN
LCM (50 Meters)
Session Start Times (ET):
11 a.m. Prelims
7:45 p.m. Finals (varying based on broadcast needs)
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Prelims Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
Finals Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” ― Nelson Mandela
There was an outpouring of emotions from Shaine Casas when he touched the wall and saw that he had finished 2nd in the 200 IM behind teammate Carson Foster. Casas is one of the greatest short-course swimmers in recent American history. At the 2021 NCAA Championships, he won the 100 back, 200 back and 2oo IM and has won 10 medals across two short-course World Championships.
However, success in the long course has not been as easy. At the 2021 Wave II Olympic Trials, Casas finished 6th in the 200 back and an agonizing 3rd in the 100 back, .28 behind Hunter Armstrong. Casas earned some hardware in the big pool, earning a bronze in the 200 back at the 2022 Worlds and being part of three medal-winning relays.
The former Texas Aggies turned Longhorn in afCasas struggles weren’t contained to near misses as Casas has faced some troubles in his personal life, being arrested for public intoxication in May of 2021, just before Olympic Trials.
MEN’S 200 IM — FINAL
World Record: 1:54.00 — Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
American Record: 1:54.00 — Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
U.S. Open Record: 1:54.56 — Ryan Lochte (USA), 2009
World Junior Record: 1:56.99 – Hubert Kos (HUN), 2021
2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Michael Andrew, 1:55.44
2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 1:57.94
Final:
Carson Foster (RAYS), 1:55.65
Shaine Casas (TXLA), 1:55.83
Kieran Smith (RAC), 1:56.97
Chase Kalisz (TXLA), 1:57.17
Owen McDonald (ISC), 1:57.51
Arsenio Bustos (WOLF), 1:58.26
Grant House (SUN), 1:58.35
Will Modglin (ISC), 1:58.44
Carson Foster won this race, sweeping the men’s IMs this week in Indianapolis. He clocked a 1:55.65, good for second in the world this season. But this race was all about Shaine Casas.
Casas was out incredibly fast. He opened the race in 23.79, a whopping 1.80 seconds under Ryan Lochte‘s world record pace. After just 50 meters, he was .81 seconds ahead of the second-fastest swimmer, Grant House (24.60). Casas was still under world record pace at the halfway point, splitting a 28.89 on backstroke and turning in 52.68.
He lost touch with Lochte’s world record pace a bit after a 33.88 breaststroke leg. But heading into the freestyle leg, he had a 1.52 second lead over Foster, who’d moved into second place after splitting 34.27. Casas ran out of steam on the on the last leg of the race, splitting the slowest freestyle leg in the field (29.27). Still, it was enough to get hime home for second place in 1:55.83 behind Foster’s win.
As Casas looked behind him at the board and realized he was an Olympian, he had an incredibly emotional reaction to realizing his dream. He and Foster, who both train at Texas, shared a huge hug in the water and then again when they exited the water together.
They now sit at #2 and #4 in the world this season.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: Casas Breaks Through – Earns First Olympic Bid