2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: Day 7 Finals Live Recap

By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam

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)

Meet Central
SwimSwam’s Definitive Guide to Trials
Psych Sheets
Live Results
SwimSwam Preview Index
SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
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
Final Live Stream
Day 7 Finals Heat Sheet

It’s Friday night everyone — what else would you want to be doing but watching and talking about swimming? It’s time for the seventh night of finals at 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. There are five events tonight; we’ve got three finals at the top of the session and then two semifinals to close out the night.

The men’s splash and dash kicks off the night. This should be a frenetic race; it took a sub-22 (and for Adam Chaney, multiple) to make the final and while the top two could come from anywhere in the pool, it feels hard to bet against Chris Guiliano right now given the week that he’s had. But Jack Alexy won’t make it easy for him and neither will Caeleb Dressel, who’s facing his 50 free final/100 fly double semi tonight. Ryan Held and Michael Andrew will vie for a top two spot as well.

It should be the Regan Smith show in the 200 backstroke; she’s been having an excellent week in Indianapolis and is the American record holder in this event. She had the 200 butterfly final before last night’s semis but this is her only race tonight so she’ll be full throttle. There’s an interesting race developing behind her as Katie Grimes looks to unseat some of the best backstrokers America has to offer.

The last final of the night is the men’s 200 IM, which looks like it will be complete chaos. Chase Kalisz grabbed lane 4 with a strong swim in the semis while Carson Foster had a quieter race, moving through in 4th. That’s opened the discussion about whether this is is going to be the Foster/Kalisz show like the 400 IM of if there’s room for Shaine Casas or maybe even Kieran Smith to get into the top 2.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE — Final

World Record: 20.91 — Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
American Record: 21.04 — Caeleb Dressel, 2019 / 2021
U.S. Open Record: 21.04 — Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2021
World Junior Record: 21.75 — Michael Andrew (USA), 2017 / 2017
2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Caeleb Dressel, 21.04
2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 21.96

Final: 

Caeleb Dressel (FLOR), 21.41
Chris Guiliano (ND), 21.69
Matt King (TFA), 21.70
Jack Alexy (CAL), 21.76
Michael Andrew (MASA), 21.81
Ryan Held (SUN), 21.85
Quintin McCarty (WOLF), 21.97
Adam Chaney (FLOR), 22.08

Caeleb Dressel is back on top.

After qualifying for Paris in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay by virtue of his third place finish, Dressel has added his first individual event to his schedule by storming to the win in the men’s 50 freestyle.

Dressel exploded off the blocks and charged through the splash and dash, clocking a 21.41 for the win. Not only is that his fastest time since 2022, it ranks him 4th in the world this year, .07 seconds ahead of his Florida training partner Josh Liendo.

Chris Guiliano added a tenth from his semifinal swim, but still got his hand on the wall a hundredth ahead of Matt King for second place. With the swim, Guiliano becomes the first American man since Matt Biondi to qualify for the 50/100/200 freestyle individually. While finishing a heart-breaking third place in as small a margin as possible, King took a tenth off his lifetime best in 21.70.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE — Final

World Record: 2:03.14 — Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2023
American Record: 2:03.35 — Regan Smith, 2019

U.S. Open Record: 2:03.80 — Regan Smith (USA), 2023

World Junior Record: 2:19.64 – 2:03.35 — Regan Smith (USA), 2019
2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Rhyan White, 2:05.73

2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 2:10.39

Final: 

Regan Smith (SUN), 2:05.16
Phoebe Bacon (UW), 2:06.27
Claire Curzan (TAC), 2:06.34
Kennedy Noble (WOLF), 2:07.52
Rhyan White (WOLF), 2:07.64
Katie Grimes (SAND), 2:07.72
Isabelle Stadden (CAL), 2:08.77
Teagan O’Dell (MVN), 2:09.21

Regan Smith took control of this race from the start. She opened in a 29.16, .18 seconds under Kaylee McKeown‘s world record pace. She picked up more time on the second 50 with a 31.28, flipping in 1:00.44 and .29 seconds ahead of McKeown.

McKeown always brings a strong back half to her races and it was on the third 50 that Smith began to fall off the pace. But she still held a commanding lead of almost a second ahead of the rest of the field, where there was a close race developing for second between Claire Curzan and Phoebe Bacon.

Smith said after the race that she “ran out of gas” on the final 50 meters but still held it together with a 32.90 split, the fastest in the field. She touched in 2:05.16, earning her first Olympic 200 backstroke berth.

Meanwhile, Curzan was running second for the first 185 meters of this race. She held just a .03 second advantage over Bacon, which looked bigger as they came down the stretch. But Bacon found an extra gear in the closing meters, splitting 32.92 to Curzan’s 33.02. At the touch it was Bacon who became the two-time Olympian in 2:06.27, getting the better of Curzan’s 2:06.34. Bacon’s time now ranks fifth in the world this year.

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.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY — Semifinals

World Record: Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 49.45 (2021) 
American Record: Caeleb Dressel – 49.45 (2021) 
U.S. Open Record: Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 49.76 (2021; semifinals) 
World Junior Record: Kristof Milak (HUN) – 50.62 (2017)
2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Caeleb Dressel – 49.87
2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 51.67

Final Qualifiers:

Caeleb Dressel (GSC), 50.79
Dare Rose (CAL), 51.11
Zach Harting (CARD), 51.16
Ryan Murphy (CAL), 51.43
Aiden Hayes (WOLF), 51.50
Luke Miller (WOLF), 51.53
Thomas Hellman (CA-Y), 51.58
Kaii Winkler (EA), 51.64

And there’s the icing on the cake for Dressel in his 50 free/100 fly double. Less than an hour after qualifying for his first individual Paris 2024 event, Dressel was back on the blocks for the second 100 butterfly semifinal. He crushed his swim, taking the win and the top overall time in 50.79. It’s another season best for him, improving from the 50.84 he swam at the San Antonio PSS. He now ranks 6th in the world for 2023-24.

Dare Rose, the 2023 Worlds bronze medalist, moved through comfortably to the final as the 2nd overall seed after finishing second behind Dressel. Rose dropped .77 seconds from his prelims time, posting a 51.11. He’s joined in the final by his Cal teammate Ryan Murphy, who’s butterfly side quest has turned into something very real. Murphy made it into the final with a 51.43, just off his PB from last summer of 51.35.

Six of the finalists came from the second semifinal. Zach Harting and Luke Miller are the only two who made it from the first semifinal. It’s the second personal best of the day for both of them. Harting lowered his 51.49 personal best from prelims by .33 seconds, swimming 51.16. Miller swam 51.53, lowering his best by .21 seconds.

WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY— Semifinals

World Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (2015)
World Junior Record: 2:06.89 – Summer McIntosh, Canada (2023)
American Record: 2:06.15 – Ariana Kukors (2009)
U.S. Open Record: 2:07.09 – Kate Douglass, USA (2023)
2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Alex Walsh – 2:09.30
2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 2:11.47

Final Qualifiers:

Kate Douglass (NYAC), 2:08.53
Alex Walsh (NAC), 2:08.74
Torri Huske (AAC), 2:09.43
Beata Nelson (UN), 2:10.83
Leah Hayes (TIDE), 2:10.93
Zoe Dixon (FLOR), 2:11.64
Lucy Bell (ALTO), 2:12.23
Isabel Ivey (GSC), 2:12.26

The first semifinal featured Torri Huske, Kate Douglass, and Beata Nelson. It was Huske who held the lead through the first 100 meters. She got out to a fast start on the butterfly leg, splitting 27.20 and backed it up with a 32.60 on the backstroke leg. Douglass turned at the halfway point in third place, and got to work on the breaststroke leg.

Douglass split 36.89, pulling into the lead ahead of Huske. Huske made a push at the start of the freestyle leg, but Douglass motored home in 30.55. She clocked a 2:08.53, which held up to give her lane 4 for tomorrow night’s final. In the second semifinal, Alex Walsh swam away from the field and posted a 2:08.74, touching .21 seconds behind Douglass.

Huske’s 2:09.43 moved her through to the final in 3rd, where she’ll look to play spoiler to a Virginia 1-2 tomorrow night.

Also making the final was Beata Nelson, who swam a huge personal best of 2:10.83 to qualify in 4th. Zoe Dixon swam a big lifetime best as well, posting a 2:11.64 to earn a second swim.

There were big drops from prelims this morning. Both Douglass and Husky dropped over three seconds from prelims, and Walsh dropped 2.88. Everyone else in the field dropped at least a second from the morning as well.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: Day 7 Finals Live Recap