2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: Day 8 Prelims Live Recap
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 | Day 7
Prelims Live Stream
Day 8 Prelims Heat Sheet
Bonjour Mes Amis. Welcome to the last prelims session of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. It’s been a long week, and it is rather bittersweet as while this is the beginning of the end, it also means we are one step closer to naming the Olympic team. It’s the shortest session by the number of events, as there are just two events on the schedule: the Women’s 50 free and the Men’s 1500 free, the shortest event on the women’s side and the longest on the men’s side.
Day 8 Prelims Preview
Day 8 Prelims Scratches
Abbey Weitzeil will look to join an illustrious club of winning the same event at three consecutive Olympic Trials. Last night, Ryan Murphy completed the triple-double as he swept the backstrokes at three consecutive trials.
Weitzeil faces a tougher task than Murphy or Lilly King did in the 100 breast, as she is not entered as the top seed. That honor belongs to Kate Douglass, who recently broke the American Record in the event at the 2024 Doha World Championships, where she set a new benchmark of 23.91.
The fastest woman over 50 yards, Gretchen Walsh, is seeded 3rd behind Douglass and Weitzeil, and after setting a new World Record in the 100 fly, cannot be underestimated.
In the last prelims swims of the meet, that’s right, the last morning swims, the men will take on the 1500. Much like in the 50 free, American record-holder Bobby Finke leads the pack. Finke, who swept the gold in Tokyo, is a massive favorite for the win, as his entry time is more than 19 seconds faster than the next competitor, Charlie Clark.
If you’re a betting kind of person, Finke should be a clear favorite, but second will be up for grabs and could be one of a handful of swimmers. Clark represented the US in the event at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Worlds, but this week only made the finals of the 800 after being scratched in.
Luke Whitlock, who finished 2nd in the 800 could be a factor in the 1500, as he dropped 5 seconds in the 800, but as the 7th seed has plenty of swimmers ahead of him like the 2023 NCAA champion in the mile, Will Gallant.
However, it shakes out I hope you have enjoyed watching and following along with all our coverages as the next Olympic Trials preliminary session wont be for another four years.
WOMEN’S 50 FREE — Prelims
World Record: 23.61 — Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2023
American Record: 23.91 – Kate Douglass (USA), 2024
U.S. Open Record: 24.00 – Abbey Weitzeil (USA), 2023
World Junior Record: 24.17 – Claire Curzan (USA), 2021
2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Simone Manuel, 24.29
2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 24.70
Semifinal Qualifiers:
Torri Huske (AAC) – 24.47
Catie Deloof (NYAC) – 24.53
Erika Connolly (TNAQ) – 24.55
Abbey Weitzeil (CAL) – 24.56
Simone Manuel (SUN) – 24.58
Olivia Smoliga (SUN) – 24.70
Gretchen Walsh (NAC) – 24.72
Maxine Parker (CA-Y) – 24.73
Kristina Paegle (ISC) – 24.80
Grace Cooper (TXLA) – 24.91
Rylee Erisman (LAKR) – 25.01
Annam Olasewere (CPAC) – 25.12
Brady Kendall (MICH)/Erin Gemmell (NCAP) – 25.13
Gabi Albiero (UOFL)/Amy Fulmer (OSU) – 25.20
The first heat of the morning saw UMLY’s Alexa Fulton take the win in 25.59. The Texas rising sophomore dropped a tenth from her seed and took the top spot. Fulton would remain in that spot until Danielle Melilli took over with her .27 seconds of a drop from seed to post a time of 25.28. Melilli’s time held onto the top spot until the University of Louisville’s Lucy Mehraban posted a 25.23 in heat 6, clipping Melilli’s time by .05.
In Heat 7, two new swimmers posted times of 25.13 and 25.21. Gemmell has already made the team to Paris in the 4×200 free relay. Through this point, with the three circle-seeded heats remaining, there are already 11 swims under what it took to make the semis in 2021.
The first of the circle-seeded heats saw four swimmers dip under the 25-second barrier as Erika Connolly, the winner of two swim-offs in the 100 free, posted the top time in Heat 8, stopping the clock in 24.55, ahead of Olivia Smoliga’s 24.70, Gretchen Walsh‘s 24.72 and Grace Cooper’s 24.91.
Heat 9, the penultimate heat, saw Abbey Weitzeil and Simone Manuel also dip under the 25-second barrier as the pair of Olympians stopped the clock in 24.56 and 24.58 and currently with just one heat remaining slot into the #2 and #3 spots.
The last heat was a fast affair as Torri Huske posted the top time and took over the overall seed in 24.47; the only swimmer under 24.5, Huske scratched out of the finals of tonight’s 200 IM, and with her swim this morning being just .16 off her personal best has put herself into a good position to add another event. Catie Deloof, who tied with Connolly in the finals of the 100 free but lost the swim-off for 6th, posted a new personal best by .03 to move into the semifinal in 2nd behind Huske in a time of 24.53.
Top seed and American Record holder Kate Douglass did not swim the prelims of the 50 free despite appearing on the heat sheet.
MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE — Prelims
World Record: Sun Yang (CHN) – 14:31.02 (2012)
American Record: Bobby Finke – 14:31.59 (2023)
U.S. Open Record: Bobby Finke (USA) – 14:42.81 (2023)
World Junior Record: Franko Grgic (CRO) – 14:46.09 (2019)
2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Bobby Finke – 14:46.06
2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 15:00.99
Finals Qualifiers:
Heat one was a close and exciting affair as Josh Parent, Andrew Taylor and Lukas Vetkoetter dueled each other over the course of 1500 meters. Vetkoetter led at the 400, flipping in 4:05.30 as compared to Parent’s 4:06.70 and Taylor’s 4:06.93. At the 800, the lead had grown as Vetkoetter flipped in 8:13.00, more than two seconds clear of the pair of Florida Gators. But if there was one thing that training with Bobby Finke and swimming in the Florida distance program taught them both, it was how to back half, and Parent and Taylor both surged over the last couple of hundred meters. At the 1200-meter turn, the pair had caught up with Vetkoetter. The Gators would both charge into the wall, with Parent taking the win in 15:25.11, Taylor less than second behind in 15:26.07, and Vetkoetter finishing third in 15:30.65.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: Day 8 Prelims Live Recap