2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: Get Ready, The Sprinters Take to the Blocks (Day 4 Prelims Preview)

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
• Broadcast Info
• SwimSwam’s Definitive Guide to Trials
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheet

Tomorrow brings our first real look at freestyle sprinters. We have seen some of the more versatile swimmers in the 200 free, like Simone Manuel and Brooks Curry, and some of the top-end talent in the 100 fly, like Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske, but tomorrow will be Indy’s and the world’s first chance to see Abbey Weitzeil, Jack Alexy and of course Caeleb Dressel.

The men’s 100 free is the second event on the docket, but it’s the first we will preview because it contains so much star power. Surprise 2023 Worlds silver medalist Alexy leads the charge in the men’s 100 free with an entry time of 47.31. He’s not too far ahead of his fellow Worlds swimmer Chris Guiliano, who is the second seed with a time of 47.49. The event contains an interesting mix of established veterans and swimmers in their prime. Ryan Held, Justin Ress, and Dressel are the only three among the top 16 born before the turn of the century. This meet may be the most significant since his comeback and maybe of his career.

After being the star of American swimming in Tokyo, Dressel unexpectedly stepped away from the sport and, without reason, mid-meet from the 2022 Worlds in Budapest. Since his return, it feels like every swim has led up to this meet to see if he can make his third Olympic team. Dressel is the tenth seed and is entered with a time of 48.30, but certainly has the experience and background to move up.

The women’s 100 free will bring Kate Douglass to the forefront of the meet. The top seed in the 100 free, Douglass has an entry time of 52.57, almost a half-second clear of Weitzeil’s 52.92. Weitzeil is hunting for her third Olympic berth and, later on in the meet, will be looking for a three-peat in the 50 free. The 100 fly winner and runner-up, G. Walsh and Huske, appear next in the heat sheet but in verse order, with Huske seeded just ahead of Walsh. 2016 co-Olympic Champ Manuel is the 5th seed. Last night, Manuel finished 7th in the 200 free, just .08 outside of a potential Olympic berth.

The first event on the morning, the men’s 200 fly, sees Thomas Heilman as the top seed. Heilman was one of the revelations at the 2023 Nationals and Worlds Champs. The rising high school senior qualified for the team in two events and finished just outside of the medals in this event. Carson Foster, with his Olympic dream accomplished, may feel the freedom to relax and swim with less pressure and could put up some impressive times.

Dividing the men’s 20o fly and the men’s 100 free from the women’s 100 free and the men’s 200 breast is the women’s 1500. The event has been owned by Katie Ledecky, and naturally, she is the top seed in the event by exactly 30 seconds. Entered in 15:26.27, it’ll be Ledecky against the clock. However, she is not the only one to look for in the race; Katie Grimes leads a strong contingent of young swimmers as the #2,3 and 4 seeds are all under the age of 20. Grimes is the only other seed with an entry under 16:00, but Kate Hurst and Claire Weinstein are separated by less than a second. As previously reported, the #5 seed Paige Madden has scratched out of the event,

The morning ends with the men’s 200 breaststroke. After making the team in the 100 breast, Nic Fink and Charlie Swanson reappear in the event as the 4th and 8th seeds, respectively. Atop the field in Penn’s Matt Fallon and Texas’s Jake Foster. Fallon and Josh Matheny, who placed 3rd in the 100 breast on Sunday, represented the US in Fukuoka.