Two more Americans have committed to swim at the 2012 British Olympic Trials in early March, bringing the total up to 4.
South Carolina junior Michael Flach, a middle-distance specialist, will be entered in the 100, 200, and 400 freestyles along with the 200 fly. His most notable career achievement at the college level is a 15th-place finish in the 500 free at the 2011 NCAA Championships.
Also newly added to the list of Americans who will get the first crack at the Olympic pool is former Eastern Michigan swimmer Kevin Doak. The 30-year old has returned to USA Swimming competition in the last year after a two-season hiatus. He has been incredibly active in the Masters community, and in one 5-month period in 2008, he broke 7 USMS National Records.
He is a sprint freestyle and backstroke specialist who was able to put up a 57.44 at last summer’s USA Swimming National Championships in the 100. It doesn’t appear as though he’s making a run for an Olympic team; rather he’s shooting to break Masters World Records.
This adds them to former USC superstar Lyndsay DePaul, Patrick Simpkins, and Zachary Hayden as 5 Americans currently registered for the meet in early March.
This first round of British qualifying is designated by the London Organizing Committee as the venue’s official test event, meaning that it is open to swimmers of all nationalities. To maintain the integrity of the event as a trial, however, only British swimmers will be allowed in the primary finals.
ACC 200 Back Champion Clemson senior Chris Dart is also competing in British Trials. Would be great if you could add his name in there too. Thanks!
Thanks for the tutorial!
don – to clarify, the first set of British Trials is designated as the official “Test Event”. So that means they have to let anyone who makes certain standards compete. They’ll only be swimming in prelims, so as to keep finals as an honest qualifying event for the Brits.
In other words, no spots to be earned by Americans at British Trials. Just the experience of swimming in the Olympic pool (which might only be relevant to DePaul). More relevant to lots of other internationals who will come and swim one or two events, just to test it out.
More here:
http://theswimmerscircle.com/2011/05/26/british-swimmers-will-have-two-chances-to-qualify-for-2012-olympics/
OK ,if the choose to compete at British trials for a spot, do they also get a shot at the US trials if they don’t make it?