Ledecky, Dressel and Manuel among names to watch

Credit to Author: D’Arcy Maine| Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2024 17:24:44 EST

The U.S. Olympic swim trials get underway on Saturday in Indianapolis as the country’s best and fastest in the pool battle it out with tickets to Paris on the line.

Held at Lucas Oil Stadium — yes, there will be a pool in the middle of a football stadium — the competition will last for nine days and by the end of the final race on June 23, up to 26 women and 26 men will have cemented their spots on the American team. Provided they have achieved the Olympic qualifying time, the top two finishers in every race will make the squad. Remaining relay spots are also determined by results.

With a listed capacity of 30,000 for the event, tournament officials are expecting to shatter the attendance record for an indoor swim meet on opening night.

So what else do you need to know about the trials? Here are the key storylines and swimmers to watch.

Even the most casual of swim fans need little introduction to Katie Ledecky but as a brief refresher, the 27-year-old already has 10 Olympic medals, including seven golds, and owns just about every record and accolade possible. She is indeed that girl.

Now looking to make her fourth Olympic team, Ledecky is expected to be competing in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle races — and owns the top times of 2024 in the field for all of them. The world record holder in both the 800m and 1500m, Ledecky has shown she isn’t totally unbeatable in the shorter distances.

During the 2023 nationals, Ledecky came in second place behind Claire Weinstein in the 200m. It was the first time Ledecky had been defeated in the race by a fellow countrywoman in nine years. Despite making the team in the event for worlds, Ledecky ultimately opted out of competing the race and it remains to be seen if she would race the distance in Paris if she were to qualify.

Ledecky, who has been training during the lead-up with some of the top men’s distance swimmers, told “Today” earlier this week that her previous experience will help her find even more success in Indianapolis and ultimately in Paris.

“I really know what to expect when I walk into a big national or international meet,” Ledecky said. “There’s just a level of comfortability that I have now that I think translates over to when I race.”

After taking home five gold medals in Tokyo and becoming just the third man in history to win three individual swimming golds in a single Games, Caeleb Dressel withdrew from competition in the middle of the 2022 world championships for undisclosed medical reasons. He spent eight months out of the pool as he prioritized his mental health.
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