Get Ready, Sprinters Hit the Blocks (Day 4 Preliminary Preview)

2024 US OLYMPIC TRIALS

Day 4 Foreplay Heatsheet

Tomorrow we’ll bring our first real look at freestyle sprinters. We’ve seen some of the most versatile swimmers in the 200 freestyle, like Simone-Manuel And Curry Brooksand some of the best talents in the 100 fly, like Gretchen Walsh And Torri Huskebut tomorrow will be Indy’s and the world’s first chance to see Weitzeil Abbey, Jack Alexy and of course Caeleb Dressel.

The men’s 100 freestyle is the second event on the schedule, but it’s the first we’ll preview because it packs so much star power. Alexy, a surprise silver medalist at the 2023 Worlds, leads the charge in the men’s 100m freestyle with an entry time of 47.31. He is not too far ahead of his compatriot Worlds swimmer Chris Guiliano, who is the second seed with a time of 47.49. The event features an interesting mix of established veterans and swimmers in their prime. Ryan held, Justin Ress, and Dressel are the only three among the first 16 born before the turn of the century. This meeting is perhaps the most significant since his comeback and perhaps of his career.

After being the star of American swimming in Tokyo, Dressel walked away from the sport unexpectedly and, for no reason, mid-match at the 2022 Worlds in Budapest. Since his return, it feels like every swim leads to this competition 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 he certainly has the experience and background to advance.

The women’s 100 free will bring Kate Douglas at the forefront of the meeting. The top seed in the 100 freestyle, Douglass has an entry time of 52.57, nearly a half-second ahead of Weitzeil’s 52.92. Weitzeil is looking for her third Olympic berth and later in the competition she will look for a hat-trick in the 50 freestyle. The winner and runner-up in the 100 fly, G. Walsh and Huske, next appear on the start sheet, but in reverse order, with Huske ranked just ahead of Walsh. Manuel, the 2016 Olympic co-champion, is the fifth seed. Last night, Manuel finished 7th in the 200 freestyle, just 0.08 shy of a potential Olympic berth.

The first event of the morning, the men’s 200m butterfly, will see Thomas Heilman as the first seed. Heilman was one of the revelations of the 2023 National and World Championships. The rising high school senior qualified for the team in two events and finished just outside the medals in this event. Carson Fosteronce his Olympic dream is achieved, can feel the freedom to relax and swim with less pressure and could achieve impressive times.

By dividing the men’s 20o fly and the men’s 100 freestyle from the women’s 100 freestyle and the men’s 200 breaststroke, we obtain the women’s 1500. The event belongs to Katie Ledecky, and naturally, she is the top seed in the event with exactly 30 seconds. Coming in at 15:26.27, it will be Ledecky against the clock. However, she’s not the only one looking into the race; Katie Grimes leads a strong contingent of young swimmers as the No. 2, 3 and 4 seeds are all under 20 years old. Grimes is the only other seed with an entry under 4:00 p.m., but Kate Hurst And Claire Weinstein are separated by less than a second. As previously stated, seed #5 Paige Madden was removed from the event,

The morning ends with the men’s 200 breaststroke. After being part of the 100 breaststroke team, Nicholas Fink And Charlie Swanson reappear in the event as the 4th and 8th seeds, respectively. At the top of the field at Penn’s Matt Fallon and that of Texas Jake Foster. Fallon and Josh Mathenywho placed 3rd in the 100m breaststroke on Sunday, represented the United States in Fukuoka.