Regan Smith Breaks American Record; Bolles Alum Ryan Murphy Makes Third Olympic Team

By Sharon Robb
INDIANAPOLIS, June 18, 2024—Eleven more athletes earned spots on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics Monday night at the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The electric evening opened with Katie Grimes (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada) winning the 400-meter individual medley in 4:35.00. She is the first American to qualify for an open water and pool event at the same Olympic Games. She had already qualified for the women’s 10K last year in Fukuoka, Japan. It will be her second Olympic Games.

Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club) and Bolles alum Ryan Murphy (Ponte Vedra Beach, Calif./California Aquatics) won individual events in the 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter backstroke, respectively. It was the third Olympics for both.

The women’s and men’s 200-meter freestyle featured seven new swimmers for the Olympics. The women’s race added athletes Claire Weinstein (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada), Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala./New York Athletic Club), and Erin Gemmell (Potomac, Md./Nation’s Capital Swim Club), while Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) earned her second event win in 1:55.22.

Luke Hobson (Reno, Nev./Longhorn Aquatics), Chris Guiliano (Douglassville, Pa./University of Notre Dame), Drew Kibler (Carmel, Ind./New York Athletic Club) and University of Florida alum Kieran Smith (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield Aquatic Club) qualified in the men’s 200-meter freestyle.

Regan Smith hasn’t qualified for her second Olympic Games just yet, but she’s looks like a medal contender for Paris after breaking her own American record in the women’s 100-meter backstroke semifinals in 57.47. Her previous record was 57.51.

Twelve years after his first Olympic Trials, Murphy, who turns 29 next month, showed once again the most consistent backstroker. He won the 100-meter event in 52.22 ahead of Hunter Armstrong in 52.72. It is the ninth fastest of his career on a list topped by the World record 51.85 he set leading the U.S medley relay to gold.

“I enjoy this a little more than I use to,” Murphy said. “I use to feel like I was going to throw up before my races. Now I can take it in more.

“I feel like I’ve always got a fire under my butt. I feel like I’m a really motivated person. I want to win every time I touch the water, whether that’s a Monday morning practice or an Olympic final.”

Since the Olympic Games first awarded medals in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1968, no woman has won gold twice and now Lilly King has a chance to accomplish the feat. The hometown favorite won the event to make her third Olympic team in 1:05.43. Emma Weber knocked off reigning gold medalist Lydia Jacoby in 1:06.10 to finish second. Jacoby’s time was 1:06.27.

For the first time in the history of the Trials, the event is being held inside the National Football League’s Lucas Oil Stadium and attracting record crowds for finals.

“I would say going into 2021, I pretty much felt invincible,” King said. “Going into 2016, I felt pretty much invincible. That was not necessarily the case tonight. I think it’s also just learning how to race with the heat a little bit.

“Tonight I could have taken it out a lot faster, but I’ve had so many 100 breaststrokes that have gone wrong the last 15 meters, I didn’t want to do that tonight. I think just learning from those experiences, a lot of bad races over the last three years, kind of helped me get that win tonight, even though the time might not have been super fast.”

After her victory, she made one fan’s night by walking over to the stands to hand over her first-place medal.

“It’s a crazy meet, obviously, and I think I had just a really special moment tonight,” King said. “I think I basked in it a little more than I have in the past, just being here in Indy and also with it being my last trials.”

King, Murphy and Ledecky are three of nine swimmers to win the same event at three Olympic Trials. The others are Eleanor Holm, Mary T. Meagher, Janet Evans, Gary Hall Jr., Brendan Hansen and Michael Phelps.

Among local swimmers third day action:

Erika Pelaez of Eagle Aquatics finished 12th in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:00.11 to qualify for semis where she finished 13th in a best time 59.95, her highest finish in her Trials events so far.

Dylan Felt of Swim Fort Lauderdale was seventh in his heat of the 800-meter freestyle in 8:09.55.

University of Florida’s Anna Auld of West Palm Beach and St. Andrew’s Swimming was third in her 400-meter individual medley heat in 4:53.56. She moved from sixth to third on a strong breaststroke leg.

Paige MacEachern, a Boca Raton High and Pine Crest Swim Club alum, finished sixth in her heat of the 400 IM in 4:47.77.

Aspen Gersper of St. Andrew’s Swimming was eighth in her heat of the 100-meter backstroke in 1:03.05.

More than 1,000 swimmers including nine from Florida Gold Coast Swimming, are competing for 52 spots (two swimmers per individual event) on Team USA headed to the July 26-Aug. 11 Paris Summer Olympics. The trials are being featured on prime time television coverage each night on USA Network, NBC and Peacock.

Each day features a preliminary session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with races to determine who will advance to the semifinals and finals. The semifinals and finals sessions take place from 7:45-8 p.m. depending on TV coverage, to 10 p.m. with an Olympian named to Team USA every night.

MONDAY FINALS
WOMEN
400-meter individual medley:

1. Katie Grimes, Las Vegas Sandpipers 4:35.00, 2. Emma Weyant, Gator Swim Club 4:35.56, 3. Lila Bognar, Team Greenville 4:37.86.

100-meter breaststroke:

1. Lily King, Indiana Swim Club 1:05.43, 2. Emma Weber, Piedmont Family YMCA 1:06.10, 3. Lydia Jacoby, Seward Tsunami Swim Club 1:06.37.

200-meter freestyle:

1. Katie Ledecky, Gator Swim Club 1:55.22, 2. Claire Weinstein, Las Vegas Sandpipers 1:56.18, 3. Paige Madden, New York Athletic Club 1:56.35, 4. Erin Gemmell, NCAP 1:56.75.

MEN
200-meter freestyle:

1. Luke Hobson, Longhorn Aquatics 1:44.89, 2. Chris Guiliano, University of Notre Dame 1:45.38, 3. Drew Kibler, New York Athletic Club 1:45.60, 4. Kieran Smith, Ridgefield Aquatics Club 1:45.61.

100-meter backstroke:

1. Ryan Murphy, Cal Aquatics 52.22, 2. Hunter Armstrong, New York Athletic Club 52.72, 3. Jack Aikins, Swim Atlanta 53.74.

2024 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials Schedule
Tuesday, June 18: Men’s 200 Butterfly, Men’s 100 Freestyle, Women’s 1500 Freestyle, Women’s 100 Freestyle, Men’s 200 Breaststroke.

Wednesday, June 19: Women’s 200 Breaststroke, Men’s 200 Backstroke, Women’s 200 Butterfly.

Thursday, June 20: Women’s 200 Backstroke, Men’s 50 Freestyle, Men’s 200 IM.

Friday, June 21: Men’s 100 Butterfly, Women’s 200 IM, Women’s 800 Freestyle.

Saturday, June 22: Women’s 50 Freestyle, Men’s 1500 Freestyle.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com