By Sharon Robb
INDIANAPOLIS, June 19, 2024—Regan Smith came full circle breaking the 100-meter backstroke world record Tuesday night at the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Smith, 22, won in 57.13, easily beating the record of 57.33 set a year ago by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown. It was the second world record at the Trials.
In Tuesday’s only other final, reigning Olympic champion Bobby Finke won the 800-meter freestyle, holding off teenager Luke Whitlock.
Smith said her world record was five years in the making when she was 17 and first set a world record in the 100 backstroke at the 2019 World Championships. But she struggled with the pressure that comes with being a world record holder.
“A long time coming,” said Smith who has regained her confidence with the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Bob Bowman. “It’s about time.”
Smith started working with a sports psychologist. Bowman also upped her training and workouts.
“This is incredibly rewarding,” Smith said. “When I was a teenager, I had not done much. There was no pressure on me. I was always the youngest. No one expected much from me. I could go into it fearless.”
But it was hard to return to world record form, she said. She made the Tokyo Olympics, but finished third in the backstroke with McKeown winning the gold medal.
“I’ve always had it physically, but I didn’t have it mentally,” Smith said. “I just didn’t have it up here.”
Reigning Olympic champion Finke, 24, of St. Petersburg Aquatics and favorite of SOFLO swimmers since his visit to Academic Village Pool, won the 800-meter freestyle in 7:44.22. The University of Florida alum will attempt to defend his title won in Tokyo.
Finke held off 18-year-old Indiana phenom Luke Whitlock, who set a national age-group record at 7:45.19.
“I find I need pressure to do well, at least in my eyes,” Finke said. “So I feel like the more pressure I feel, then the more likely I am to do well. Happy with the time we got.”
Whitlock is expected to be the youngest male swimmer to make the U.S. team since Michael Phelps, who was 15 when he qualified for his first Olympics in Sydney, Australia in 2000.
“It’s really just over the last year, especially the last two months, my training has really picked up and now just talking to my coach, we just had a really good plan,” Whitlock said. “We kind of got everything planned out like a month and a half before this and I was just really confident with the work I’ve been putting in, so I knew I could execute it.”
Two of America’s biggest swimming stars, Caeleb Dressel and Simone Manuel, had impressive debuts at the trials.
Bolles alum Dressel was the third-fastest qualifier in the prelims and semifinals of the men’s 100 freestyle. Manuel was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 100 freestyle preliminaries and took the second spot behind Torri Huske in the semifinals.
South Florida Aquatic Club’s Juan Mora was 68th in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:17.41 in his U.S. Olympic Trials debut. Mora was one of six swimmers from the Navy men’s swim team to qualify for the Trials. The rising sophomore earned second team All-League honors this season. Mora qualified for Trials with a time of 2:15.31. Navy has sent at least one swimmer to nine straight Olympic Trials since 1992.
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.
Among local swimmers third day action:
Erika Pelaez of Eagle Aquatics was 13th in the 100-meter freestyle in 54.65 to advance to semifinals where she placed 16th in 55.06.
Kaii Winkler of Eagle Aquatics was fifth in his heat and 25th overall in the 100-meter freestyle in 49.22.
Dylan Felt of Swim Fort Lauderdale was 39th in the 800-meter freestyle in 8:09.55.
Reese Branzell of St. Andrew’s Swimming and Athens Bulldogs was 15th in his 100-meter freestyle prelim in a best time 48.70 and 16th in semifinals in 48.91.
University of Florida’s Anna Auld of West Palm Beach and St. Andrew’s Swimming was 37th in the 1500-meter freestyle.
Ilya (Alex) Evdokimov of Team North Carolina and formerly Coral Springs Swim Club and Taravella alum, was 33rd in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:14.64.
Giulian Martin of Hurricane Aquatics was 43rd in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:15.25.
More than 1,000 swimmers including ten 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.
TUESDAY FINALS
WOMEN
100-meter backstroke:
- Regan Smith, TXLA 47.13, WORLD RECORD, 2. Katharine Berkoff, WOLF 57.91, 3. Kennedy Noble, WOLF 58.81.
MEN
800-meter freestyle: 1. Bobby Finke, SPA 7:44.22, 2. Luke Whitlock, FAST 7:45.19, 3. Daniel Matheson, SUN 7:49.34.
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS SCHEDULE
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
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