By Sharon Robb
INDIANAPOLIS, June 23, 2024—Bolles alum Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky of Gator Swim Club won their final events Saturday night in the U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Dressel won the 100-meter butterfly by a half body-length in 50.19, just shy of his 2021 world record of 49.45. Earlier in the week he won the 50-meter freestyle and qualified for the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.
Dressel, winner of five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, said he was “happy to be done” with the Trials after going through “every emotion that I’m capable of.”
“It’s tough making it through the trials…this truly is the hardest sport,” Dressel said. “It’s more nerve-racking than the Olympics. It’s tough to make the team here, it’s the way it should be. I think all of my swims, I executed as well as I could.”
The greatest thrill of the Trials was having his 4-month-old son, August Wilder, in the stands with his wife, Meghan.
“My son got to watch me make an Olympic team,” Dressel said, breaking into a big smile. “He will not not remember it. But I’ll tell him, trust me. I’ve got pictures to prove it.”
Up-and-coming star Thomas Heilman, 17, finished second in the butterfly with a time of 50.80. Heilman, a Virginia commit, also qualified earlier this week in the 200-meter butterfly. He is the youngest American men’s swimmer to compete in the Games since Michael Phelps (15) and Aaron Peirsol (17) swam at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Heilman broke a 20-year-old record once held by the legendary Michael Phelps. Heilman finished the 100-meter butterfly in 50.80 seconds, beating Phelps’ 17-18 National Age Group record of 51.10 set in the 2003 World Championships.
“Looking up at the board and seeing my name, it was really special,” Heilman said. “That’s a goal I’ve had for years now, and to kind of see it up there, there was a little bit of disbelief.”
Ledecky dominated another event, the 800-meter freestyle in 8:14.12. It was her fourth win of the meet. She is the first woman to win the same event at four straight Olympic Trials.
“I’m happy to have gotten the job done here in Indy tonight and this week,” Ledecky said. “It was a thrill to race in front of this crowd all week, and of course tonight to reminisce a bit on 12 years ago when my international career got kickstarted by that 800 in Omaha in 2012.”
Second place went to Paige Madden, who set a best time of 8:20.71, seventh in the world this year and best time for Madden just shy of seven seconds.
Kate Douglass clinched her third Olympic event winning the 200-meter individual medley in 2:06.79. She also won the 200 breaststroke and 100 freestyle.
Douglass was stroke-for-stroke with Alex Walsh at the final turn but Douglass kicked it into another gear. Walsh finished second in her final chance to join sister Gretchen Walsh on Team USA.
“I’m really happy with that,” Douglass said. “I was coming into the meet trying to win all three events, but I didn’t think I’d be able to achieve that. So I’m happy I did.”
Added Alex Walsh, “It means the world to me to compete with my sister. I didn’t know if I was going to make it to Paris after she made it. This is a dream we’ve been dreaming for so long.”
North Carolina State-bound Kaii Winkler of Eagle Aquatics, the first and only Florida Gold Coast swimmer to advance into a final, was eighth in the 100-meter butterfly in a lifetime-best 51.51. He was seventh in prelims in 52.13 and eighth in semifinals in a then lifetime-best 51.64. Coming into the meet his best time was 52.51.
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 action:
Dylan Felt of Swim Fort Lauderdale was 38th in the 1500-meter freestyle heat in 15:43.25.
Erika Pelaez of Eagle Aquatics was 29th in the 50-meter freestyle heat in 25.39.
More than 1,000 swimmers including ten from Florida Gold Coast Swimming, competed 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.
SATURDAY FINALS
WOMEN
200-meter individual medley:
- Kate Douglass, NYAC 2:06.79, 2. Alex Walsh, NAC 2:07.86, 3. Isabel Ivey, GSC 2:10.09.
800-meter freestyle:
- Katie Ledecky, GSC 8:14.12, 2. Paige Madden, NYAC 8:20.71, 3. Jillian Cox, TXLA 8:22.97.
MEN
100-meter butterfly:
- Caeleb Dressel, GSC 50.19, 2. Thomas Heilman, CA 50.80, 3. Dare Rose, CAL 50.84; Florida Gold Coast: 8. Kaii Winkler, Eagle Aquatics 51.51.
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS SCHEDULE
Sunday, June 23: Women 50-meter freestyle, men 1500-meter freestyle.
Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com
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