2024 U.S. Olympic Trials: #5 Luke Ellis Scratches 800 Final; Charlie Clark Given Lifeline

2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS

• June 15-23, 2024
• Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Session Start Times (ET):
  • 11 a.m. Prelims
  • 7:45 p.m. Finals (varying based on broadcast needs)
• Meet Central
• Broadcast Info
• SwimSwam’s Definitive Guide to Trials
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Men’s 800 Free Final Startlist

If you have a keen eye and have been pursuing the Live Results page, you may already know this, but there has been a scratch in tomorrow night’s Men’s 800 Free.

Sandpipers of Nevada swimmer Luke Ellis has scratched out the final. Ellis finished fifth in the prelims this morning (Monday) in a time of 7:54.26, just 3.04 seconds back of Luke Whitlock‘s 7:51.22. Ellis entered the meet with a time of 7:56.40 and was seeded tenth. In his swim, he dropped over two seconds and four seeds to make the final. A 2025 commit to Indianan, Ellis’s swim this morning was his first personal best in the event since September of 2023.

The scratch is an interesting move, as the 16-year-old has been having a great meet. In the 400 Free, he dropped 3.54 seconds to place 14th in a time of 3:50.79, finishing 27 seeds higher. A similar story took place in the 400 IM, where he dropped 2.72 seconds again to finish 14th from his original seeding of 38th.

SwimSwam reached out late this evening to Sandpipers coaches for comment but did not get a response. We will update the article if we get a response. Ellis still has two events to swim, at least on paper: the 200 back (#62 – 2:01.35) and the 1500 free (#11 – 15:17.92)

Taking advantage of the scratch is OSU swimmer Charlie Clark. Clark entered the meet as the 5th with a time of 7:50.49, added over six seconds, and finished 9th. Clark finished 10th in the event in 2021 and has more of a pedigree in the 1500. He represented the USA in the 1500 at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Worlds but pulled double duty, as he did represent the US in the 800 in 2022 and 2024, placing 12th in 2022 and 22nd in 2024. His personal best of 7:50.07 hails from his 2nd-place finish at the 2022 International Team Trials.

Clark took a redshirt the first semester of the past year but returned to Ohio and competed for the Buckeyes at Big Tens and at a NCAAs, placing 9th in the mile at the latter.

With the adjustment, Carson Hick of Kentucky is now the First Alternate, and NC State’s Lance Norris is the Second Alternate.

MEN’S 800 FREE — PRELIMS

• World Record: 7:32.11 — Zhang Lin (CHN) — 2009 World Championships
• American Record: 7:38.67 — Bobby Finke – 2023 World Championships
• U.S. Open Record: 7:40.34 — Bobby Finke (USA) – 2023 U.S. National Championships
• World Junior Record: 7:43.37 — Lorenzo Galossi (ITA) – 2022 European Championships
• 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Bobby Finke, 7:48.22
• 2024 Olympic Qualifying Time — 7:51.65

Final Qualifiers:

1. Luke Whitlock (FAST-IN), 7:51.22
2. Bobby Finke (SPA-FL), 7:51.71
3. David Johnston (TST-CA), 7:52.49
4. Ross Dant (WOLF), 7:53.78
5. Luke Ellis (SAND), 7:54.26
6. Daniel Matheson (SUN), 7:54.97
7. Will Gallant (TST-CA), 7:56.03
8. Sean Green (LIAC), 7:56.47

Luke Whitlock followed up his breakout swim on Day 1 in the 400 free with a very controlled prelim in the men’s 800 free, leading the penultimate heat wire-to-wire to finish in a time of 7:51.22, just over a second shy of his lifetime best (7:50.20) that ranks him #3 all-time in the boys’ 17-18 age group.

The 18-year-old Fishers Area product advances 1st into the final after his time held up over the last heat, which was won by defending Olympic champion Bobby Finke in 7:51.71.

Finke topped the heat over The Swim Team’s David Johnston, who logged a time of 7:52.49. Johnston set a PB of 7:48.20 earlier this year at the 2024 World Championships.

Sun Devil Swimming’s Daniel Matheson was 3rd in the final heat to advance through in 6th, touching in 7:54.97 for a new season-best. Matheson set a best of 7:52.34 last summer.

Trailing Whitlock in the second-to-last heat were Wolfpack Elite’s Ross Dant, Sandpipers’ Luke Ellis and TST’s Will Gallant, all qualifying for the final as well. Ellis, 17, dropped two seconds from his lifetime best (set while he was 16) to move him into #6 all-time among 17-18 boys.

Long Island Aquatic Club’s Sean Green was the standout from the first few heats of the men’s 800 free, crushing his personal best time in 7:56.47 to move into 11th all-time in the boys’ 17-18 age group.

All-Time Performers, U.S. Boys’ 17-18 800 Freestyle (LCM)

1. Larsen Jensen, 7:48.09 – 2003
2. Chad La Tourette, 7:49.90 – 2007
3. Luke Whitlock, 7:50.20 – 2024
4. Bobby Finke, 7:51.45 – 2018
5. True Sweetser, 7:53.32 – 2016
6. Luke Ellis, 7:54.26 – 2024
7. Andrew Abruzzo, 7:54.51 – 2018
8. Jake Mitchell, 7:54.70 – 2019
9. Ross Dant, 7:56.03 – 2019
10. Tom Dolan, 7:56.33 – 1994
11. Sean Green, 7:56.47 – 2024

The 17-year-old Green’s previous best was 8:05.34 set nearly two years ago. He ended up cracking the final in 8th, with Ohio State’s Charlie Clark ended up on the outside looking in in 9th at 7:56.63—more than six seconds shy of both his best time (7:50.07) and season-best (7:50.49).