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
- SwimSwam’s Definitive Guide to Trials
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
- Prelims Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
- Finals Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
With his second-place finish tonight, Chris Guiliano entered rarefied air as the first US male to achieve individual qualification across the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles for the Olympics since Matt Biondi did so in 1988.
36 years ago, well before Guiliano was born, Biondi at the 1988 Olympic Trial in Austin, Texas took first in the 100 free in a then WR time of 48.42, as well as placing 2nd in the 50 free and 2nd in the 200 free.
Fast forward a few decades and a few hundred miles north, and Notre Dame’s Guiliano has equaled the feat, but at the beginning of the week it would have seemed highly unlikely.
| Seed | Seed Time | Prelim Place | Prelim Time | Semi Place | Semi Time | Final Place | Final Time | |
| 200 Free | 29th | 1:48.75 | 10th | 1:47.05 | 7th | 1:46.83 | 2nd | 1:45.38 |
| 100 Free | 2nd | 47.49 | 2nd | 47.65 | 1st | 47.25 | 1st | 47.38 |
| 50 Free | 10th | 21.96 | 4th | 21.83 | 1st | 21.59 | 2nd | 21.69 |
Guiliano entered the meet as just the 29th seed in the 200, outside of the expected 16 semifinalists and even outside of the circle-seeded heats of prelims, but the Notre Dame swimmer, who has been on an impressive improvement curve of late, continued to get better.
Last summer, Guiliano was one of the breakout swimmers of the meet. He hit two successive PBs to make the team and placed second in the 100 free in a time of 47.98, but was just 30th in the 200 free (1:49.59). Obviously, something from then to now has clicked for the rising senior. His gains, however, were not limited to meters.
In yards at the 2023 NCAAs, Guiliano was 23rd in the 50 free (19.17), 10th in the 100 free (41.64), and 9th in the 200 free (1:32.31). This year, he was 4th in the 50 (18.49), 5th in the 100 (40.66), and 3rd in the 200 (1:30.38).
The freestyle sprint triple is becoming harder and harder to accomplish as more and more swimmers are extending their careers and solely focusing on the the 50, like Cameron McEvoy and Florent Manaudou, while others like Caeleb Dressel train sprint fly instead of going up to the 200 free.
MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE — FINAL
- World Record: 20.91 — Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
- American Record: 21.04 — Caeleb Dressel, 2019 / 2021
- U.S. Open Record: 21.04 — Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2021
- World Junior Record: 21.75 — Michael Andrew (USA), 2017 / 2017
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Caeleb Dressel, 21.04
- 2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 21.96
Final:
- Caeleb Dressel (FLOR), 21.41
- Chris Guiliano (ND), 21.69
- Matt King (TFA), 21.70
- Jack Alexy (CAL), 21.76
- Michael Andrew (MASA), 21.81
- Ryan Held (SUN), 21.85
- Quintin McCarty (WOLF), 21.97
- Adam Chaney (FLOR), 22.08
Caeleb Dressel is back on top.
After qualifying for Paris in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay by virtue of his third place finish, Dressel has added his first individual event to his schedule by storming to the win in the men’s 50 freestyle.
Dressel exploded off the blocks and charged through the splash and dash, clocking a 21.41 for the win. Not only is that his fastest time since 2022, it ranks him 4th in the world this year, .07 seconds ahead of his Florida training partner Josh Liendo.
Chris Guiliano added a tenth from his semifinal swim, but still got his hand on the wall a hundredth ahead of Matt King for second place. With the swim, Guiliano becomes the first American man since Matt Biondi to qualify for the 50/100/200 freestyle individually. While finishing a heart-breaking third place in as small a margin as possible, King took a tenth off his lifetime best in 21.70.
All that to miss all 3 finals in Paris
Go IRISH!! ☘️
I do wonder whether the coaches and he will decide to drop either the 50/200 free individually. If need to pick one, I would think more likely the 200 since he is not a medal contender in that and it comes first in the program, where having 3 200 races would tire him more. Anyway it would be a decision during team camp, so no new member would be added to the team, and Drew Kibler/Matt King might have a chance for an individual swim.
totally agree on that .
Why would he drop an event?
Trials simulate the Olympic schedule, so he’s already done 3 200s, 3 100s & 3 50s
To improve his chances for a medal in 100, his primary event. Also don’t forget all the relay swims that he will get.
He will do fine..he only be in relay finals…
I wouldn’t say the 200 FR is a sprint, which makes it even more impressive.
Just watched the 50 Finals… Guiliano definitely should have been DQ’d. Guy flinched hard.
I am a big fan of Guiliano, the guy shows up and shows out really well. But he did flinch.
I see what you mean but it’s not a DQ for me. It is clear that he was the last of the swimmers to stand still but it was a single continuous movement from the ready voice until he was actually still. It’s not like he stopped and then made a twitch movement before the horn because that would have been a DQ.
That’s awesome! That was the first Olympics, 1988 in Seoul, where I could actually remember watching all of the events on TV every night. I was 9 years old and I was hooked on seimming before that but even more after watching the Olympics. It was so awesome to see Janet Evans get 3 golds (should’ve been 4 if the 1500 had been an event). Biondi almost got seven golds; he was trying to equal Spitz’s feat from 1972 16 years later, just like Phelps tried to surpass it 16 years after Biondi in 2004. (and of course we know what Phelps did in 2008!)
Biondi finished with five golds, a silver, and a bronze; and the silver and… Read more »
He was my Swimming Idol as i watched all the races on TV unfold . I was 20 at the time
Swimmer of the meet on the men’s side. He’s going to be BUSY in Paris.
He should come home with 3 medals on relays alone, and is certainly a medal contender (though probably on the outside looking in) in the 100 free.
I can see he ll drop times in 200 more and will get a podium finish with 1.44.4 in bronze
47.25 silver in 100
Plus 3 relay golds.
Making 50 final
At 2021 Trials, Chris swam at Wave I in just the 50 free, placing 4th. As a freshman at Notre Dame, he didn’t qualify for a final individually at NCAAs, and his highest finish at LC Nationals was 14th in the 50 free. His improvement curve has been INCREDIBLE. Congrats to Chris and all of Notre Dame swimming!
The rise of Chris Guiliano over the past 12 months has been nothing short of meteoric. I mean he was 49.1 going into nattys last year then dropped so much time to qualify individually
dropping nearly 2 seconds within a year in the 100 free is absolutely insane !!! thanks for the insightful
informations about his incredible progressions
He is THE SWIMMER TO WATCH in Paris. I feel like a “Legend Was Born” at Trials. My impression of him is that he still feels like he has room to improve and he can between now and Paris. He could win up to seven medals including individual events and relays. He won’t be favored, but hey, who outside of his inner circle of coaches and friends expected a performance like this?
His ceiling has a retractable roof and the sky is his limit.