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 | Day 8
- Finals Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8
Katie Ledecky‘s win this evening had more on the line than adding a 3rd individual event (as she plans to drop the 200 free). With her time of 8:14.12 and her 36th fastest time. Ledecky has now won the 800 free at the last four Olympic Trials dating back to the 2012 Trials, her first when she was just 15 years old.
At those Trials in 2012, Ledecky entered as the 3rd seed in 8:25.85 behind Chloe Sutton‘s 8:24.05 and Kate Ziegler‘s 8:21.59. After the prelims, Ledecky sat in second place behind Sutton and, in the finals, posted a time of 8:19.78 to qualify first and punched her ticket to London, and the rest, as they say, is history. In the intervening years between London and now, Ledecky only reset the World Record numerous times and became the greatest distance swimmer of all time and in the conversation of the greatest swimmers of all time.
| Prelims | Finals | Olympic Finals | Podium | |
| 2012 | 8:27.91 | 8:19.78 | 8:14.63 | Gold |
| 2016 | 8:10.91 | 8:10.32 | 8:04.79 | Gold |
| 2021 | 8:16.61 | 8:14.62 | 8:12.57 | Gold |
| 2028 | 8:17.70 | 8:14.12 | ??? | ??? |
Ledecky’s winning time this evening of 8:14.12 was faster than her winning time from 2021, meaning she should be looking to go faster this year. This season, she has already been as fast as 8:12.95 swimming outdoors in San Antonio. Last summer, Ledecky won the 800 in Fukuoka in 8:08.87 collecting her 21st gold World Championship medal.
While we have seen swimmers this meet complete the triple, winning the same event at three Olympics in a row, Ryan Murphy with the triple-double in the backstroke and Lilly King in the 100 breast, only one other Olympian has won four in a row: Michael Phelps.
Phelps won the 200 fly from the 2004-2016 Olympic Trials as well as the 200 IM in the same span. Amongst US female swimmers, Ledecky’s feat of even attending four Games is a remarkable one as she joins the likes of Jenny Thompson and Allison Schmitt. It’s a little more common in other countries. The upcoming games will be French star Charlotte Bonnett‘s fourth Olympics and World Record holder Sarah Sjostrom‘s fifth. Not to take away from their accomplishment, but with US Trials often being referred to as the hardest meet ever, Ledecky’s feat seems all the more legendary.
WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record: 8:04.79, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2016 Olympic Games
- American Record: 8:04.79, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2016 Olympic Games
- U.S. Open Record: 8:06.68, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2016 Pro Swim Series, Austin
- World Junior Record: 8:11.00, Katie Ledecky (USA)
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Katie Ledecky, 8:14.62
- 2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 8:26.71
Final:
- Katie Ledecky (GSC), 8:14.12
- Paige Madden (NYAC), 8:20.71
- Jillian Cox (TXLA), 8:22.97
- Aurora Roghair (ALTO), 8:28.59
- Rachel Stege (ABSC), 8:28.77
- Kate Hurst (SCAR), 8:28.92
- Claire Weinstein (SAND), 8:29.80
- Ashley Twichell (TAC), 8:32.75
And with that commanding win in the 800 freestyle, Katie Ledecky joins Michael Phelps as the only swimmers who have won an event four times at U.S. Olympic Trials. Ledecky posted an 8:14.12 en route to her four-peat and won the race by over six seconds.
While the second through sixth place qualifiers for this final were separated by less than a second going to race, this did not turn out to be a particularly close race. Paige Madden settled into second at the first turn and stayed there for the entire race. She’s had an excellent Trials after having a tough couple years after the Tokyo Olympics. But now she’s confirmed for a second individual race in Paris after finishing second in the 400 free and earning a spot on the 4×200 freestyle relay.
Madden clocked a huge personal best for second, swimming 8:20.71. That performance cut 6.93 seconds off the lifetime best she swam earlier this year at January’s Knoxville PSS.
2023 Worlds finalist Jillian Cox touched 3rd in 8:22.97, 2.26 seconds behind Madden.
For all of those dogging Katie’s times – Per Rowdy. I even asked the question in the podcast . There are two swimmers in trials that are NOT RESTED – Finke and Ledecky. She’s got a lot more to give. Come Paris with a nice taper ( she’s not a spring chicken any longer ) she should be electric! So quit whining about her times .
First she’s slower than Summer
Now she’s slower than Ariarne
Cool.
It’s a good thing other people are getting faster. (Ledecky isn’t getting meaningfully slower. Her trials time is slightly faster than 3 years ago. And her last 2 years have been as fast as any other than 2016.) She was always going to be caught eventually, and surely it’s a good thing that it seems to be because of a general improvement in other swimmers rather than because she collapsed. (Ledecky is ranked in front of Titmus this year, still. The 800 should be fun.)
Summer will be kicking herself that she didn’t just put down a time at Canadian trials. Her 8:11 would be GUARANTEED silver, if not be fast enough for gold
I don’t think Ledecky was fully tapered for trials so she’ll be faster in Paris. In the slim chance Titmus trebles, it would have to go down as one of the greatest ever performances because she would have to defeats 3 former/current record holders: MOC (200), Summer (400), Ledecky (400/800)
Question for everyone … It appears that there are only 22 qualifiers at this point (including the extra swimmers for the 100 & 200 frees) and perhaps a 23rd with the 50 free final. How do they fill the 3 additional spots they have?
They don’t. They aren’t required to send 26, and usually don’t. They’ll just go with 22-23.
No country has ever filled up the max quota, not even the US.
2028?
Good job Katie! Almost fast enough to win Aussie trials too!
B-B-BUT according to Rowdy, US trials is a lot harder than THE OLYMPICS!