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
“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” ― Nelson Mandela
There was an outpouring of emotions from Shaine Casas when he touched the wall and saw that he had finished 2nd in the 200 IM behind teammate Carson Foster. Casas is one of the greatest short-course swimmers in recent American history. At the 2021 NCAA Championships, he won the 100 back, 200 back, and 2oo IM and has won 10 medals across two short-course World Championships.
However, success in the long course has not been as easy. At the 2021 Wave II Olympic Trials, Casas finished 6th in the 200 back and an agonizing 3rd in the 100 back, .28 behind Hunter Armstrong. Casas earned some hardware in the big pool, earning a bronze in the 200 back at the 2022 Worlds and being part of three medal-winning relays.
The former Texas Aggies turned Longhorn has struggled with peaking at the right moments having on numerous occasions failed to make the A-final, when projected to. Twice at the recent US Open this past December, Casas broke a record out of the B-final . Casas’s struggles weren’t contained to near misses as Casas has faced some troubles in his personal life, being arrested for public intoxication in May of 2021, just before the Olympic Trials.
“In a time of prosperity, friends will be plenty; In a time of adversity, not one in twenty.” -James Howell
Like in much of the reporting on Casas, there seems to be more drama than naught, and the 2023 National Championships were no different. While he entered the meet as the top seed in four events, he struggled to live up to his own times and his probable expectations, but some luck and resolve allowed him to make the team in the 200 IM alongside his teammate, Carson Foster.
Back in 2023, Foster said in his post-race interview.“I’m so proud of Shaine… He’s had a rough week, and he’s just kept battling, and he gets to go to Worlds…we get to go represent together, and hopefully, we get on the podium now. He’s gonna reset—the pressure is off now—and hopefully, we do some damage in Japan.”
His sentiments from 2023 likely ring true as anyone watching the post-race celebration saw Foster embrace his teammate, and Foster, despite being the winner of the 200 IM and adding his second event to his Paris itinerary, waited for his teammate, Casas at the edge of the pool before together heading off to wave to the crowd.
Carson Foster and Shaine Casas shared a moment after officially becoming Olympic teammates. 🥹 #SwimTrials24 pic.twitter.com/HQCPrCbm4d
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 22, 2024
MEN’S 200 IM — FINAL
- World Record: 1:54.00 — Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
- American Record: 1:54.00 — Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
- U.S. Open Record: 1:54.56 — Ryan Lochte (USA), 2009
- World Junior Record: 1:56.99 – Hubert Kos (HUN), 2021
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Michael Andrew, 1:55.44
- 2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 1:57.94
Final:
- Carson Foster (RAYS), 1:55.65
- Shaine Casas (TXLA), 1:55.83
- Kieran Smith (RAC), 1:56.97
- Chase Kalisz (TXLA), 1:57.17
- Owen McDonald (ISC), 1:57.51
- Arsenio Bustos (WOLF), 1:58.26
- Grant House (SUN), 1:58.35
- Will Modglin (ISC), 1:58.44
Carson Foster won this race, sweeping the men’s IMs this week in Indianapolis. He clocked a 1:55.65, good for second in the world this season. But this race was all about Shaine Casas.
Casas was out incredibly fast. He opened the race in 23.79, a whopping 1.80 seconds under Ryan Lochte‘s world record pace. After just 50 meters, he was .81 seconds ahead of the second-fastest swimmer, Grant House (24.60). Casas was still under world record pace at the halfway point, splitting a 28.89 on backstroke and turning in 52.68.
He lost touch with Lochte’s world record pace a bit after a 33.88 breaststroke leg. But heading into the freestyle leg, he had a 1.52 second lead over Foster, who’d moved into second place after splitting 34.27. Casas ran out of steam on the on the last leg of the race, splitting the slowest freestyle leg in the field (29.27). Still, it was enough to get hime home for second place in 1:55.83 behind Foster’s win.
As Casas looked behind him at the board and realized he was an Olympian, he had an incredibly emotional reaction to realizing his dream. He and Foster, who both train at Texas, shared a huge hug in the water and then again when they exited the water together.
They now sit at #2 and #4 in the world this season.
Beautiful! Immensely gifted athlete struggling through his own challenges on an intense human journey. I am joyous that he achieved his dream. And glad that he shut up the goons on this site.
I hope this will help him to take a leap forward mentally. He can podium with a better paced race. The way his fly is looking, he could have also challenged for a spot there too.
Amen!!
PROBABLY the most heartwarming redemption breakthrough swim of this week for me . So so Happy he made it by going full on from the get go . He will now be able to work on the best strategy ( not going too fast on the first 100 ) to keep enough power in the tank for the second 100 in Paris . 💙
The best way to overcome inconsistency and shut everybody up is to clear the field early. Place the percentages in your favor instead of the outlier late rally garbage
I am going to camp by my computer for the next 6 weeks with a popcorn bucket, reading SwimSwam comments until this man goes 1:53.
Casasisdaddy
Casasisdaddy
Gutty swim! Hats off to the guy. He came within a whisker of winning…
So proud of Shaine!!! Eddie and Wyatt did good,too. 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲👍👍🤘🤘