Rio 2016 Champion Penny Oleksiak Misses Olympic Cut in 100 Free at Sette Colli Trophy

by Riley Overend 31

June 23rd, 2024 Canada, International, News

2024 SETTE COLLI TROPHY

Rio 2016 Olympic champion Penny Oleksiak will not contest the 100 freestyle individually in Paris next month after falling just short of the qualifying standard at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome this weekend.

After winning the 100 free at last month’s Canadian Trials with a time of 53.66, just .05 seconds shy of the Olympic cut, Oleksiak vowed to aim for the 53.61 mark at another meet before the qualifying window closes on June 23.

On Saturday, Canada’s most decorated Olympian clocked a 55.18 in the 100 free heats before posting 53.77 in the final — still slightly slower than qualifying time. The 24-year-old Oleksiak took one last crack at the Olympic cut during the 400 free on Sunday — the final day of the qualifying period — splitting 53.86 through the first 100 meters on her way to a final time of 4:49.60.

Oleksiak tied Simone Manuel for the gold medal in the 100 free at the Rio Olympics back in 2016, when she was just 16 years old. She followed that up by placing 4th at the Tokyo 2021 edition, missing the podium by just .07 seconds, but she did bring home three medals in the 4×100 free relay (silver), 200 free (bronze), and 4×100 medley relay (bronze).

After placing 4th in the 100 free at the 2022 World Championships (52.98, under the Olympic cut but not during the qualifying window), Oleksiak underwent surgery on a torn meniscus that kept her out of the 2023 World Championships. Last September, she moved from Swimming Canada’s High Performance Centre in Toronto to the Mission Viejo pro group in Southern California for her Paris Olympic preparations.

Oleksiak will be searching for her eighth Olympic medal as a member of Canada’s 4×100 free relay next month.

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Swim fan
4 months ago

I still think if she’d swum. This event at the Mel Zajak meet in Vancouver (less travel, same time zone) she would have had a better chance.

jeff
4 months ago

can you qualify for a shorter event with the opening splits of a longer race?

NornIron Swim
Reply to  jeff
4 months ago

You can set a WR so you would assume so yes. Similar rules and all.

Sub13
Reply to  jeff
4 months ago

Yes. I believe Annie Lazor did it in 2022 as she had the 50 breast A cut from a 100

Daniel Takata
Reply to  jeff
4 months ago

Bjorn Seeliger did it in 2021. He qualified for the 50 free by making the cut with the opening split of a 100 free.

CavaDore
4 months ago

Damn I feel bad for her. I really wanted her to make the cut.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
4 months ago

The women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay for the Canadian Swimming Federation is doomed.

Steve Nolan
4 months ago

Wonder why she did the 55.1 in heats. It’s both too slow to have been a genuine attempt, but also seemingly too fast to like, just get a shake-out in?

Highlevelswimmer
Reply to  Steve Nolan
4 months ago

Just to get a second swim

Xman
Reply to  Highlevelswimmer
4 months ago

Yeah I agree with OP if she is going for a cutgo for it in the heats and in finals.

UVA Fan
4 months ago

Tough break, but she’ll still be in Paris for relays, right? Would be neat to see her and Simone get together and rehash their Rio gold.

LelloT89
4 months ago

I wonder if she’ll get a medal in Paris. It looks like USA, Australia and China can take all women’s relay medals, what’s Canada biggest chance? 4×200 free?

Tencor
Reply to  LelloT89
4 months ago

4×200 by far the best chance it seems, the top 3 in the other two relays are pretty locked in barring a DQ

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Tencor
4 months ago

That’s more the case of how dire the women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay and women’s 4 x 100 meter medley relay currently stand.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  LelloT89
4 months ago

I thought Penny Oleksiak’s 200 meter freestyle was even in worse shape than her 100 meter freestyle.

"we've got a boilover!"
Reply to  Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
4 months ago

She would likely be a prelim only swimmer if that.
They’ve got:
Summer 153
Mary Sophie 155
And 2 157s
Which line up competitively with US 2*155 + 2*156

Swim Observer
Reply to  LelloT89
4 months ago

Agree 4×200 free has a solid chance, btw MSH just swam PB 4:07.70 in 400 free

Joel Lin
4 months ago

Did Jasmine Nocentini decide to stop swimming? It was earlier reported she couldn’t attend Italian Trials because of academic calendar commitments at UVa, but would use this meet to try to get Olympic time cuts.

Last edited 4 months ago by Joel Lin
Admin
Reply to  Joel Lin
4 months ago

We asked and didn’t get a clear answer from Virginia.

She does have a year of eligibility.

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

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