As trash talk between American and Australian swimmers escalates ahead of the Paris Olympics later this month, let’s take a look at how the rivals currently stack up based on last month’s Trials.
U.S. swimmers went faster in 18 of 28 individual events at their qualifying meet, including a huge 11-3 advantage on the men’s side. The women’s side is split 7-7.
U.S. vs. Australia, 2024 Olympic Trials Results
| Men’s | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| 50 free | Cam McEvoy – 21.35 | Caeleb Dressel – 21.41 | Chris Guiliano – 21.69 |
Ben Armbruster – 21.84
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| 100 free | Chris Guiliano – 47.38 | Jack Alexy – 47.47 |
Kyle Chalmers – 47.75
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| 200 free | Luke Hobson – 1:44.89 | Chris Guiliano – 1:45.38 |
Maximillian Giuliani – 1:45.83
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| 400 free | Elijah Winnington – 3:43.26 | Sam Short – 3:43.90 | Aaron Shackell – 3:45.46 |
Kieran Smith – 3:45.76
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| 800 free | Bobby Finke – 7:44.22 | Elijah Winnington – 7:44.90 | Luke Whitlock – 7:45.19 |
Sam Short – 7:46.52
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| 1500 free | Bobby Finke – 14:40.28 |
David Johnston – 14:52.74
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| 100 back | Ryan Murphy – 52.22 |
Hunter Armstrong – 52.72
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| 200 back | Ryan Murphy – 1:54.33 | Keaton Jones – 1:54.61 | Bradley Woodward – 1:56.22 |
Se-Bom Lee – 1:57.02
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| 100 breast | Samuel Williamson – 58.80 | Nic Fink – 59.08 | Charlie Swanson – 59.16 |
Joshua Yong – 59.48
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| 200 breast | Matt Fallon – 2:06.54 | Zac Stubblety-Cook – 2:07.40 | Joshua Yong – 2:08.08 |
Josh Matheny – 2:08.86
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| 100 fly | Caeleb Dressel – 50.19 | Thomas Heilman – 50.80 |
Matt Temple – 51.15
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| 200 fly | Thomas Heilman – 1:54.50 |
Luca Urlando – 1:55.08
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| 200 IM | Carson Foster – 1:55.65 |
Shaine Casas – 1:55.83
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| 400 IM | Carson Foster – 4:07.64 | Chase Kalisz – 4:09.39 | Brendon Smith – 4:10.18 |
Will Petric – 4:11.78
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| Women’s | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| 50 free | Shayna Jack – 23.99 | Simone Manuel – 24.13 | Gretchen Walsh – 24.15 |
Meg Harris – 24.26
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| 100 free | Mollie O’Callaghan – 52.33 | Kate Douglass – 52.56 | Shayna Jack – 52.72 |
Torri Huske – 52.93
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| 200 free | Ariarne Titmus – 1:52.23 | Mollie O’Callaghan – 1:52.48 | Katie Ledecky – 1:55.22 |
Claire Weinstein – 1:56.18
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| 400 free | Ariarne Titmus – 3:55.44 | Katie Ledecky – 3:58.35 | Paige Madden – 4:02.08 |
Lani Pallister – 4:02.27
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| 800 free | Ariarne Titmus – 8:14.06 | Katie Ledecky – 8:14.12 | Lani Pallister – 8:18.46 |
Paige Madden – 8:20.71
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| 1500 free | Katie Ledecky – 15:37.35 | Lani Pallister – 15:53.79 | Katie Grimes – 15:57.77 |
Moesha Johnson – 15:57.85
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| 100 back | Regan Smith – 57.13 | Kaylee McKeown – 57.41 | Mollie O’Callaghan – 57.88 |
Katharine Berkoff – 57.91
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| 200 back | Kaylee McKeown – 2:03.30 | Regan Smith – 2:05.16 | Phoebe Bacon – 2:06.27 |
Jaclyn Barclay – 2:07.88
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| 100 breast | Lily King – 1:05.43 |
Emma Weber – 1:06.10
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| 200 breast | Kate Douglass – 2:19.46 | Lily King – 2:21.93 |
Ella Ramsay – 2:22.87
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| 100 fly | Gretchen Walsh – 55.31 | Torri Huske – 55.52 |
Emma McKeon – 56.85
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| 200 fly | Regan Smith – 2:05.70 | Elizabeth Dekkers – 2:06.01 | Alex Shackell – 2:06.69 |
Abbey Connor – 2:06.82
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| 200 IM | Kaylee McKeown – 2:06.63 | Kate Douglass – 2:06.79 | Alex Walsh – 2:07.86 |
Ella Ramsay – 2:09.32
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| 400 IM | Katie Grimes – 4:35.00 | Emma Weyant – 4:35.56 | Ella Ramsay – 4:36.56 |
Jenna Forrester – 4:38.16
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The Aussies collected 13 gold medals, seven silvers, and five bronze at the 2023 World Championships, marking just the second elite international meet since the Melbourne 1956 Olympics where Australia has finished above the U.S. in the medal table. They’re looking to carry that momentum into Paris later this month and snap a 68-year Olympic drought against Team USA, but the Americans made a strong statement of their own with two world records at Lucas Oil Stadium last month.
Americans currently own world-leading times in six individual events: Ryan Murphy in the 200 back (1:54.33), Matt Fallon in the 200 breast (2:06.54), Carson Foster in the 400 IM (4:07.64), Katie Ledecky in the 1500 free (15:37.35), Regan Smith in the 100 back (world record 57.13), and Gretchen Walsh in the 100 fly (world record 55.18). Australians are right behind them with world-leading times in five events: Cam McEvoy in the 50 free (21.13), Ariarne Titmus in the 200 free (world record 1:52.23) and 400 free (3:55.44), and Kaylee McKeown in the 200 back (2:03.30) and 200 IM (2:06.63).
The U.S. swimming rivalry with Australia was reinvigorated last August when Cate Campbell talked about how much sweeter it is to beat America.
“There were a couple of nights, particularly the first night of competition, where we did not have to hear the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ ring out through the stadium and I cannot tell you how happy that made me,” said Campbell, who failed to qualify for her fifth Olympics last month. “If I never hear that song again it will be too soon. Bring on Paris, that’s all I have to say. U.S., stop being sore losers.
“When we’re right next to each other in the warm-up area, the U.S. has this infernal cowbell that they ring, and as someone leaves to go to the competition pool, they ring out ‘U-S-A, U-S-A’ and I have never wanted to punch someone more and steal that cowbell,” Campbell added.
The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, saw Campbell’s comments for the first time last month.
“If somebody said that to me, I would lose it,” Phelps said. “I would literally make them eat every word they just said about me.”
Last week, three-time Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice wrote an editorial agreeing with Phelps.
“The trash-talking only fuels the Americans’ drive to take us down so let’s stop giving them extra motivation,” Rice said. “I believe our swim team is capable of taking the top spot, so let’s let the swimming do the talking.”
“We’re all bringing the cowbell,” U.S. Olympian Abbey Weitzeil said at Trials. “Whenever comments are made about your country or your jobs, it’s all competitive, and I think we all are competitive, our competitive side comes out. So we’re all bringing the cowbell, extra loud.”
America
Most surprising is Sam Williamson #1 in the 100 breast.
I’m certainly enjoying the swimmer derangement syndrome on this thread today
Were there any Aussies that made the Olympic A cut but not the Aussie QT and got left off the team because of it?
Yes / ?, not sure if anyone was left of the team (they might have made the team in other events/relays) but swimmers swam faster than the WA A-cut but slower than the Aussie cut.
Matthew Galea won the 1500 Free at Trials in 14:58.96. That was under the A Cut of 15:00.99 but outside the
Australian Olympic Qualifying Time of 14:54.29. He was not named to the Olympic Team. I’m not sure if there
was anyone else.
If only looking at 1st or 2nd place finishers (not all inclusive as I am not looking up all events):
I did not look up if any of these made the team in these individual events or not.
W 100 Fly Alexandra Perkins
M 100 Back Isaac Cooper & Bradley Woodward
M 200 IM William Petric
M 100 Fly Ben Armbruster
M 100 Free William Yang (missed at least 1 individual event person when I did a quick look)Some of these might have been selected on other criteria and I might have missed some as well, but there would have been a few more individual qualifiers if the WA A-cuts would have been used.
Here’s an interesting statistic – the Australian women have won more gold medals than the American women at 3 of the last 5 Olympics:
2004 Australia 4 USA 3
2008 Australia 6 USA 2
2021 Australia 8 USA 3
Should have include all 5 Olympics, not just the 3 where Australia won more Gold medals
2012 USA 8 Australia 1
2016 USA 8 Australia 1
Australia won 4×100 free relay those years.
The difference in the W200 is unsettling for the US. Titmus and MOC are so far out there. Crazy!
Unfortunately for the USA, the Aussie have a few other girls that swim fast in the 200 Free.
Guiliano & Giuliani sharing-but-flipping the ‘8’ and the ‘3’ in their QTs like it’s the ‘i’ and ‘u’ in their surnames
This wins comment of the week.
Hungary still has the best male swimmers per capita
Comparing 2 entities with entirely different population sizes is irrelevant and not informative whatsoever other than the fact that China is terrible and the fact they have to roid up Washed Shun, Mixed medley merchant Xu and the Fraud Pan to win fraudulent medals with asterisks
Are you declaring the Olympics irrelevant?
Because…what you just described is exactly what the Olympics do.
You’re really reaching here Braden
I’m saying that as more than causal swim fans (which is the swimswam audience) it’s best to compare in a more objective manner.
It’s like saying Carmel High is the best sports school in Indiana when they compete against schools that have 1/8th of the enrollment, just ask Indiana folks
The article didn’t use the word “best” once.
It is a comparison of times heading into the Olympics between the world’s two biggest rival nations. Any qualitative derivative is on you, not on us.
That’s not what the Olympics do. That’s what numbers people do. They tally up the medals and compare countries. totals and various other data such as population. The Olympics are a place for individual and team events where X competes with Y.
Feel like we are all somewhat missing the point here… These are INDIVIDUAL events. The U.S. is bringing 46 athletes, and Australia is bringing 44.
Nearly everyone on both of these teams are among the fastest in the world in their events. We aren’t just selecting Aussie’s and Americans at random here. No one brought this to a “per capita” level. This is a fair comparison.
Comparing medal count between the USA and say, Egypt (who has 2 swimmers) would be incorrect.
First sentence was great but it quickly went downhill from there.
You can adjust for the difference in population when making comparisons about the general swimming prowess of countries, but that’s really not what this article is about.