Update: FINA has updated their lists, and Hannah Wilson has actually declined her 50 freestyle entry.
With now just 16 Olympic entries yet to be confirmed by national federations, two U.S. collegiate swimmers have been invited to swim additional events at the Olympics this summer in London.
At the Olympics, “bonus” events are given only to those swimmers achieving “A-times” in one or more of their races, so even swimmers who have been invited with a “B” time still have to wait to find out exactly how many races they’ll be able to swim. Texas A&M’s Lili Ibanez, originally invited for just the 200 free, will add the 100 to her schedule thanks to a best time of 55.74. The Mexican National sat out her second year in College Station with a severe back injury, but now is back to All-American form.
Meanwhile, former Cal Bear Hannah Wilson has added a third event to her schedule, as the last invite in the women’s 50 free. There, her best in the qualifying period is a 25.67. She is now eligible to add that race to the 100 free and 100 fly pairing that she was previously invited to compete in. The Hong Kong National Record holder now has one more event than she did at the 2008 Olympics, where she took on only the 100 free and 100 fly. She’ll look to improve off of a 30th-place finish in the 100 fly from Beijing.
Neither federation has formally accepted these bids (at least as of the latest update by FINA), but based on the fact that both swimmers have already grabbed other entries, it’s safe to assume that they’ll swim the extra races.
