COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Swimming, the national governing body (NGB) for the sport of swimming in the United States, today announced Olympic gold medalists Brendan Hansen and Kaitlin Sandeno will return as in-venue hosts for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming.
A six-time Olympic medalist, Hansen formerly held world records in the 100m and 200m breaststroke. The Longhorn legend never lost a breaststroke race during his time at the University of Texas and is known for his energy and humor when interacting with swim fans.
Sandeno is an Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and former world record holder. Among other post-swimming career highlights, she was recently a commentator for the 2023 Pan American Games and ParaPan Games in Santiago, Chile.
Together, they bring years of friendship, experience and excitement to the Olympic Trials pre-show.
“Kaitlin and Brendan have become a mainstay of the Olympic Trials experience,” USA Swimming President and CEO Tim Hinchey III said. “Their enthusiasm and passion set the stage each night for the best atmosphere in Olympic sports, and we are thrilled they will return as hosts of this historic event.”
The Olympic duo debuted as in-venue hosts at Trials in 2016 and will return for a third time to entertain fans each night in Lucas Oil Stadium during a 30-minute pre-show before finals. The fan favorites preview the action each night and offer predictions and expert insight while leading fan contests and trivia for exclusive USA Swimming giveaways.
This year, the two will also compete head-to-head in the Kaitlin vs. Brendan Challenge. The Challenge offers fans exclusive discounts to sit in branded seating sections associated with each host and exclusive meet and greet opportunities to the section that sells out first.
Tickets for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming are available at www.usaswimming.org/trialstickets. Use codes Kaitlin24 and Brendan24 to unlock 24% off tickets in sections 216 and 217 for any single-session ticket.
Press release courtesy of USA Swimming
It was a mistake moving Trials. Kaitlyn is a good move, but Brendan needs to be less Brendan if he does it again.
Brendan’s challenge is that in his full time role with USA Swimming, he has been…gosh…off putting? Aggressive? Mean? To a lot of coaches. The deeper he gets into this Hinchey administration (which seems to poison everyone and everything it touches), the more difficult his persona as “lovable former Olympian” will be to accept.
One of the few good moves by USA swimming during this trials
Brendan and Kaitlin do an admirable job keeping the audience engaged between races. Their energy level should fill Lucas Oil stadium…. can’t wait!
Should have brought Elizabeth Beisel instead. She was fantastic during NCAA.
NBC hasn’t announced their crew, but Elizabeth would fill a different role, for television. Brendan and Kaitlin are there primarily for the in-house spectators.
Elizabeth Beisel most likely be assigned to the on deck post race interviews.
Rowdy said Beisel will be in Paris as part of the on-camera crew in some capacity (personal aside when a few of us were talking to him at men’s NCAAs)
Beisel is a beast as a post racer interviewer,
hopefully she will be doing some on deck interviews. But chances are NBC has some old “legend” that will need to be there.
Hansen and Sandeno are doing a studio show. Different formulas.
One is backstroke one is breaststroke.
They don’t raise my interest in watching Trials! Sorry
Raises mine. They’re from the swim-family and they do bring an inside swimming feel.
Of course you would say that!
Yeah, I do, sorta, but the truth is this gig is harder than people realize. They actually have experience doing it, and their success will be based entirely on who is writing their scripts / producing their bits and the strength of their pre-programmed media. I do think having a strong comic gear with the ability to get serious on the turn of a dime matters. They showed that skill at the last Trials…in fact it was entertaining to watch them get better at it as the week went on.
You don’t have to worry about it unless you’re watching in person at Lucas Oil. The broadcast doesn’t show them.
They have in prior ones.
It’s the post race show on the USA Swimming website
Come on!
https://youtu.be/rwmLy89TZS0?si=OgLGfMqtO3EkXCLm
You’ll miss out on some funny behind the scenes stories.
Seriously?
https://youtu.be/eEleBHchaR8?si=0joABd7dlBVFOqSp
love it! I’m so excited to see how Olympic trials plays out because it could get swimming a lot of attention if done right.
I don’t think the broadcast shows them much or maybe not at all. In the venue itself they act as hosts and did a great job last Trials. But unless you’ll be watching Trials from Lucas Oil, don’t count on seeing them.