Now that USA Swimming has released its selection criteria for the 2024 World Championships, let’s take a look at the limited options for the American women next February in Doha, Qatar.
The U.S. will bring a maximum of just 14 men and 14 women to the meet using a simple selection procedure: no trials, just one swimmer per individual Olympic event based on the top time clocked between last October to November 1 of this year. However, if the top 10 swimmers in a given event opt out, that event won’t have anyone selected.
If the American women’s roster was assembled today and all top swimmers accepted their invites, the team would feature seven swimmers:
- Abbey Weitzeil (50 free)
- Kate Douglass (100 free, 200 IM)
- Katie Ledecky (200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 1500 free)
- Regan Smith (50 back, 100 back, 200 back, 200 fly)
- Lilly King (50 breast, 100 breast, 200 breast)
- Torri Huske (50 fly, 100 fly)
- Katie Grimes (400 IM)
But there’s a chance that many of the top American women skip the 2024 World Championships with NCAA conference championships the same month and the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials taking place four months later.
Since so many swimmers are prioritizing other meets, there are plenty of opportunities for American women to claim major international medals in Doha and earn prize money that could extend their swimming careers. Major absences could clear the way for a veteran such as Rachel Bernhardt, a 28-year-old Drexel graduate working as an occupational therapist in North Carolina who is ranked 5th in the 100 breast (1:07.38) this season behind Lilly King, Lydia Jacoby, Kaitlyn Dobler, and Kate Douglass. Or perhaps there will be an opening for high schoolers such as Anna Moesch, Alex Shackell, Kayla Han, Kate Hurst, Leah Shackley, Teagan O’Dell, Piper Enge, and Lilla Bognar — all of whom are currently ranked inside the top 10 of an individual Olympic event during the 2022-23 season.
Women’s 50 Free (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 25.04)
- Abbey Weitzeil – 24.00
- Gretchen Walsh – 24.31
- Kate Douglass – 24.40
- Olivia Smoliga – 24.48
- Catie Deloof – 24.68
- Gabi Albiero – 24.69
- Torri Huske – 24.72
- Grace Cooper – 24.77
- Maxine Parker – 24.83
- Anna Moesch – 24.87
Women’s 100 Free (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 54.25)
- Kate Douglass – 52.57
- Abbey Weitzeil – 52.92
- Gretchen Walsh – 53.14
- Olivia Smoliga – 53.28
- Torri Huske – 53.41
- Maxine Parker – 53.51
- Bella Sims – 53.73
- Catie Deloof – 53.75
- Katie Ledecky – 54.01
- Alex Shackell – 54.08
Women’s 200 Free (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 1:58.66)
- Katie Ledecky – 1:54.96
- Claire Weinstein – 1:55.26
- Bella Sims – 1:55.45
- Erin Gemmell – 1:55.97
- Alex Shackell – 1:56.70
- Leah Smith – 1:56.91
- Anna Peplowski – 1:57.02
- Paige Madden – 1:57.41
- Katie Grimes – 1:57.55
- Alex Walsh – 1:57.84
Women’s 400 Free (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 4:10.57)
- Katie Ledecky – 3:58.73
- Bella Sims – 4:03.25
- Leah Smith – 4:03.85
- Katie Grimes – 4:05.18
- Claire Weinstein – 4:06.24
- Jillian Cox – 4:06.60
- Paige Madden – 4:06.78
- Erin Gemmell – 4:06.93
- Cavan Gormsen – 4:08.12
- Hali Flickinger – 4:08.69
Women’s 800 Free (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 8:37.90)
- Katie Ledecky – 8:07.07
- Jillian Cox – 8:19.73
- Claire Weinstein – 8:21.00
- Katie Grimes – 8:21.87
- Leah Smith – 8:21.88
- Kensey McMahon – 8:25.97
- Bella Sims – 8:29.85
- Paige Madden – 8:32.46
- Rachel Stege – 8:32.71
- Kayla Han – 8:32.88
Women’s 1500 Free (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 16:29.57)
- Katie Ledecky – 15:26.27
- Katie Grimes – 15:56.27
- Kensey McMahon – 16:07.78
- Claire Weinstein – 16:09.85
- Kayla Han – 16:16.94
- Erica Sullivan – 16:16.94
- Jillian Cox – 16:18.40
- Kate Hurst – 16:18.55
- Mariah Denigan – 16:19.02
- Bella Sims – 16:19.29
Women’s 100 Back (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 1:00.59)
- Regan Smith – 57.68
- Katharine Berkoff – 58.01
- Claire Curzan – 58.59
- Olivia Smoliga – 58.92
- Isabelle Stadden – 59.07
- Kennedy Noble – 59.11
- Rhyan White – 59.50
- Leah Shackley – 59.55
- Phoebe Bacon – 59.61
- Teagan O’Dell – 59.73
Women’s 200 Back (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 2:11.08)
- Regan Smith – 2:03.80
- Rhyan White – 2:05.77
- Claire Curzan – 2:06.35
- Kennedy Noble – 2:06.54
- Phoebe Bacon – 2:06.59
- Isabelle Stadden – 2:07.69
- Leah Shackley – 2:08.42
- Reilly Tiltmann – 2:08.65
- Teagan O’Dell – 2:09.09
- Katie Grimes – 2:09.53
Women’s 100 Breast (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 1:07.35)
- Lilly King – 1:04.75
- Lydia Jacoby – 1:05.16
- Kaitlyn Dobler – 1:05.48
- Kate Douglass – 1:07.07
- Rachel Bernhardt – 1:07.38
- Emma Weber – 1:07.39
- Annie Lazor – 1:07.70
- Kaelyn Gridley – 1:07.87
- Piper Enge – 1:07.98
- Miranda Tucker – 1:07.98
Women’s 200 Breast (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 2:25.91)
- Lilly King – 2:20.95
- Kate Douglass – 2:21.22
- Ella Nelson – 2:24.89
- Alex Walsh – 2:25.25
- Annie Lazor – 2:25.71
- Kaitlyn Dobler – 2:26.47
- Lydia Jacoby – 2:26.57
- Anna Keating – 2:26.71
- Kaelyn Gridley – 2:26.80
- Emma Weber – 2:27.08
Women’s 100 Fly (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 58.33)
- Torri Huske – 56.18
- Gretchen Walsh – 56.34
- Kate Douglass – 56.43
- Regan Smith – 56.60
- Claire Curzan – 56.61
- Kelly Pash – 57.53
- Alex Shackell – 57.59
- Olivia Bray – 57.64
- Leah Shackley – 57.98
- Gabi Albiero – 58.03
Women’s 200 Fly (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 2:09.21)
- Regan Smith – 2:03.87
- Dakota Luther – 2:06.79
- Hali Flickinger – 2:06.80
- Tess Howley – 2:06.85
- Lindsay Looney – 2:07.35
- Alex Shackell – 2:07.95
- Kelly Pash – 2:08.00
- Emma Sticklen – 2:08.28
- Katie Grimes – 2:08.77
- Rachel Klinker – 2:09.87
Women’s 200 IM (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 2:12.98)
- Kate Douglass – 2:07.09
- Alex Walsh – 2:07.89
- Regan Smith – 2:08.48
- Torri Huske – 2:09.75
- Leah Hayes – 2:10.03
- Bella Sims – 2:12.15
- Phoebe Bacon – 2:12.27
- Beata Nelson – 2:12.38
- Isabel Ivey – 2:12.56
- Katie Grimes – 2:12.66
Women’s 400 IM (World Aquatics ‘A’ cut: 4:43.06)
- Katie Grimes – 4:31.41
- Alex Walsh – 4:34.46
- Katie Ledecky – 4:36.04
- Emma Weyant – 4:37.76
- Leah Hayes – 4:38.45
- Leah Smith – 4:39.83
- Lilla Bognar – 4:40.97
- Justina Kozan – 4:40.97
- Kayla Han – 4:42.32
- Megan Van Berkom – 4:42.57
Priority #1. The first priority will be comprised of the Available Swimmers who has the first fastest Time in each Individual Olympic Event. Limitation on Selection: USA Swimming will not Select Available Swimmers with Times slower than the 10th fastest Time among Available Swimmers in each Individual Olympic Event.
In order for the U.S. to field two swimmers in an event, there will need to be a second swimmer on the roster who has achieved the ‘A’ standard within World Aquatics’ qualifying window (Oct. 1, 2022 – Dec. 19, 2023). If there is only one swimmer on the roster with an ‘A’ cut in an event, the U.S. will only have one entrant in that event.
Other than the Olympics, I don’t know of any other meet that has the prize money that the LC World Champs, but they do not have the bonuses of the World Cup.
If I were a pro swimmer or not swimming collegiately this year I would strongly consider going especially if I haven’t had much international experience. This would be a great way to improve my brand in a year when advertisers are excited about swimming. Imagine Katie Grimes winning a couple of golds ( without Ledecky or McIntosh etc it is certainly possible) and what that would do for her brand. Plus a young swimmer like her wouldn’t need a full taper to be at her best just a few days rest.
Aitken will just fly his swimmers directly from the OTC to Doha and say go, which probably results in a few medals…
I still don’t get why these worlds even exist.
2019 worlds
2021 olympics
2022 worlds to replace the 2021 worlds
2023 worlds as planned
In 2024 it should be just olympics.
2025 worlds
Why 2024 worlds? Words are held every 2 years. That’s a total aberration!
And then some people will compare the number of medals won by swimmers with 10 or 20 years ago with mixed relays added and world championships in 2024 that should never exist.
What’s wrong with 2019 Worlds? There’s been a world’s the year before the Olympics since 2003.
2022 worlds were not a replacement worlds, they were an extra worlds.
Prior to Covid, 2021 Worlds were set for Japan and 2023 Worlds were set for Doha. 2021 Worlds were postponed because of the Olympics. When Japan decided they couldn’t host in 2022, they didn’t give up their contract. Budapest were an additional worlds, while FINA was still contractually obligated to hold a worlds in both Fukuoka and Doha before Paris.
Here’s a theory- for US and AUS this WC will be a non event. BUT for every other country this will be a great opportunity for swimmers to record an Olympic Qualifier time….the standard of these WCs maybe a bit higher than we suspect.
Relays placements will be fiercely fought, even when USA and AUS don’t swim them
Will Katie go just to get a 7-peat of 800m free?
Given the quality of entrants going, USA could literally top the medal table just by sending Smith, Ledecky and King lol. Don’t even need a men’s team.
Someone said Schoenmaker is going so she could very well block King in the 100/200 breast.
Rather odd to say there is a good chance that all of those swimmers will skip 2024 Worlds due to a conflict with NCAAs when none of those swimmers are swimming NCAAs this season.
It’s because they’re going to watch the NCAAs