2021 U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS
- When:
- Wave I Dates: June 4-7, 2021
- Wave II Dates: June 13-20, 2021
- Prelims: 10am CDT | Finals: 7pm CDT
- Where: CHI Health Center / Omaha, Nebraska
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Cuts
- Wave I & II Event Order
- LCM (50m)
- Wave II Psych Sheets
Upon the pre-scratch psych sheets for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials (Wave II) dropping this morning, everyone instantly clamored to see what events Caeleb Dressel had put on his schedule.
Dressel, who has been the world’s most dominant male swimmer since the conclusion of the 2016 Olympic Games, has entered in six events for Omaha, found below:
- 50 free (#1 seed, 21.04)
- 100 free (#1 seed, 46.96)
- 200 free (#11 seed, 1:47.31)
- 100 fly (#1 seed, 49.50)
- 200 fly (#9 seed, 1:56.29)
- 200 IM (#14 seed, 1:59.97)
The first four events on the list above are no-brainers. Dressel is the two-time defending world champion in the men’s 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly, and it would be hard to argue that he isn’t the favorite to win Olympic gold in all three in just over a month’s time.
As for the 200 free, Dressel’s primary motivator to enter that race is likely to put his name in the hat for the 800 free relay, an event in which he hasn’t yet represented the U.S. in on the international stage. Prevailing sentiment is that he’ll give the race a go in the prelims and try to post a time that gives him consideration for the relay in Tokyo, similar to what Michael Phelps did in 2008 in the 100 freestyle.
Dressel owns a PB of 1:47.31 in the 200 free, making him the 11th seed in the event, but it’s pretty wide open at the top, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see him head for the semis and see where it takes him if he feels good about his prelim.
The other two events the 24-year-old has entered are the 200 fly and 200 IM. Gregg Troy‘s swimmers have commonly over-entered events and scratched several in past meets, and it would certainly be a surprise to see Dressel take on either, especially given how the scheduling works out.
If Dressel went for the 200 free final, the 200 fly semis would fall later that same session. Then, the 200 fly final comes shortly after the 100 free semis the next night. And then the 200 IM? There’s only one event separating its semis from the 100 free final.
You can find the full Wave II Olympic Trials schedule here.
If we look back at the 2016 Trials, Dressel entered seven events (50/100/200 free, 100 back, 100 breast, 100 fly, 200 IM) and only ended up swimming four of them – scratching the 100 fly semis and failing to advance out of the 200 free heats.
Dressel qualified for the 2016 Olympic team at the age of 19 in the 100 freestyle, ultimately placing sixth in the Olympic final while adding a pair of relay gold medals in Rio, and he also placed fourth in the 50 free at Trials.
So, while he’s entered six events to keep his options open, and we know he can handle doubles extremely well, it would still be surprising to see Dressel risk Olympic spots in his primary events to tackle additional ones, given how the schedule plays out.
Assuming he does not swim the 200 fly, Dressel could swim all the way through to the 200 free final before any of his other races, so that’s certainly in play. He did race the final of the event at the 2017 World Trials, ending up sixth overall.
What a time to be alive!!!!
Has there ever been anybody with both a good 50 free and a good 200 fly?
I feel like Milak could drop a sub 22 if he focused on it
The existence of Milak, and no one else in the nearly 3 seconds back, takes real consideration of the 200 Fly off the table for Troy/Dressel.
Le Clos 50 free PB is 21.05 SCM, probably a 22 low LCM…not elite but very respectable.
Bob Bowman said in an interview that the athletes could be the world’s best male swimmers were playing basketball.
I feel that Dressel is an example of this. If he was born 15 to 20 years earlier I don’t think he would have been swimming but probabaly a college basketball or football player. Im not saying he would have been an NBA or NFL player or even a starter, but probably would have been getting playing time for a college.
Dude could you imagine Russell Westbrook or Ja Morant in the pool
Westbrook would miss all his turns.
A 40+ inch vertical at 6’3 means he could definitely dunk, I wonder was his 40 time would be?
There were videos of him (probably freshman year at Florida) before he wiped his Instagram and started over of him dunking a ball. He definitely can.
G – League here he comes!
He could dunk easily. Me at 6’1 with a 30” vertical can almost dunk. Keeping the ball under control on the way up is the hardest part.
With Dressel’s physical tools, he could do some fancy stuff, not just put down a regular one-handed dunk.
Kiki Vandeweghe and Kris Humphries both set national age group records when they were young..
Dean Farris. Duh
There was an age group phenom swimmer in St Croix, I believe. A hurricane destroyed the islands pools. So he focused on basketball. Life has a funny way of working out. His name…. Tim Duncan.
I don’t think he should swim it at the Olympics, but if he did, he could probably go 1:52 high. Dude can easy speed his first 100 in like 52.5, and die a little bit to still be 1:52
The crazy thing is that Dressel doesn’t really die in his races. He’s always pretty damn quick on his back half – I think at that ISCA meet in March where prelims were in yards he even split his 200 going like 47/47 or something. It’s his front end speed that really gets sharp with taper
I don’t see him as a sprinter. To me he is a 200 distance swimmer who is faster then all the power sprinters.
200 guys don’t go 17.6
to be fair, no one else goes 17.6
uh no. he went 48 high 51 high at that meet lol
I was talking about prelims
oh man i thought u were talking about the 200 fly, my bad man
WOOT..!!
Not sure why he’s entered in 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly…200 fly makes sense as he can drop 1:54, 200 IM would be sick too and I think he can go 1:55 mid.
I’m thinking this Dresell guy might make some noise on the international stage
Yeah I think he should try that. He could do some cool stuff I think
2IM makes no sense but the 2fly actually does make sense. I could see him getting an olympic medal in it.
The Japanese hurdle is too high, the Hungarian wall too thick
He doesn’t have to win gold in an event for it to be worthwhile to swim, 1:53 gets you silver or bronze, which would be pretty amazing
That mentality is one of the reasons you’re not a pro swimmer. Dressel does not swim an extra event because he could possibly be 2nd or 3rd, when Dressel swims an event he wants to win
I guess if you’re not a pro swimmer please don’t comment on these boards 🙂
He is a pro swimmer, but never races because he knows he can’t win…
He didn’t say that. He’s saying something that’s true…that 2nd or 3rd isn’t enough, especially for a guy of Dressell`s caliber.
99.9% of people on this site aren’t pro swimmers, I didn’t realize that was a qualification required to have the opinion that a medal of any kind at the olympics is an incredible accomplishment. But sure, anything less than gold isn’t good and you should avoid situations where you can’t win like the plague, that’s what makes you a great athlete apparently
I did swim for 14 years (and was nowhere near good enough to go pro like some of my peers) so I also realize that success in the sport comes in many different forms. I just thought the idea of having someone win the 50 free and medal in the 200 fly in the same olympics would be… Read more »
Honestly don’t think 153 medels with Milak seto le clos and all the rest in the mix
le Clos ain’t going under 1:53. He hasn’t even been under 1:54 since 2015.
Literally just wrong. He WON in 2017 with a 1:53.33!! But I have to admit I’d be shocked he goes under 1:54 as well. He should have just retired the event after his Worlds that year.
He’s already leaning towards the 100 free in his mind. 🙂
Milak is guaranteed gold (barring disaster) but 1:53 is still pretty elite, the swimmers that have gone under 1:53 is a pretty exclusive club too. Seto was 1:53 in 2019 and that got him silver which is why I figured 1:53 is a safe bet for at least bronze. It gets really crowded in the 1:54’s so someone like Burdisso could defintely make the Jump, and I’d never count out Kenderesi on the last 50 either for a minor medal
Not for him. I don’t think that’s how he thinks….that a “silver or a bronze would be amazing”.
Would love to see him go all out in prelims for the 200 fly/im just for the time. (probably good practice for morning finals anyways)