Hali Flickinger Enters 4 of a Possible 9 Events at 2021 US Olympic Trials

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)
• Prelims Live Stream (NBC Olympics)
• Finals Live Stream (Olympic Channel)
• Wave II Live Results

WAVE II PRE-SCRATCH PSYCH SHEETS

Hali Flickinger, who has hit more US Olympic Trials Wave II cuts during the qualifying period than any other swimmer, will enter 4 out of a possible 9 events next week in Omaha.

At present, Flickinger is entered in:

• 400 IM – 6th seed
• 200 free – 10th seed
• 200 fly – 1st seed
• 200 back – 8th seed

That means Flickinger will bypass the 400 free (#11 seed), 800 free (#12 seed), 100 back (#14 seed), 100 fly (#14 seed), and 200 IM (#17 seed). Many of her best times in those events are faster than she’s been in the qualifying period.

The only one of those skipped races that there was maybe some thought of her swimming is the 400 free, though with the top spot sealed by Katie Ledecky and an increasingly-deep field behind her, that would’ve been a tough early-meet sell, even with no direct event conflicts on day 2.

She swam the 400 free at the April Pro Swim Series stop in Mission Viejo in 4:08.05. Her best is 4:06.72, done at a non-championship meet in 2018.

The primary focus for Flickinger, of course, is the 200 fly, where in 2019 she was the World Championships silver medalist. She is the top seed in that event, with Regan Smith about four-tenths back – and uncertainty about whether she’ll actually swim that race.

Flickinger’s Possible 2021 Olympic Trials schedule:

• Sunday AM – 400 IM prelims
• Sunday PM – 400 IM finals
• Monday AM – Off
• Monday PM – Off
• Tuesday AM – 200 free prelims
• Tuesday PM – 200 free semifinals
• Wednesday AM – 200 fly prelims
• Wednesday PM – 200 free finals, 200 fly semifinals
• Thursday AM – Off
• Thursday PM – 200 fly finals
• Friday AM – 200 back prelims
• Friday PM – 200 back semifinals
• Saturday AM – Off
• Saturday PM – 200 back finals
• Sunday PM – Off

The only real conflict in this schedule is a potential 200 free final that overlaps with the 200 fly semis. That might not be too big of a deal – the 200 free comes before the 200 fly, and Flickinger should be able to cruise into the 200 fly final even on a second swim of the day.

But the races aren’t that far apart either – separated by only the men’s 200 fly final – so we might see Flickinger race in prelims and drop in the semis if she doesn’t feel confident about her chances at qualification.

This will be Flickinger’s first major championship since leaving long-time coach Jack Bauerle in Georgia and moving across the country to Arizona to train with Bob Bowman, best known as the coach of Allison Schmitt, Michael Phelps, and others.