In the above video, US Olympic team member Kelsi Worrell talks about her favorite memories as a young swimmer, including accidentally dropping her iPod in the toilet and missing a race. She also touches on the moment she started to have Olympic aspirations and her excitement to wear the American flag on her cap.
Worrell, the first woman in history to swim the 100-yard butterfly in under 50 seconds, will be swimming the 100 fly in Rio. Born July 15, 1994 to Bob and Erica Worrell, she grew up in Westampton, New Jersey prior to joining the University of Louisville’s swimming and diving team where she’s studied exercise science. The American record holder is also a three-time Pan Am medalist, a multi-time NCAA all-american and a multi-time NCAA national champion.
At her senior NCAA Championships this year, Worrell completed the butterfly double, breaking her own NCAA, American and U.S. Open records in the 100. She touched in 49.43, over a second ahead of second place. She also broke the championship record in prelims of the 200 fly (1:50.61), clinching the gold in the final.
At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials last month, Worrell punched her ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics with a win in the 100 fly. Her time of 56.48 beat second place finisher, Dana Vollmer, by .73 seconds.
