USA Swimming on Tuesday announced a new set of qualifying standards for the 2021 US Olympic Swimming Trials.
As explained in full here, the meet will be split into two events, with a “Wave I” consisting of lower-ranked qualifiers and a “Wave II” consisting of the top 50-60 qualifiers in each event.
The Wave II Cuts are set based on the 41st qualifier for the Olympic Trials as it stands today. Anybody who has already hit a Wave II cut, or who hits a Wave II Cut going forward, will be able to swim at the Wave II event. In other words, there is a time cut for the Wave II meet, not a hard placement cut.
The top 2 finishers from the Wave I meet will advance to the Wave II meet.
Swimmers who have at least one Wave II cut can swim “Bonus” races in any event where they have a Wave I cut.
All meets will be held at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
- Wave I Dates: June 4-7, 2021
- Wave II Dates: June 13-20, 2021
- Qualifying Period for Wave I: November 28, 2018 – May 30, 2021
- Qualifying Period for Wave II: November 28, 2018 – May 30, 2021
2021 US Olympic Swimming Trials Time Standards
| MEN | WOMEN | |||
| Wave II Cut | Original Cut Time (Wave I Cut) | Event | Original Cut Time (Wave I Cut) | Wave II Cut |
| 22.71 | 23.19 | 50 Free | 25.99 | 25.65 |
| 49.74 | 50.49 | 100 Free | 56.29 | 55.56 |
| 1:49.65 | 1:50.79 | 200 Free | 2:01.69 | 2:00.24 |
| 3:54.21 | 3:57.29 | 400 Free | 4:16.89 | 4:13.28 |
| 8:08.95 | 8:12.99 | 800 Free | 8:48.09 | 8:44.01 |
| 15:35.76 | 15:44.89 | 1500 Free | 16:49.19 | 16:44.60 |
| 55.51 | 56.59 | 100 Back | 1:02.69 | 1:01.49 |
| 2:00.81 | 2:02.99 | 200 Back | 2:14.69 | 2:12.94 |
| 1:01.97 | 1:03.29 | 100 Breast | 1:10.99 | 1:09.55 |
| 2:15.28 | 2:17.89 | 200 Breast | 2:33.29 | 2:30.49 |
| 53.37 | 54.19 | 100 Fly | 1:00.69 | 59.59 |
| 1:59.63 | 2:01.19 | 200 Fly | 2:14.59 | 2:12.56 |
| 2:03.02 | 2:04.09 | 200 IM | 2:17.39 | 2:15.26 |
| 4:23.24 | 4:25.99 | 400 IM | 4:51.79 | 4:47.72 |
Wave I Event Schedule
Prelims begin each morning at 10 a.m. CDT, while finals begin at 7 p.m. CDT.
| Women’s Event # | Event Order | Men’s Event # |
| Friday, June 4 | ||
| 1 | 100m Freestyle | 2 |
| 3 | 100m Backstroke | 4 |
| 5 | 200m Butterfly | 6 |
| 7 | 800m Freestyle* | 8 |
| Saturday, June 5 | ||
| 9 | 200m Freestyle | 10 |
| 11 | 100m Breaststroke | 12 |
| 13 | 400m Individual Medley | 14 |
| Sunday, June 6 | ||
| 15 | 400m Freestyle | 16 |
| 17 | 100m Butterfly | 18 |
| 19 | 200m Backstroke | 20 |
| Monday, June 7 | ||
| 21 | 200m Individual Medley | 22 |
| 23 | 50m Freestyle | 24 |
| 25 | 200m Breaststroke | 26 |
| 27 | 1500m Freestyle* | 28 |
* The 800m and 1500m freestyle events will be conducted as timed finals, with the fastest seeded heat in each of these events swimming in the Finals sessions. All other heats of the 800m and 1500m freestyle events will swim fastest to slowest, alternating women and men following the conclusion of that morning’s preliminary session.
Wave II Event Schedule
| Session begins at 10 a.m. CT | Session begins at 6:45 p.m. CT (actual start time 6:51 – 7:03 p.m. due to TV) |
| Preliminaries | Semifinals & Finals |
| Sunday, June 13 | Sunday, June 13 |
| Men’s 400 Individual Medley | Men’s 400 Individual Medley – FINAL |
| Women’s 100 Butterfly | Women’s 100 Butterfly – Semifinal |
| Men’s 400 Freestyle | Men’s 400 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Women’s 400 Individual Medley | Women’s 400 Individual Medley – FINAL |
| Men’s 100 Breaststroke | Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinal |
| Monday, June 14 | Monday, June 14 |
| Women’s 100 Backstroke | Women’s 100 Butterfly – FINAL |
| Men’s 200 Freestyle | Men’s 200 Freestyle – Semifinal |
| Women’s 100 Breaststroke | Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinal |
| Men’s 100 Backstroke | Men’s 100 Breaststroke – FINAL |
| Women’s 400 Freestyle | Women’s 400 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Men’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinal | |
| Women’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinal | |
| Tuesday, June 15 | Tuesday, June 15 |
| Women’s 200 Freestyle | Women’s 200 Freestyle – Semifinal |
| Men’s 200 Butterfly | Men’s 200 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley | Women’s 100 Backstroke – FINAL |
| Women’s 1500 Freestyle | Men’s 100 Backstroke – FINAL |
| Women’s 100 Breaststroke – FINAL | |
| Men’s 200 Butterfly – Semifinal | |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley – Semifinal | |
| Wednesday, June 16 | Wednesday, June 16 |
| Men’s 100 Freestyle | Men’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinal |
| Women’s 200 Butterfly | Women’s 200 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Men’s 200 Breaststroke | Men’s 200 Butterfly – FINAL |
| Men’s 800 Freestyle | Women’s 200 Butterfly – Semifinal |
| Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Semifinal | |
| Women’s 200 Individual Medley – FINAL | |
| Women’s 1500 Freestyle – FINAL | |
| Thursday, June 17 | Thursday, June 17 |
| Women’s 100 Freestyle | Men’s 800 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Men’s 200 Backstroke | Men’s 200 Breaststroke – FINAL |
| Women’s 200 Breaststroke | Women’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinal |
| Men’s 200 Individual Medley | Men’s 200 Backstroke – Semifinal |
| Women’s 200 Butterfly – FINAL | |
| Men’s 100 Freestyle – FINAL | |
| Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Semifinal | |
| Men’s 200 Individual Medley – Semifinal | |
| Friday, June 18 | Friday, June 18 |
| Women’s 800 Freestyle | Women’s 200 Breaststroke – FINAL |
| Men’s 100 Butterfly | Men’s 200 Backstroke – FINAL |
| Women’s 200 Backstroke | Women’s 200 Backstroke – Semifinal |
| Men’s 200 Individual Medley – FINAL | |
| Women’s 100 Freestyle – FINAL | |
| Men’s 100 Butterfly – Semifinal | |
| Saturday, June 19 | Saturday, June 19 |
| Men’s 50 Freestyle | Men’s 100 Butterfly – FINAL |
| Women’s 50 Freestyle | Women’s 200 Backstroke – FINAL |
| Men’s 1500 Freestyle | Women’s 800 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Men’s 50 Freestyle – Semifinal | |
| Women’s 50 Freestyle – Semifinal | |
| Sunday, June 20 | Sunday, June 20 |
| No Preliminaries | Men’s 50 Freestyle – FINAL |
| Women’s 50 Freestyle – FINAL | |
| Men’s 1500 Freestyle – FINAL |
Well, there’s always next year for me I guess.
Has anyone gain more than ten cuts? Last year, Hali Flickinger owns the most trial cuts.
At the last Olympic Trials at what number did Flight A end and Flight B begin? Was it or 4 heats in? Seems USAS is simply removing the B flights from Wave 2 and making them Wave 1.
Totally understand USA swimming had to do something. My issue is my kid has had zero opportunities to swim a meet since 3/20 and is 0.30 from wave 2. He is currently a freshman in college in California and not swimming meets at all. He has grown 1” put on 12lbs muscle and on race day he can make the wave 2 times in two different events. This stinks for him and kids like him. Hopefully he’ll stay healthy (and interested in swimming) and the next OT will be more like the “typical” trials.
I’m 1000% sure he can swim a meet before to try to qualify.
Sorry to hear that your kid will likely miss out on wave 2. My question to you is, do you legitimately think that your son has a chance to make the Olympic team? If he doesn’t have the cut by now, the statistics show that it would be an enormous anomaly for your son to make a final, let alone qualify.
I understand being frustrated after everything these kids have already sacrificed! I struggle everyday to remind them that their commitment to continue training hard through these uncertain times is commendable.
With that being said let’s take a look at a realistic picture of a combined trials with limited to NO fans. You have already taken away the family component but have added risk by overloading the deck and the support staff. Now if you are frustrated because your kid won’t be at the same meet as their heroes. I get it, but let’s be realistic everyone will be locked away in a hotel room 90% of the time. No matter what decision they made the would lose. They made… Read more »
Is the number 41 qualifier on the bubble ? Or the wave 2 cuts set in stone as listed.
The wave 2 cuts are set in stone as listed. If you match the cut or are faster than the cut, you’re in.
Why not just have an outdoor meet? Just tear the roof off the damn place and go as normal. If you don’t want Covid, don’t go!
Funding idea. How about USA swimming spring for the $60K and fund the Wave I winners and runners-up $1K each to support their Wave II participation. That’s a lot of money and times are tight, but if you really want to show you’re focused on getting the best swimmers there and able to participate, it would be a great PR move. I get the counter argument that you could use $60K a lot of other ways, but this would show that it really is essentially one OT meet.
Jared is awaiting a call back from Mike Unger (or is presently on the phone with him), and plans to ask about this.
Did not even think about having to pay for two meets weeks apart….that would be terrible.