SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers what the biggest highlights of the U.S. Olympic Trials were:
Question 1: What was the biggest highlight of the first four days of the U.S. Olympic Trials?
RESULTS
- Gretchen Walsh WR – 52.8%
- Regan Smith WR – 28.2%
- Gabrielle Rose semi-finalist at 46 – 10.8%
- Manuel/Dressel returns – 6.2%
- Continued dominance (Ledecky, King, Murphy) – 1.9%
Question 2: What was the biggest highlight of the second half of the U.S. Olympic Trials?
RESULTS
- Six men sub-48 in 100 free final – 25.9%
- Dressel makes team, wins 50 free/100 fly – 23.3%
- Manuel makes team, wins 50 free – 21.1%
- Matt Fallon AR – 16.6%
- Douglass triples 100 fr, 200 br, 200 IM – 13.1%
FIRST HALF
Lucas Oil Stadium was already abuzz on the night of June 15th, as the highly anticipated first finals session from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials had finally arrived and the energy and excitement in the crowd was palpable.
Gretchen Walsh cranked things up by several notches when she soared to a new world record in the women’s 100 fly, knocking three-tenths off Sarah Sjostrom‘s longstanding mark in a time of 55.18, bringing the entire crowd to its feet.
Given what Walsh did on Day 1, cracking a world record that had been on the books for eight years and breaking through in long course after so much short course promise (she was already a three-time World Championship medalist, but this was a completely different level), it was going to be hard for anyone to top that moment in Indianapolis.
Polling SwimSwam readers on what they felt the biggest highlights were of the Trials, Walsh’s world record was the clear top selection.
The initial question was posed after the first four days of racing, with Walsh joined by Regan Smith as world record-breakers at the meet on Day 4, as Smith reclaimed the all-time mark in the women’s 100 back, clocking 57.13 to clear Kaylee McKeown‘s standard of 57.33 set in October.
That performance had multiple layers of significance for Smith, who was also a close 3rd in the 100 fly final that Walsh won, but it was still the clear runner-up to Walsh in terms of highlights over the first four days, receiving just over 28% of votes compared to 52.8% for Walsh.
Outside of the two world records, some of the loudest cheers of the meet were reserved for Gabrielle Rose, who made the semi-finals of the women’s 100 breaststroke at the age of 46.
Rose picked up 10.8% of votes, while the other two options were related to what we had seen from some longtime members of Team USA.
Caeleb Dressel and Simone Manuel hadn’t yet made the Olympic team, but were back in the pool and looked good. Their returns got over 6% of votes, while Katie Ledecky, Lilly King and Ryan Murphy continuing their domestic dominance—which was expected—with wins at three straight Trials got a handful of votes.
SECOND HALF
The back half of the meet didn’t have one clear highlight that stood above the rest as evidenced by our poll, as the 5th/last-place option got a greater percentage of votes than the #3 pick did in the first half poll.
Coming out on top by a narrow margin was the men’s 100 free, which was blazing-fast as six swimmers went under 48 seconds.
Jack Alexy set a new U.S. Open Record in the prelims (47.08), Chris Guiliano claimed the top seed out of the semis with a new personal best (47.25), and then in the final, Guiliano (47.38) got the better of Alexy (47.47) while Caeleb Dressel punched his ticket to Paris by placing 3rd in 47.53.
Hunter Armstrong (47.78), Ryan Held (47.82) and Matt King (47.94) were also sub-48 in the final (Armstrong was 47.59 in the semis), giving the U.S. plenty to be excited about for the 400 free relay at the Olympics. Dressel said the longstanding world record of 3:08.24, set by the Americans in 2008 in that epic race against France, was on their radar heading to Paris.
More than a quarter of readers (25.9%) said the 100 free final was the biggest highlight of the second half of Trials, but it wasn’t the only standout moment.
Dressel returning to his best, or at least close to it, was the runner-up in the poll after his extended hiatus in 2022 led him to fall well shy of the qualifying for the 2023 World Championship team as he was working his way back to form.
After placing 3rd in the 100 free, Dressel won the 100 fly (50.19) and 50 free (21.41), giving him the opportunity to defend two of his Olympic titles in Paris.
Similar to Dressel, Simone Manuel had been off the radar at major international meets since the Tokyo Olympics, but returned with impressive form in Indianapolis to qualify for her third Olympic team. She was strong in the 200 free, narrowly missing a relay spot in Paris, and then earned one in the 100 free, placing 4th.
She saved her best for the final night, winning the 50 free in 24.13, her fastest time since 2019.
The returns of Dressel (23.3%) and Manuel (21.1%) both received plenty of votes, while Matt Fallon‘s American Record in the men’s 200 breast (16.6%) and Kate Douglass‘ trio of wins in the 100 free, 200 breast and 200 IM (13.1%) also got their fair share.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: If you had to pick one, which world record from the 2010s is most likely to fall in Paris?
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Any possibility Dressel picks up some extra relay duties and maybe a freestyle leg on a medley relay if Giuliano or Alexy are jammed up? He is already swimming a fly leg and it would be interesting if he could swim a free leg as well in heats or finals.
Are you saying he’ll swim the fly and free leg on the same relay? Not sure that’s legal
there is a men’s and a mixed medley realy. Maybe Hank means he’ll swim fly on one and free on the other?
That would be awesome if Dressel was a free leg in heats and a fly leg in finals or viceVersa.
Why? Have Heilman do the fly leg and the slower of Guiliano or Alexy do the free leg in the prelims and then have Dressel do the fly leg and the faster of Guiliano or Alexy do the free leg in the final.
For the mixed medley relay, Team USA should do MMFF in both prelims and finals with a full swap-out.
Imagine a scenario where Giuliano is out of form in Paris. In such a scenario, it is possible Giuliano would be overextended on relay duty with 3 individuals plus 3 relays and Dressel might have to step up assuming he was in better form for the USA.
Even if it made sense to use Dressel in free why would Guiliano or Alexy give away a medal opportunity?
Depending on form in Paris as shown in results or splits from early races in the schedule. Normally we know by day 2 or 3 who is in form. Imagine a scenario where Alexy and/or Giuliano peaked at trials for example but Dressel hit a massive taper and was in better form than both of them, and if Heilman was also hitting his taper and dropping massive times, perhaps they would use Dressel on the free leg and Heilman on the fly leg hypothetically.
That 1500 WR really needs to go down this year. We need that final nail in the coffin of Sun Yang’s career.
I agree. And similarly let’s get that 400 IM record knocked off for the final nail in Phelps career.
Eerrr.. did 2023 not exist in your mind?
Marchand destroyed Phelps 400 IM WR last year in Fukuoka
Finke can basically swim his own race IMO. Yes Wiffen Paltrinieri Romanchuk Wellbrock Short are all lurking, but I’m pretty sure it was reported earlier this year that Bobby was hitting in-season bests. He also broke his US Open record at Trials. The 200 IM and 100 br on the women’s side definitely have the possibility of going down, but I’d honestly be surprised if the 1500 WR doesn’t go down – I think Finke gets under the WR no matter what, but there is always the possibility of someone beating him for gold.
200 meters is long, but not as long 1500 meters. My reasoning is that dropping a few tenths in that event is gonna be much harder than the multitude of distance swimmers who are going to fill up a final wanting the gold medal and most likely breaking the world record in the progress.
People are forgetting about the womens 100 br. Tang qianting has been .2 off that wr at trials. If her trajectory is similar to qin, she could break the wr. Seems more likley to me than 200 im even.
Unfortunately if she does, it will always be with an blemish if she was juiced or not.
I think what you mean to say is “there will always be sore losers with an agenda who will try to discount her achievement”
200 IM is toward the end of the calender, think the swimmers will just be fighting for gold instead of the time tbh
Yeah I’m surprised it’s such a heavy favourite. I don’t see it as likely at all