2024 Los Angeles Invite
- July 5-8, 2024
- Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center – La Mirada, California
- LCM (50 meters)
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 LAI”
Some of the top swimmers training in California were in action last weekend at the Los Angeles Invite, held at La Mirada Armada’s Splash! Regional Aquatics Center in La Mirada.
The field featured some top age group names, including 2023 World Junior champions Teagan O’Dell and Kayla Han, and one of the biggest stories of last month’s U.S. Olympic Trials, 46-year-old Gabby Rose.
O’Dell & Han Duel In 200 Free
The best race of the meet arguably came in the women’s 200 free, as O’Dell and Han battled head-to-head and both cracked the 2:00 barrier, Han doing so for the first time.
O’Dell, 17, came out on top in 1:59.69, holding off a hard-charging Han, who closed like a freight train in 30.09 to finish in a personal best of 1:59.95.
O’Dell’s time marked the second-fastest of her career, only trailing the 1:59.15 she produced leading off Mission Viejo’s 800 free relay at the Carlsbad Sectionals in February.
For Han, she dropped over a second from her previous best, having come into the meet with a PB of 2:01.04 set in March. She climbs to 48th all-time in the girls’ 15-16 age group.
After spending a year training at Carmel Swim Club, Han recently returned to her home club, La Mirada, after the U.S. Olympic Trials.
In addition to the 200 free, Han also set new best times in the 100 free (57.23) and 100 fly (1:02.36), placing 6th in both.
Delgado Tunes Up For Paris
O’Dell also raced the 100 free, placing 2nd in 56.19 behind Anicka Delgado (55.73), and posted a season-best of 1:12.61 in the 100 breast before scratching the final.
Delgado, the 22-year-old USC swimmer who is headed to the Paris Olympics to represent Ecuador, also won the 50 free in 25.43, a new season-best and within a tenth of her PB set at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago (25.36).
Representing the Evolution Racing Club, Delgado also clocked the fastest time of the meet in the women’s 100 fly, going 1:00.89 before scratching the final, where Beach Cities Swimming’s Delaney Herr, 17, set a PB of 1:00.98 to snag the win.
Rose Back In Action After Trials
Rose was a big story at the U.S. Olympic Trials, qualifying for the semis of the women’s 100 and 200 breast in Indianapolis despite being more than double the age of some of her competitors at 46.
Rose set lifetime bests of 1:08.32 in the 100 breast and 2:30.13 in the 200 breast at Trials, and wasn’t far off those marks at the LA Invite, winning the 100 in 1:08.58 and placing 2nd in the 200 in 2:30.37. She also logged a season-best of 57.02 to place 4th in the 100 free—she set a PB of 56.19 in June 2004 at the Janet Evans Invitational.
Winning the 200 breast over Rose was 17-year-old Kaitlyn Nguyen, who dropped nine one-hundredths from her best time in 2:29.77 to rank 67th all-time in the girls’ 17-18 age group. The Irvine Novaquatics product also won the 400 IM in a best time of 4:53.88.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- Thirteen-year-old Gabi Brito set new best times in the 200 free (2:05.73) and 400 free (4:30.77), and also posted a time of 1:04.64 in the 100 back final (1:04.52 in prelims) to place 4th overall. The 200 free performance ranks Brito 1st in the U.S. this season among 13-year-olds and 49th all-time, while the 400 free puts her 7th this season. In the 100 back, Brito set a best of 1:03.96 in June, which ranks her 3rd this season for 13-year-old girls.
- Rising USC sophomore Macky Hodges won the 100 back in a personal best time of 1:02.65 and also placed 1st in the 200 back (2:15.49), while she was the runner-up in the 200 IM (2:18.94) behind Chloe Kim (2:18.54) and took 3rd in both the 100 free (56.29) and 200 free (2:03.01).
- Columbia commit and Philippines native Gian Santos was among the top performers on the male side, winning the 200 free (1:52.10) and 400 free (3:55.65) while adding podium finishes in the 200 IM (2:05.60) and 1500 free (16:06.32), setting personal bests in all four. Currently training with Irvine Novaquatics, Santos’ 400 free time ranks him 19th this season for 17-18 boys.
- Korean native Minkyu Noh, 16, impressed by winning the men’s 100 back (56.36) and 200 IM (2:03.65) and adding a 3rd-place finish in the 100 breast (1:04.14).
Great swimming at the top. Meet is NOT what it used to be. Gone are the days of world records being set at this meet and teams coming from all over the globe. What a nightmare and grind this meet was for us coaches with athletes in the B ($) flight. Southern California Swimming can and should do better. Oversubscribed, slow standards/qualifying times. We are told every year in the coaches meeting that the soft standards will be changed for next year only to be conveniently forgotten.
Truth. this meet was brutal just like KP. don’t know why this continues. how is this good for athlete long term development?
Miss the real JEI/LAI. as a swimmer it was a GREAT MEET! As a coach never again. Still recovering from the long timelines this weekend. Seems it is all about $! too bad. RIP LAI
Why did they change the name too? Swimming at JEI used to be a big meet!
That was the original name before in the mid 90s they changed to JEI.
This meet along with the Kevin Perry Meet have become a complete money grab for the host team. I, as a coach, felt completely ripped off. A facility really showing its wear, disgusting bathrooms facilities shared with a water park, small children in “adult bathrooms” (Safesport violation), completely oversubscribed B flights and sub-standard awards.
Gone are the days where it was a classy and very fast meet with many club and college teams in attendance. This was a meet to look forward to, now its a meet to try and avoid at all costs.
I mean rose is just built different. Good on her to keep going with this get the feeling at least for her it’s only a start right now.
Rose kept her self in good shape. When I did a few masters meets in the early 2000’s around 45 to 46 I swam times like I did at12 and 13 not 15 and above.