Who Faces The Biggest Schedule Conflicts In The New LA 2028 Swimming Lineup?

The biggest conflict that jumped off the page was the women’s 200 butterfly and 800 freestyle, scheduled back-to-back on the final day of the competition. Summer McIntosh is the reigning Olympic champion and three-time world champion in the former, but has taken a genuine interest in targeting the 800 over the past year, even becoming the second-fastest performer in history in May before winning world bronze in July.

The choice might seem obvious on paper now, but each event is quickly becoming more competitive. In the 200 fly, 13-year-old Yu Zidi is rising fast, while in the 800 free, Lani Pallister’s rapid improvement and a resurgent Katie Ledecky could make either path a difficult call by 2028.

McIntosh faced a similar schedule conflict at the Paris Olympics, where the 200 IM and 800 free finals were slated back-to-back on day eight, though at the time she was honed in on the IMs, 200 fly, and 400 free so it wasn’t an issue then.

On the positive side, the door is now open for McIntosh to target the 200 free, an event that bookended day three finals in Paris, with the 400 IM opening things up. It’s now slated for days four and five, and there are no other events on those days that McIntosh would likely want to swim. Her 2023 personal best of 1:53.65 would have been just a few tenths shy of winning the 2024 Olympic and 2025 World titles, had she chosen to swim the event, which appears to be the one with the most untapped potential given her improvements in other races over the past two seasons.

For Kate Douglass, the finals of the 100 breast and 100 free are scheduled about an hour apart on day three. The American’s never swum either the 100 free or the 100 breast at an Olympic Games, though she has competed in both at World Championship meets. The 100 free always conflicted with the 200 breast, her primary bread and butter, while the 100 breast has never been a focus for her until this year. The retirement of Lilly King opened a key medley relay spot she had targeted, after being left off the relay in Paris due to Torri Huske’s time drop.

Douglass is known for doing doubles at world-level meets but pared down her schedule in Paris, and given they’re both finals rather than a final/semifinal pairing, it seems very unlikely she’ll attempt both. Coming off a world silver in the 100 breast this past summer, this choice appears clear-cut, yet in the wake of that success her sprint freestyle has never looked better—breaking the short course 100 free world record twice over the past month and slicing seven-tenths off her previous best in the process.

If all of the active women are at their best in both events, it’s a difficult decision. The 100 free is stacked at the top with Mollie O’Callaghan, Marrit Steenbergen, Torri Huske, and the potential of rising star Rylee Erisman. Still, considering Douglass sits in the 52-mid range and has recently sliced eight-tenths off her short course best, it remains a realistic path.

On the other hand, China’s Tang Qianting and Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte have both posted 1:04-lows in the 100 breast over the past two years—about a full second quicker than Douglass. Yet, given how new she is to the event and that she’s already been 1:05-low with three years to master the race, it’s far too early to predict which event could ultimately prove the better choice.

Furthermore, on day five, the 50 fly semifinals and 200 breast final will be about 20 minutes apart, a double that troubled Douglass at Worlds this past July when the order was reversed. With the 200 breast likely remaining her main focus, it’s very likely we won’t see her line up for the 50 fly.

Despite the new conflicts, the former 200 IM/50 free clash was eliminated, a tough choice she had faced at the 2024 U.S. Trials, where the 50 free semifinals ran back-to-back with the 200 IM final on day eight. She naturally chose the 200 IM, but this time around she has the opportunity to contest both, if desired, with zero conflict. The 200 IM will unfold on days six and seven, with the 50 free scheduled for days eight and nine.

For the world’s greatest male swimmer right now, Leon Marchand, his famous 200 fly/200 breast double from Paris won’t be replicated in Los Angeles. The double that took place on day five less two hours apart will be no more, with the 200 fly all on its own on days three and four. However, the 200 breast semifinals will land about an hour prior to the 200 IM final on day six. He’s had no problems with doubles of course, though the 200 IM coming before the breast semifinals would’ve likely been his preferred outcome and would have cast zero doubt about him attempting the double.

The most versatile male American over the past two years, Shaine Casas, had a conflict alleviated in the form of the 200 IM and 100 fly. In 2024, the 200 IM final was slated back-to-back with the 100 fly semifinals, which would have given him less than five minutes of rest, prompting him to focus solely on the 200 IM at U.S. Trials. This time, they land on completely separate days, with the 200 IM contested on days five and six and the 100 fly on days seven and eight.

Casas is much more of a medal factor in the 200 IM at this point in time, though at least he now has the option to tackle his second-best event. Considering his full-second improvement in the 200 IM this year, if he finds a similar gear in the 100 fly, it could mean a sub-50 swim and an outside shot at a medal. Even writing “outside” shot at a medal going sub-50 would have been crazy less than a year ago, yet five active swimmers have done it, and Ilya Kharun is right on the cusp at 50-flat.

Hubert Kos faces a major conflict between the men’s 200 back and 200 IM finals. The 200 back has long been his primary focus, but he returned to the 200 IM this year, an event in which he holds the World Junior Record, winning world bronze. The scheduling makes the clash even more challenging: in Paris, the 200 back final took place about 75 minutes before the 200 IM semifinals, but in Los Angeles, the same rest period is expected while both races will now be finals rather than one being a semifinal. Fortunately for Kos, his primary event takes place first.

Both Casas and Kos face a conflict between the 100 fly and the newly added 50 back, with the finals for those events scheduled less than 20 minutes apart on night eight.

The men’s 200 IM semifinals are now scheduled immediately before the 4x200m freestyle relay final, creating a major scheduling clash for several athletes. Team GB’s Duncan Scott faces a particularly challenging situation, having won silver in the 200 IM at the past two Olympics and gold in the relay at both Games. His teammate Tom Dean is in a similar position, having also earned two relay golds and 2023 world bronze in the 200 IM.

It also affects Carson Foster, the 2022 world silver medalist in the 200 IM who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics and is a mainstay on Team USA’s relay squad.

Placing the men’s 50 fly semifinals on day one with the 400 free relay will likely create a few double-ups, with France’s Maxime Grousset and Italy’s Thomas Ceccon the most likely candidates. This isn’t a major concern though, considering swimmers have faced this double at the World Championships for over two decades.

On day seven, the 200 back final and 200 IM final will be held over an hour apart, primarily affecting Australia’s Kaylee McKeown. This is likely a moot point though, as she revealed to 7News Sunshine Coast in May that after the addition of the 50 back to the Olympic lineup, an event in which she holds the world record, she no longer plans to race individual medley events internationally, saying, “Training for medley is something I’ll still do and keep up in maybe domestic racing, just not internationally.”

SWIMMING SCHEDULE – PARIS VS LA

Session	Paris 2024 Schedule	LA 28 Schedule
Day 1 Prelims	Women’s 100m Butterfly Women’s 400m Freestyle Men’s 100m Breaststroke Men’s 400m Freestyle Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay	Women’s 100m Butterfly Men’s 400m Freestyle Men’s 50m Butterfly Women’s 50m Backstroke Men’s 100m Breaststroke Women’s 400m Freestyle Women’s 4×100m Freestyle Relay Men’s 4×100m Freestyle Relay
Day 1 Finals	Women’s 100m Butterfly Semifinal Men’s 400m Freestyle Final Women’s 400m Freestyle Final Men’s 100m Breaststroke Semifinal Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Final Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Final	Men’s 400m Freestyle Final Women’s 100m Butterfly Semifinal Men’s 50m Butterfly Semifinal Women’s 400m Freestyle Final Men’s 100m Breaststroke Semifinal Women’s 50m Backstroke Semifinal Men’s 4×100m Freestyle Relay Final Women’s 4×100m Freestyle Relay Final
Day 2 Prelims	Men’s 200m Freestyle Men’s 400m Individual Medley Women’s 100m Breaststroke Men’s 100m Backstroke Women’s 200m Freestyle	Women’s 100m Breaststroke Men’s 100m Backstroke Women’s 100m Freestyle Men’s 400m Individual Medley
Day 2 Finals	Men’s 400m Individual Medley Final Women’s 100m Butterfly Final Men’s 200m Freestyle Semifinal Women’s 100 Breaststroke Semifinal Men’s 100m Backstroke Semifinal Men’s 100m Breaststroke Final Women’s 200m Freestyle Semifinal	Women’s 100m Butterfly Final Men’s 50m Butterfly Final Women’s 100m Breaststroke Semifinal Men’s 400m Individual Medley Final Women’s 50m Backstroke Final Men’s 100m Backstroke Semifinal Women’s 100m Freestyle Semifinal Men’s 100m Breaststroke Final
Day 3 Prelims	Women’s 400m Individual Medley Women’s 100m Backstroke Men’s 800m Freestyle	Women’s 400m Individual Medley Men’s 200m Freestyle Women’s 100m Backstroke Men’s 50m Breaststroke Men’s 200m Butterfly Men’s 1500m Freestyle
Day 3 Finals	Women’s 400m Individual Medley Final Men’s 200m Freestyle Final Women’s 100m Backstroke Semifinal Men’s 100m Backstroke Final Women’s100m Breaststroke Final Women’s 200m Freestyle Final	Women’s 100m Freestyle Final Men’s 200m Freestyle Semifinal Women’s 100m Backstroke SemifinalMen’s 100 Backstroke FinalWomen’s 100 Breaststroke FinalMen’s 50m Breaststroke Semifinal Men’s 200m Butterfly Semifinal Women’s 400m Individual Medley Final
Day 4 Prelims	Men’s 200m Butterfly Men’s 100m Freestyle Women’s 1500m Freestyle Women’s 100m Freestyle Men’s 200m Breaststroke Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay	Women’s 200m Freestyle Men’s 50m Freestyle Women’s 200m Breaststroke Women’s 1500m Freestyle
Day 4 Finals	Men’s 100m Freestyle Semifinals Men’s 200m Butterfly Semifinals Women’s 100m Backstroke Final Men’s 800m Freestyle Final Women’s 100m Freestyle Semifinals Men’s 200m Breaststroke Semifinals Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final	Men’s 200m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Breaststroke Semifinal Men’s 50m Breaststroke Final Men’s 1500m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Freestyle Semifinal Men’s 200m Butterfly Final Men’s 50m Freestyle Semifinal Women’s 100m Backstroke Final
Day 5 Prelims	Women’s 200m Breaststroke Men’s 200m Backstroke Women’s 200m Butterfly	Men’s 200m Individual Medley Women’s 50m Butterfly Men’s 200m Backstroke Men’s 4×200m Freestyle Relay
Day 5 Finals	Women’s 100m Freestyle Final Men’s 200m Butterfly Final Women’s 200m Butterfly Semifinals Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final Men’s 200m Backstroke Semifinals Women’s 200m Breaststroke Semifinals Men’s 200m Breaststroke Final Men’s 100m Freestyle Final	Men’s 50m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Freestyle Final Men’s 200m Backstroke Semifinal Women’s 50m Butterfly Semifinal Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Breaststroke Final Men’s 200m Individual Medley Semifinal Men’s 4×200m Freestyle Relay Final
Day 6 Prelims	Women’s 200m Backstroke Men’s 50m Freestyle Men’s 200m Individual Medley Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay	Women’s 200m Individual Medley Men’s 200m Breaststroke Men’s 100m Freestyle Women’s 200m Backstroke Women’s 4×200m Freestyle Relay
Day 6 Finals	Women’s 200m Butterfly Final Men’s 200m Backstroke Final Men’s 50m Freestyle Semifinal Women’s 200m Breaststroke Final Women’s 200m Backstroke Semifinal Men’s 200m Individual Medley Semifinals Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final	Men’s 200m Backstroke Final Women’s 200m Individual Medley Semifinal Men’s 200m Breaststroke Semifinal Women’s 50m Butterfly Final Men’s 100m Freestyle Semifinal Women’s 200m Backstroke Semifinal Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final Women’s 4×200m Freestyle Relay Final
Day 7 Prelims	Men’s 100m Butterfly Women’s 200m Individual Medley Women’s 800m Freestyle Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay	Men’s 100m Butterfly Men’s 50m Backstroke Women’s 50m Breaststroke Men’s 800m Freestyle 4×100m Mixed Medley Relay
Day 7 Finals	Men’s 50m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Backstroke Final Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final Men’s 100m Butterfly Semifinal Women’s 200m Individual Medley Semifinal	Men’s 100m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Backstroke Final Men’s 200m Breaststroke Final Men’s 50m Backstroke Semifinal Women’s 50m Breaststroke Semifinal Men’s 100m Butterfly Semifinal Women’s 200m Individual Medley Final
Day 8 Prelims	Women’s 50m Freestyle Men’s 1500m Freestyle Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay	Women’s 50m Freestyle Women’s 200m Butterfly Men’s 800m Freestyle Men’s 4×100m Medley Relay Women’s 4×100m Medley Relay
Day 8 Finals	Men’s 100m Butterfly Final Women’s 50m Freestyle Semifinals Women’s 200m Individual Medley Final Women’s 800m Freestyle Final Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Final	Men’s 100m Butterfly Final Women’s 50m Freestyle Semifinal Men’s 50m Backstroke Final Women’s 50m Breaststroke Final Men’s 800m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Butterfly Final 4×100m mixed Medley Relay Final
Day 9 Finals	Women’s 50m Freestyle Final Men’s 1500m Freestyle Final Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay Final Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay Final	Women’s 50m Freestyle Final Women’s 200m Butterfly Final Women’s 800m Freestyle Final Men’s 4×100m Medley Relay Final Women’s 4×100m Medley Relay Final