Olympic Trials Recap
Hey there!
I had a great meet at the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis, but a great meet doesn't always cut it! I am not disappointed in my performance, however I know I am capable of more. The top two finishers in each event get to go to the Olympics and I placed sixth in the 200 butterfly. Coming up short of the dream just adds more fuel to the fire.
I would like to share with you something that helped me be successful in a chaotic and high pressure environment. After I swam the preliminaries of the 200 butterfly, I turned my phone off. I didn't turn it back on until after my finals swim. From noon on Tuesday to ten at night on Wednesday, I was off the radar. During this period, I was able to focus on proper recovery and race prep. It is exciting when everyone is sharing their love with you, but I didn't want to get excited at the wrong time and not be able to rest. I read the book I brought (Billy Summers by Stephen King) and watched TV when I wasn't racing, eating, or sleeping. If you are reading this, you are probably one of the people who sent me a message, and I deeply appreciate it! Check out this video I made of all the love I got from you after my 200 butterfly.
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What’s Happening?
My first event was the 200 freestyle and it went poorly. I executed my race strategy well, but faded at the end and placed 21st in a 1:47.92. With only the top 16 moving onto to semifinals later that day, I was relegated to the sidelines. I added a second from my personal best time and had to watch that evening as the time it took to move onto the final was slower than my PB. Of the eight swimmers who made that final (which would race the next evening), six of them got invited as members of the 4x200 relay. It was heartbreaking to watch that final while picturing myself racing in it, where I felt I belonged. Once you get to a certain skill level, it becomes a game of performing at the right time and racing your competitors.
After a day off, I took that mindset into the 200 butterfly. In prelims, I cruised to 5th in a 1:56.45 (beating Olympians Chase Kalisz and Zach Harting head-to-head) and advanced to the semifinals. Swimming in the second semifinal heat, I raced to a new best time of 1:55.65 and moved onto the final sitting in 5th. The next evening in the final, with 22,209 fans in attendance (the largest crowd to ever watch a swim meet), I placed 6th in 1:56.63. I may not have put my best race together like I planned, but I did what I could under the bright lights and electric environment of Lucas Oil Stadium. Watch a video of the race here.
With my serious events out of the way, it was time to have some fun with the sprints! The next day, I raced the 50 freestyle in a new best time of 22.49. This placed me 26th and was two spots ahead of Mizzou legend and fellow TallSlim Tees ambassador Michael Chadwick (22.52). If you recall from my April newsletter, he beat me by one place at the San Antonio Pro Swim Series, so the record is now 1-1! Maybe we can see about a rematch at the Mizzou Homecoming alumni meet this fall?
The following day I had my final event: the 100 butterfly. After the success of my 50 free, I knew it was going to be good. In prelims, I dropped 0.39 from my previous best and placed 14th with a 52.51. This secured me another swim in the semifinals. At the 2023 Pan American Games, I swam butterfly on the 4x100 medley relay in prelims with a 52.34. The finals relay went on to win, so I received a gold medal for my contribution. It was my goal to beat that time and I did exactly that... and then some. I lopped another 0.49 off of my best time in 52.02, ultimately placing me 10th. This left me out of the final, but what a fantastic way to close out the meet!
Looking Ahead
Looking forward, I will be spending some time back home in Minnesota over the Fourth of July. Then I'll be back to racing with the Speedo Summer Sectionals in Columbia, MO July 10th-13th. That will mostly be for fun to swim some races I didn't get to swim at trials and throw down some relays. After that I will fly out to Irvine, CA for the Speedo Summer Championships July 23rd-27th.
Fun Fact: I love to read and Stephen King is one of my favorite authors!
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