With the summer 2024 Olympics quickly approaching, there is much speculation on who will go, who will compete, and who will excel, especially in the world of swimming. In past Olympics, the US has been known for dominating in competitive swimming with a total of 575 medals. Some of those come from headline athletes such as Michael Phelps (28 medals), Katie Ledecky (10 medals), and Ryan Lochte (12 medals). So, with that in mind, there are high expectations going into these summer games.
Even with these expectations, I have no doubt that we will succeed. In the past three years, both men’s and women’s teams have proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Some are returning Olympic athletes, and others are now given this opportunity. However, the main issue with the US Olympic Swimming Trials is that only two racers out of the hundreds actually qualify within a certain event, limiting the athletes to those who are either the best or on their A-game that day.
Although that can be hard because sometimes it comes down to the hundredth of a second, it also expresses the dominance within US swimming and how there is constantly a rotation of swimmers rather than hoping one will be having a good day. Being a past swimmer, I have ideas about who will be among the selected few to continue onto this year’s summer Olympics.
Women
Katie Ledecky: Since her first appearance in the 2012 games, Ledecky has proven her dominance within the distance realm of swimming. She took her first gold in the 800-meter free at 15 years old and has not lost in that event yet in the Olympics. Although she lost to Summer McIntosh at the US Open Championship (ending her 13-year undefeated streak), I have no doubt that Ledecky will come out on top—in this event at least—due to them both being in very different stages of their training.
Regan Smith: Within these past few years alone, Smith has shown her worth, especially at the 2024 TYR Pro Swim Series. She dominated in the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter free but her best performance was the 100-meter backstroke. Not only did Smith break the US Open record, but also went under 0:57.7 for the first time since Tokyo 2020. Watching her continue to improve in her races and becoming more frequent time-wise when tapered (swim term regarding resting a type of rest before swim meet), I do believe that she will be one of the leading forces on the 2024 US Olympic Team.
With the women, I have a feeling that there is going to be a sense of returning Olympic athletes due to the fact that in recent competitions a lot of the winners have been names we have seen in the past. However, I am at a toss-up for men. There have been so many ups and downs of who might be there. I bet that a good amount of the men’s side will be younger besides some of the big names, but I won’t be surprised if some of those big names get touched out by these upcoming stars.
Men
Caeleb Dressel: After having a child in the past year and being a bit out of the swim racing spotlights, there has been much speculation on whether or not he will be ready to go into these games. However, seeing the results at the 2024 TYR Pro Swim Series, I have no doubt in my mind that he will be ready for whatever is thrown his way. Especially in the 100-meter butterfly, with him coming out on top by over .50 of a second with a 51.27. Dressel also took an outside sweep in the 50-meter free (won from the outside line) with a time of 21.84, which both have been the fastest he has gone since his break. Expressing to myself and even others that he is preparing and ready to go into these Olympic trials and even the Olympic games with great force.
Overall, I know that a lot can happen within now, and the Olympic Trials—which are supposed to happen in June. However, looking back on 2023 and the early 2024 competitions, there are a couple of names that I believe will be at the forefront of this year’s 2024 Olympic Swim Team due to drops in times, types of training, and how these athletes are competing with this upcoming pressure of possibly being apart of one of the biggest competitions of the year.
