Walsh’s World Record Highlights Early Stages of U.S. Trials; 15 Olympic Qualifiers Through Day 3

swin @) swan Walsh Lights Up Lucas Oil: Gretchen Walsh has been the early highlight of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, bettering the world record in the women's 100 butterfly by three-tenths of a second. 2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS: NEED TO KNOW AFTER THREE DAYS Day 1 The opening day was headlined by Gretchen Walsh, as the 21-year-old University of Virginia star brought her record-breaking short course form in the 100 fly over to the long course pool with a stunning world record swim in the semi-finals, clocking a time of 55.18 to demolish Sarah Sjostrom's eight-year-old world record of 55.48. * Aaron Shackell brought the Indianapolis crowd to its feet by winning the men's 400 free in 3:45.46, as the local Indiana product pulled out a tight victory over Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Kieran Smith (3:45.76). * The other qualifying event on Day 1 was the women's 400 free, where Katie Ledecky earned a spot on her fourth straight Olympic team with the win in 3:58.25. Paige Madden, who swam the event in Tokyo alongside Ledecky, was the runner-up. Day 2 Walsh followed up her world record performance by qualifying for her first Olympic team the following night, winning the 100 fly with the 2nd-fastest swim ever in 55.31. Former American Record holder Torri Huske was the runner-up in 55.52, moving her to #3 all-time, while Regan Smith blasted a time of 55.62 to tie for 5th all-time despite missing out on a top-two spot. * Carson Foster kicked off Day 2 finals by getting some redemption, winning the men's 400 IM with the third-fastest swim of his career (4:07.64) to make his first Olympic team after his near miss in 2021. Foster was followed by defending Olympic champion Chase Kalisz (4:09.39), who should secure his third straight Olympic berth in the event. * A tightly contested men's 100 breast final saw Nic Fink book the win in a time of 59.08, giving the reigning world champion a berth on his second straight Olympic team (and first Olympic entry in the 100 breast). Another veteran, 26-year-old Charlie Swanson, was the runner-up after three straight best times, finishing in 59.16. * In the semis of the women's 100 breast, the crowd was treated to the feel-good story of the Trials so far, as 46-year-old Gabrielle Rose set a personal best time to qualify out of the prelims and lowered it again in the semis, placing 10th overall in 1:08.32. Day 3 The third night of racing had five events on the schedule with Paris spots up for grabs, and it was three of the biggest stars in the country shining in the limelight. Ryan Murphy, Lilly King and Katie Ledecky all won their respective events for the third straight time at the Olympic Trials, as Murphy got the job done in the men's 100 back, King did so in the women's 100 breast, and Ledecky won the women's 200 free. All three won these events at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and Murphy and King were both bronze medalists in Tokyo—Ledecky didn't swim the 200 free in 2021 and many expect her to drop the event from her individual schedule in Paris. Hunter Armstrong (100 back), Emma Weber (100 breast) and Claire Weinstein (200 free) finished in the runner-up positions, with Weber and Weinstein securing their first Olympic berths (Weber pending roster numbers). Madden and Erin Gemmell were 3rd and 4th to qualify for the 800 free relay. * Katie Grimes qualified for her first Olympic team by winning the women's 400 IM, clocking 4:35.00 to edge out Tokyo silver medalist Emma Weyant (4:35.56). * Luke Hobson won the men's 200 free in a near-best time of 1:44.89, with Chris Guiliano getting the nod for the second spot individually while Drew Kibler and Kieran Smith went 3-4 to lock in relay spots. * Regan Smith scorched her way to a new American Record in the women's 100 back semis, putting up a time of 57.47 to oust her previous mark of 57.51 set last month. That came after Smith went sub-58 in the prelims (57.93) despite looking ridiculously easy. Katharine Berkoff also became just the fifth woman ever under the 58-second barrier in the semis, clocking 57.83 to rank #4 all-time. Full Session Recaps: * Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 * Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 For a look at how the Olympic roster is shaping up after the first three nights of finals, click here. QUICK HITS * The 2024 European Championships kicked off on Monday—follow along with our coverage here. * Also running this week are the French Elite Championships—the French qualifier for the Olympic Games—which has already featured a Leon Marchand win in the 400 IM and a 100 free best time from Florent Manaudou after the first three sessions. Follow along with our coverage here. Follow along with all our 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials coverage here. GRETCHEN WALSH SWIMS 55.18 100 BUTTERFLY, BREAKS WORLD RECORD By Yanyan Li on SwimSwam Walsh, who went 55.18, took down Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjostrom's previous world record time of 55.48 from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Gretchen Walsh Swims 55.18 100 Butterfly, Breaks World Record Read More → - 2024 US OLYMPIC TRIALS DAY 3 ROSTER UPDATE: HOBSON PUNCHES HIS TICKET. By Mark Wild on SwimSwam Texas's Luke Hobson punched his ticket to Paris in the 200 free and 4x200 relay and was one of a handful of new Olympians named to the team tonight. Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2024 US Olympic Trials Day 3 Roster Update: Hobson Punches his Ticket. Read More → - INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE 2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS By Yanyan Li on SwimSwam The first session of the U.S. Olympic trials is underway. Has the environment inside Lucas Oil Stadium lived up to the hype or not? Read the full story on SwimSwam: Initial Impressions Of The Atmosphere At The 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Read More → - HOW TO WATCH/STREAM THE 2024 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam Prelims begin at 9:30 am while finals start at 5:30 pm everyday in Belgrade, Serbia. Competition runs from June 17-June 23. Read the full story on SwimSwam: How To Watch/Stream The 2024 European Championships Read More → - MARCHAND PUNCHES TICKET TO PARIS WITH 4:10.62 4IM; DON’T PANIC ABOUT THE TIME By Mark Wild on SwimSwam 2024 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS Sunday, June 16 – Friday, June 21 Chartres, France LCM (50 meters) Meet Central Entry List... Read the full story on SwimSwam: Marchand Punches Ticket to Paris with 4:10.62 4IM; Don’t Panic About the Time Read More → - REGAN SMITH RESETS 100 BACKSTROKE AMERICAN RECORD FOR THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN A MONTH By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam In the semifinal of the 100 backstroke at U.S. Trials, Regan Smith fired off a 57.47, lowering the American record that she swam less than a month ago. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Regan Smith Resets 100 Backstroke American Record for the Second Time In Less Than A Month Read More → - KASSIDY COOK, SARAH BACON QUALIFY FOR U.S. OLYMPIC DIVING TEAM IN SYNCHRONIZED 3-METER By SwimSwam on SwimSwam Cook and Bacon were the first two divers to qualify for Paris as they scored 629.82 points in the women’s 3-meter synchro on the opening day of trials. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kassidy Cook, Sarah Bacon Qualify for U.S. Olympic Diving Team in Synchronized 3-Meter Read More → - Twitter Facebook Instagram Website