For the first time since 2008, World Records were broken at the 2024 US Olympic Swimming Team Trials. Moreover, American, U.S. Open, and meet records fell as the competition went on. Today, we are going to rank the top-10 swims of the meet, and list a few honorable mentions.
The Top 10 Performances from the 2024 US Olympic Trials
#1: Gretchen Walsh, Women’s 100 Butterfly (semifinal) — 55.18 — World Record
Was there even a question about this one? Gretchen Walsh has been the most electric swimmer in the United States all year. Walsh destroyed the World Record, set at the 2016 Olympic Games by Swedish phenom Sarah Sjostrom, which stood at 55.48. At the 50-meter turn of the second semifinal, Walsh split an astonishing 25.45, fully 0.56 under World Record pace. Walsh hit the wall in 55.18, taking a whopping 0.30 off of Sjostrom’s 2016 mark. Runner-up Torri Huske and third-place finisher Regan Smith also posted some of the fastest times in history, though we’ll talk about their performances later.
Walsh’s World Record performance came on day one of the meet, setting the tone for an incredible 8 days of swimming.
#2. Regan Smith, Women’s 100 Backstroke — 57.13 — World Record
In May at the 2024 NOVA Speedo Grand Challenge, Regan Smith lowered her own American Record in the 100 backstroke, Smith putting up a 57.51. This was significant as it marked Smith’s first best time in the race since 2019 when she set the then-World Record at 57.57, making her the first woman to ever go under the 58-second barrier in the race. In the semifinals of the 100 backstroke at Lucas Oil Stadium, Smith lowered the record further, posting a 57.47.
Smith set the pool on fire in the final, posting a 57.13 to take her World Record back from Australian rival Kaylee McKeown, who first broke Smith’s record in 2021 at the Australian Olympic Trials with a 57.45. McKeown lowered the mark again in 2023 with a 57.33 at the World Cup in Budapest.
Smith’s celebration was one of the best we saw all week, and what’s more is that she hit her goal exactly as she had the number 57.13 posted on her refrigerator door. Smith and McKeown’s showdown in Paris should be one of the marquee events of the competition. Smith and McKeown own all of the top-10 performances ever in the 100 backstroke and are two of just five women to ever crack 58 seconds. What’s more, every single one of them will be racing in Paris.
#3. Matt Fallon, Men’s 200 Breaststroke — 2:06.54 — American/Americas Record
Matt Fallon‘s ascension is complete. Well, maybe not–who knows how fast he might swim in Paris–however, the fact that he is going to Paris as an American Record holder is enough to give Team USA confidence that they might get a podium finish. The last American man to win a medal in the 200 breaststroke was Josh Prenot in 2016 who similarly won the final and set the American Record at the 2016 US Olympic Trials.
#4. Jack Alexy, Men’s 100 Freestyle (semifinal) — 47.08 — U.S. Open Record
Jack Alexy blasted onto the international scene in 2023 with runner-up finishes in both the 50 and 100 freestyles at the World Championships in Fukuoka. In the 100, he became the 2nd-fastest American all-time behind none other than Caeleb Dressel. Throughout the short course season, Alexy continued to show growth with no signs of slowing down. Alexy lived up to the hype and blasted a 47.08 in the semifinals of the men’s 100 freestyle, lowering the U.S. Open Record and becoming the 8th-fastest performer all-time, equalling Australia’s Kyle Chlamers. In Paris, Alexy could become just the 6th-man ever to crack the 47-second barrier in the race, and is in serious contention for a medal. Alexy is ranked 3rd behind China’s Pan Zhanle, who set the World Record in January with a 46.80, and Romanian phenom David Popovici, who after a rather lackluster 2023 looks to be back on form after producing incredible 100 and 200 freestyles at the recent European Championships. The men’s 100 freestyle will be one of the most exciting races to watch in Paris as five of the eight fastest men ever will be racing.
#5. Katharine Berkoff, Women’s 100 Backstroke (semifinal) — 57.83
With her massive semifinal swim, Katharine Berkoff became just the fifth woman in history to break 58 seconds in the 100 backstroke, surpassing Australia’s Molly O’Callaghan to become the fourth-fastest performer all-time. Berkoff put up this performance just moments before Regan Smith shattered the World Record in the following heat, giving fans a truly remarkable show. Berkoff, now the second-fastest American of all time in the race, posted a 57.91 the following day, proving the semifinal performance was no fluke and securing herself a spot on the Olympic Team.
#6. Torri Huske, Women’s 100 Butterfly — 55.52 / Regan Smith, Women’s 100 Butterfly — 55.62
Former American Record holder Torri Huske and backstroke star Regan Smith led the race for second in the women’s 100 fly in Indianapolis. After demolishing the World Record in the semifinals, Gretchen Walsh was the heavy favorite to win the race. While all eyes were on Walsh, the battle for second between Huske and Smith was also epic. Walsh and Huske are two of the fastest sprinters in the world, and at the 50-meter turn, Walsh hit the wall in a blazing 25.20, 0.25 ahead of her own World Record pace. Huske, meanwhile, touched in 25.93, while Smith was nearly a full second behind at 26.68. Smith, however, produced an incredible back-half splitting a 28.94 versus Walsh’s 30.11 and Huske’s 29.59. Nonetheless, Huske and Smith, who finished in 55.52 and 55.62, respectively, rose to become the 3rd- and 5th-fastest performers in history, respectively.
For reference, both Huske’s and Smith’s time would have won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. At the last Summer Games, the podium was featured a gold-medal time of 55.59 (Maggie MacNeil; CAN), a runner-up finish of 55.64 (Yufei Zhang, CHN), and and a bronze medal effort of 55.72 (Emma McKeon, AUS).
#7. Kate Douglass, Women’s 200 Breaststroke — 2:19.46
What can’t Kate Douglass do? She won the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials in the 100 freestyle, 200 IM, and 200 breaststroke, which displays an incredibly unique flavor of versatility. Douglass is one of the most prolific NCAA swimmers in history, having claimed national titles in the 50 free, 100 fly, 200 breast, and 200 IM, and we haven’t even got into her numerous relay titles. Douglass claimed the women’s 200 IM in Indy with a Meet Record time of 2:19.46. Douglass was slightly faster at the TYR Pro Series in Knoxville in January, where she broke the American Record with at time of 2:19.30, which is the 2nd-fastest in the world this year defending Olympic Champion Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa, who put up a 2:19.01 in April.
A fantastic battle for Olympic gold is set up for Paris as World Record holder Evgeniia Chikunova will skip the 2024 Paris Olympics in protest of the International Olympic Committee’s ban on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the ongoing Russian occupation and war in Ukraine. At US Trials, Douglass was under World Record pace at the 100-meter turn, splitting a 1:06.93, though she was not as fast as Chikunova on the back-half. Then again, neither the Knoxville TYR Pro Series meet nor the 2024 US Olympic Trials are Douglass’ end-of-season
#8. Chris Guiliano, Men’s 100 Freestyle (semifinal) — 47.25
The American men are going to be deadly in the men’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay in Paris. Despite Jack Alexy‘s US Open Record in the semifinals of the men’s 100 free, Chris Guiliano got his hand on the wall first in the final in a blazing 47.25, making him the 3rd-fastest American ever and establishing him as the 4th-fastest in the world this year. Were it not for Alexy’s semifinal performance, Guiliano would be the US Open Record holder in the men’s 100 freestyle. Guiliano is now the 13th-fastest swimmer in history in the 100 freestyle.
#9. Luke Whitlock, Men’s 800 Freestyle — 7:45.19
18-year-old Luke Whitlock took nearly 3 seconds off of Larsen Jensen‘s 17-18 NAG Record (7:48.02) in the 800 freestyle, which had stood since 2003. finishing 2nd behind reigning Olympic Champion Bobby Finke. Until Thomas Heilman qualified for the team two days later, Whitlock distinguished himself as the youngest American man to make the US Olympic swim. team since 2000 when a 15-year-old Michael Phelps made it in the 200 butterfly. Whitlock’s performance in Indy ranks him 9th in the World heading to the Paris Games.
#10. Simone Manuel, Women’s 50 Freestyle — 24.13
Simone Manuel upset sprint sensation Alex Walsh by 0.02 to win the 50 freestyle in 24.13, ranking her 8th in the world this year, though 5th among those who will swim the race in Paris. Manuel made a statement by placing 4th in the 100 free earlier in the week, thereby securing her a spot on her third Olympic team and on the 4 x 100 freestyle relay. Manuel struggled in 2016, failing to make the team in the 100 freestyle or the 4 x 100 freestyle relay despite being the 2016 Olympic champion in the event. The 50 freestyle earned Manuel a spot on the team in Tokyo with a second-place finish in Omaha. This time, Simone 2.0 will be on the relay and in the hunt for another individual medal.
Honorable Mentions
Bobby Finke, Men’s 1500 Freestyle — 15:40.28 — U.S. Open & Meet Record
Bobby Finke has to be the favorite to win the 1500 in Paris and defend his Olympic gold medal–he might even take down the World Record, set by Sun Yang in London in 2012. Finke led the race from start to finish, and was even under World Record pace for the first 200 meters. At the 2023 World Championships, Finke and Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnoui, who only beat Finke by 5-one-hundredths. Hafnoui, however, will not compete at the Paris Olympics; that doesn’t mean it’s wide-open for Finke in Paris. The 3rd-place finisher at last summer’s World Championships, Australia’s Sam Short, clocked a swift 14:37.28 in Fukuoka, while Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri and Ireland’s young Daniel Wiffen will likely make things interesting.
Thomas Heilman, Men’s 100 Butterfly — 50.80, 17-18 NAG Record
Thomas Heilman did it again! He qualified 2nd in the men’s 100 butterfly behind Caeleb Dressel, besting 2023 World Championship bronze medalist Dare Rose by 0.04 and breaking Michael Phelps‘ 17-18 NAG Record by 0.30, clocking a 50.80, demolishing his previous best time of 51.19. Heilman will represent the United States in Paris in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, men’s 4 x 100 medley relay, and potentially the mixed 4 x 100 medley relay. When he gets home from Paris he will prepare for his senior year of high school and later his NCAA career at the University of Virginia, potentially with Olympic hardware to his name.
Shaine Casas, Men’s 200 IM — 1:55.83
Shaine Casas was a favorite to make the Olympic team in 2021, though he finished 3rd in the 100 backstroke and 6th in the 200 backstroke. Since then, Casas has leveled up as one of the fastest performers all-time in the 100 butterfly (50.40) and the 200 IM (1:55.24). In the latter, Casas can finally call himself an Olympian after finishing 2nd in the 200 IM in 1:55.83 in Indy, a mere 0.18 behind Carson Foster. Casas demonstrated overwhelming joy with his 2nd-place finish, and in his post-race interview, said that he felt a sense of relief in his post-race interview and that the swim “represented his entire life’s work,” and he expressed gratitude to his supporters along the way.
Adam Chaney & Jonny Kulow, Men’s 50 Freestyle Swim-Off — 21.79
Tying for a spot in the final is one thing. Tying for a spot in the final in your SWIM-OFF is another thing entirely. This was the case for Florida’s Adam Chaney and Arizona State’s Jonny Kulow, who posted electrifying equals of 21.79 in their 50 freestyle swim-off.
Following this remarkable performance, both men were required to duel again. In the second swim-off, Chaney bested Kulow, 21.81 to Kulow’s 21.99. Chaney, who won the privilege to advance to the final, ended up finishing 8th in a 22.08.
While it’s easy to scoff at the distance of the event, the intensity required to perform a world-class 50 freestyle multiple times over the course of three sessions, with one of those session containing a triple for Chaney and Kulow, well, that’s a lift.
Rylee Erisman, Women’s 50 Freestyle — 24.62
Rylee Erisman became the 2nd-fastest performer in the girl’s 15-16 age group at the 2024 US Olympic Trials in the women’s 50 freestyle, finishing 5th in a time of 24.62.
Erisman set the NCSA Spring Championships on fire when she blasted a 13-14 NAG Record time of 24.98, shattering the 15-year-old mark set by Missy Franklin in 2009 at 25.23. In the interim to the 2024 US Olympic Trials, Erisman aged up and now competes for 15-16 NAG Records. While she hasn’t yet cracked one of those–though she’s close and has plenty of time–her performances in the 50 freestyle in Indy were nothing short of outstanding.
