What you need to know from Day 4 of the USA Swimming Olympic Trials
INDIANAPOLIS -- Here are the highlights of Day 4 of the USA Swimming Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Top story
On “Women in Sports Night,” Regan Smith upstaged Caitlin Clark on Tuesday. Smith, 22, of Lakeville, Minn., set a world record of 57.13 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke. She bettered the mark of 57.33 by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown in 2023 and her own American record of 57.47 from Monday’s semifinals. Clark and other players on the Indiana Fever were introduced to the crowd.
Magical moment
Luke Whitlock, 18, of Noblesville and Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, closed the gap on Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke in the last 50 meters of the 800 freestyle. Finke’s time was 7:44.42. Whitlock, at 7:45.19, broke the national 17-18 record of 7:48.09 set by Larsen Jensen at the 2003 World Championships. Whitlock is the youngest athlete to make a U.S. Olympic men’s swim team since 2000.
Olympics news: Noblesville teen finishes 2nd to gold medalist in 800 freestyle at USA Swimming Trials
Buzzworthy
Lydia Jacoby, the Olympic gold medalist in the 100 breaststroke who missed making the team Monday, posted on Instagram she was withdrawing from the 200 breaststroke. Her post:
I am not defined by my results.
I am more than an athlete.
I will be back.
And I will be better.
Stat of the day
Cumulative attendance through eight of 15 sessions is 132,568, according to USA Swimming, or on pace to meet the stated goal of 250,000. Average of the four-night finals is 17,743. By session:
16,037: Saturday prelims
20,689: Saturday finals
17,697 Sunday prelims
18,182: Sunday finals
13,943: Monday prelims
18,574: Monday finals
16,574: Tuesday prelims
15,526: Tuesday finals
Quote of the day
“There were many years that went by after 2019 where I thought that I would never do that ever again."
-- Regan Smith, who first broke the 100 backstroke world record as a 17-year-old in 2019
What’s up next
Wednesday night’s marquee includes Torri Huske vs. Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel in the women’s 100 freestyle, the United States’ three fastest men ever in the 100 freestyle (Caeleb Dressel, Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano), and Katie Ledecky in the 1,500 freestyle. Indiana University’s Josh Matheny will try to make the team in the 200 breaststroke, Lilly King has heats and semis of the 200 breaststroke, and Carmel’s 17-year-old Alex Shackell chases Smith in heats and semis of the 200 butterfly.
David Woods
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What you need to know from Day 4 of the USA Swimming Olympic Trials
