United States Finishes Trials With Big Medal Possibilities; How A lot Will Be Gold?
The US is searching for retribution. After falling to Australia within the gold-medal depend finally yr’s World Championships, the People have set the goal of catching up on the meet which issues most, the Olympics. Now, on the conclusion of an Olympic Trials the place U.S. swimmers largely out-performed expectations, the standing of that comeback effort continues to be unclear, because of still-surging swimmers from Australia, China, Europe and elsewhere.
The massive rub from the week: the USA is sending a squad packed filled with contenders and co-favorites to Paris. Successful the general medal depend is very possible, however the People did that even on the somewhat-disappointing Worlds final yr. However clear gold-medal favorites? That record is Katie Ledecky within the 800 and 1500 freestyle and little extra.
The U.S. girls’s group received medals in each occasion besides the 50, 100 and 200 free finally yr’s World Championships, and with one month to go till Olympic swimming begins, a repeat of that end appears to be like very believable.
World-record breaker Gretchen Walsh — Photograph Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Two People set world information in Indianapolis, and Gretchen Walsh (100 butterfly) and Regan Smith (100 backstroke) will each be powerful to beat in Paris, however Walsh must cope with rivals equivalent to defending gold medalist Maggie Mac Neil, world champion Zhang Yufei and fellow American Torri Huske. For Smith, Kaylee McKeown is a big impediment within the 100 and 200 again, as is Summer time McIntosh within the 100 fly.
Kate Douglass may win gold medals in each the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke, or she may find yourself with a pair of bronze medals, with McKeown, McIntosh and American teammate Alex Walsh all set to shine within the medley and South Africa’s Tatjana (Schoenmaker) Smith and the Netherlands’ Tes Schouten big breaststroke threats. Lilly King, Katie Grimes, Katharine Berkoff and Phoebe Bacon will all be fashionable picks to win medals, however gold may be a stretch.
Caeleb Dressel will go to Paris to defend his gold medals within the males’s 50 free and 100 fly however not because the overwhelming favourite in each occasions like he was 4 years in the past. Ryan Murphy, identical scenario, very a lot within the gold-medal dialog however not alone atop that record. Bobby Finke within the 1500 free may be the USA’ greatest likelihood at males’s particular person gold, however he is not going to have a straightforward path, even when Ahmed Hafnaoui is absent.
Nic Fink and Matt Fallon are sturdy breaststroke contenders, however neither is a lock for a medal. Hunter Armstrong and Keaton Jones are sturdy backstroke teammates for Murphy however in deep fields. Carson Foster headlines the fields in each IM races, however his possibilities of beating Leon Marchand for gold are minimal.
The U.S. has not received a world medal within the 200 fly for the reason that Michael Phelps period. Possibly Thomas Heilman breaks that drought, nevertheless it’s no lock. Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano within the 100 free? Luke Hobson within the 200 free? May occur. Apart from the 400 free, there isn’t a occasion during which the lads will be totally counted out.
As for the relays, the People might be heavy favorites within the males’s 400 freestyle relay and ladies’s 400 medley relay. Give the lads’s medley relay a slight edge over China, however that would change simply. The combined medley relay is at all times a wildcard, with different international locations in a position to masks important weaknesses with solely two swimmers per gender. And the American girls are clearly behind Australia in each freestyle relays, with the lads a longshot to prime Nice Britain.
The U.S. has captured no less than 30 medals at every of the previous 4 Olympics, and working by the varied occasions exhibits how reaching that focus on once more is sort of attainable. However the gold-medal depend is a wildcard.
Listed here are current American gold medal counts: 11 in 2021, 16 in 2016, 12 i 2012, 12 in 2008, 12 in 2004, 14 in 2000, 13 in 1996 and 11 in 1992. The final time the American group didn’t attain double-digits was the 1988 Video games in Seoul, additionally the final time the U.S. didn’t win the general medal depend or gold-medal depend in swimming. East Germany was the highest group on that event, two years earlier than the nation dissolved throughout German reunification.
To get to 10 or extra but once more, the People might want to make small however essential enhancements over the following 5 weeks, together with at coaching camps in Cary, N.C., after which in Croatia. Particulars in method, racing technique and mentality are among the many points that have to be refined earlier than swimming begins August 27.
Because it stands, the People have virtually no true holes on this Tokyo group, however the closing bodily, psychological and team-building preparations for the Video games will determine whether or not this group of 47 swimmers can overcome Australia and reestablish its acquainted place as world’s prime group.
