2016 US Olympic Swimming: The Most Exciting Events to Watch at the Trials
Opening ceremonies at the Summer Olympics in Brazil are fewer than 50 days away.
What that means to American swim fans is the premier quadrennial domestic pool event is even closer.
The U.S. Olympic team trials will run from Sunday through July 3 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, and they'll provide a launch pad to Rio de Janeiro for some of the biggest names in international swimming—including Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin.
And given past history, there are bound to be a few new stars born as well.
The depth of talent provides for a series of intriguing matchups across the schedule, and we've assembled a list of most exciting events to look forward to across the eight days in the Big O.
Women's 100-Meter Backstroke
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When
Heats and semifinals: Monday, June 27
Finals: Tuesday, June 28
Why
Teen stars from 2012 will try to retain their Olympic positions against a horde of wannabes.
Then 17, Missy Franklin won gold in the 100-meter backstroke in London as part of a competitive coming out party, but she's not bettered the 58.33-second time she swam there in the subsequent four years. She'll be pushed in Omaha by fellow 2012 Olympian Rachel Bootsma, who reached the semifinals in London, but, like Franklin, hasn't improved her time in the event since then—though she's won two NCAA titles.
Meanwhile, 33-year-old Natalie Coughlin has the fastest American time this season (59.05 seconds) and hopes to challenge for a second Olympic gold in the event after placing first in Beijing in 2008.
Kathleen Baker and Claire Adams are factors, too, having joined Coughlin and Franklin as the only U.S. swimmers to go below 60 seconds in the last two seasons.
Women's 200-Meter Freestyle
2 of 8
When
Heats and semifinals: Tuesday, June 28
Finals: Wednesday, June 29
Why
The reigning queen of American swimming, Katie Ledecky, was a 15-year-old Olympic champion in the 800-meter freestyle in London, but she's developed a taste for that race's shorter cousin in the meantime.
Ledecky was the 2015 world champion in the 200-meter freestyle, beating the world-record holder from Italy (Federica Pellegrini) and a significant U.S. rival (Missy Franklin) to do so. Franklin, who finished fourth in London before winning the 2013 world title, will be in the Omaha field—as will the 200 gold medalist from the 2012 Games, Allison Schmitt, who trains these days with some old guy named Phelps.
Among the others, Simone Manuel swam her best time in the event in Atlanta in May and earned medals in it at the 2013 and 2015 world championships.
Men's 200-Meter Butterfly
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When
Heats and semifinals: Tuesday, June 28
Finals: Wednesday, June 29
Why
Because it's Michael Phelps' signature event. Need we say more?
OK, probably.
Phelps is a two-time Olympic champion in the 200-meter butterfly, but had to settle for silver at the 2012 Games in London. He won the race at the U.S. trials in 2004, 2008 and 2012, and could establish the longest run of individual domestic preeminence with a fourth straight trials win.
Phelps swam 1:52.94 at the U.S. national championships last year, which gave rival Jack Conger a target to shoot at. The star at the University of Texas hasn't won an individual NCAA title, but his 1:54.54 at the most recent Summer Nationals event was the country's second-fastest effort since the London Games.
Elsewhere, Tom Shields was a 200 butterfly finalist at the 2015 world championships; Tyler Clary joined Phelps in the event in London and finished fifth; and a Phelps follower from Baltimore, Chase Kalisz, chimes in for the youth movement at age 22.
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Men's 100-Meter Freestyle
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When
Heats and semifinals: Wednesday, June 29
Finals: Thursday, June 30
Why
This event, along with its 50-meter relative, could be the place where 19-year-old Caeleb Dressel establishes himself as the new male face of big-time American swimming.
The University of Florida product was the 2015 national champion in the 100-meter freestyle, then did himself one better by setting a domestic record in the short-course version. He'll face the man whose record he eclipsed, 2012 Olympic champion Nathan Adrian, in Omaha, and arrives after swimming his best time of the year (48.74 seconds) three weeks ago.
Michael Chadwick and Maxime Rooney were among the Americans to dip below 49 seconds last year, and the remarkably deep 100 field also includes Jack Conger, who finished second to Dressel at the 2015 national championships; Conor Dwyer and Matt Grevers, who went below 49 seconds on the U.S. relay team at the 2015 world championships; and perhaps even Michael Phelps and/or Ryan Lochte, who may use it to pursue relay berths at the Games in Brazil.
Men's 200-Meter Individual Medley
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When
Heats and semifinals: Thursday, June 30
Finals: Friday, July 1
Why
Ask a casual swim fan about the members of the U.S. men's team, and chances are the first names you'll hear in response are Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte—and with good reason.
The two stalwarts of the American pool have combined for 33 Olympics medals, including 23 golds, since splashing onto the podium at the 2004 Games in Athens. The 200-meter IM will be the only men's event at the 2016 trials in which the two fastest swimmers ever in that event will go head to head.
Phelps has won gold in the race at the past three Olympics, but Lochte is the reigning world record holder by virtue of the 1:54.00 he swam while beating Phelps at the 2011 world championships. Similarly, Phelps was the world's fastest in the event in 2015 with a time turned in at Summer Nationals, though Lochte won gold at the 2015 world championships.
Angling to pull a surprise and crack the top two are Conor Dwyer, who's gone as fast as 1:57.41 in his career, and Tyler Clary, though the latter may opt out because the trials finals fall on the same night as the 200 backstroke.
Women's 100-Meter Freestyle
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When
Heats and semifinals: Thursday, June 30
Finals: Friday, July 1
Why
Like the men's version of the event, the women's side attracts a stellar field of swimmers pursuing both individual glory and relay team berths.
Missy Franklin is a 100 freestyle veteran of the 2012 Olympics in London, and she's maintained a sub-54-second pace in multiple outings since then, most recently a 53.68 seconds on a relay at the 2015 world championships.
Simone Manuel figures to be Franklin's stiffest competition in Omaha, given her time improvement since that 2015 world event.However, new mother Dana Vollmer is still very much in the mix in this event, along with the 100-meter butterfly, and could challenge her personal-best time of 53.30 seconds from way back at the 2009 world event.
Not to mention, the event could get a sizable star power boost with the appearance of Katie Ledecky, who swam a 53.75 seconds earlier this season and already holds world records in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyles.
Women's 800-Meter Freestyle
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When
Heats: Friday, July 1
Finals: Saturday, July 2
Why
Sometimes an event is attractive not because of a mystery surrounding who'll win, but rather because of the showcase it provides a truly elite performer.
The 800-meter freestyle in Omaha will almost certainly be the latter.
Now a grizzled 19-year-old veteran, Katie Ledecky began making her dominant name at the 2012 trials. She ultimately carved a path to London that included her takedown of a Janet Evans world record that had stood since eight years before her birth.
That mark has since been lowered another seven-plus seconds to 8:06.68, nearly 12 better than anyone else in the world has posted this year.
Meanwhile, the best of the rest for trials interests is Becca Mann, whose 8:21.77 in November is more than three seconds better than any American not named Katie Ledecky.
Men's 50-Meter Freestyle
8 of 8
When
Heats and semifinals: Friday, July 1
Finals: Saturday, July 2
Why
Simply put, this one's got a logjam of really, really fast swimmers.
Nathan Adrian has reached the finals at four consecutive world championship meets and holds the American record (21.37 seconds), and he'll duel in Omaha with 19-year-old newcomer Caeleb Dressel, who has posted the six fastest short-course times in U.S. history and is the reigning NCAA champion.
His best time in the long pool is 21.53 seconds, which yielded a national championship and would have been medal-worthy at the world championships, too.
Remarkably, the rest of the field includes the reigning Olympic silver medalist in Cullen Jones, and the 2000 Olympic champion in Anthony Ervin. Also capable of a finals-night breakout is Josh Schneider, who was fourth at the 2012 U.S. trials and has a career-best time of 21.78 seconds.
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