Complete Preview of the 2016 US Olympic Swimming Trials
Swimming is one of the signature events of the Summer Olympic Games. Like its track and field counterparts, the underlying competition—swim the farthest the fastest—is pretty universal.
In the United States, swimming is particularly popular because, well, Americans are pretty good at it. Dominant, in fact. According to the website Database Olympics, the U.S. has 488 total swimming medals, including 214 golds—far more than second-place Australia, which has notched respective totals of 169 and 56 in those categories.
America, as you know, loves itself a winner. So when you combine the sport's accessibility with its track record of stateside success, it's not hard to see why people get a little swim-crazy every four years.
Let the craziness for the 2016 Rio Games begin. Per tradition, the Americans could be poised for a big haul. Several familiar names still dominate the game, but some new faces also could be poised to emerge. And remember that Phelps guy? Oh, he's in the mix.
So put down what you're eating, wait at least one hour, then dive in to this preview of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, which begin this weekend and will decide who represents America in the pool in Brazil.
What You Need to Know
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The event: The nation's best swimmers converge on Omaha, Nebraska, from Saturday to July 3 for the U.S. Olympic trials. Like track and field, swimmers compete in preliminary rounds or "heats," with top performers moving on to semifinal and final rounds. Finals winners for each event (13 individual events each for men and women) make the Olympic team. Second-place finishers can also make the team but need some luck based on multievent qualifications and other factors.
The schedule: The heats kick off at 11 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, with the final races beginning at 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Competitions happen in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly stroke. The individual medley (a combination of all four swimming strokes) kicks things off for the men, with butterfly starting the action on the women's side. USA Swimming, the coordinating body for the event, has a full schedule.
TV info: NBC, the NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports app will carry the races live and on delay. They will also be available via web stream. Check the official TV and web schedule for more information.
Top Storylines
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That Phelps guy
You know him, you love him (or not). Michael Phelps, the winningest Olympian of all time in any sport (22 total medals and counting), is queued up to compete in five different events at the trials (more on those in a moment).
He has a bit of a checkered past, but that appears to be behind him now. More importantly for this conversation, he appears fully recommitted to the sport. We shall see, won't we now? We shall see.
Ledecky aims for new territory
As a 15-year-old in 2012, Katie Ledecky won a surprise Olympic gold. That wouldn't be much of a surprise this time around.
If everything goes according to plan, the 19-year-old multi-world record holder could be in a position to make history.
It will match a national record if Ledecky makes the Olympic Games in each of the four events she's favored to win in Omaha. Only Shirley Babashoff in 1976 has accomplished that feat to date.
A Ryan Lochte resurgence?
Phelps isn't the only veteran attempting one more grab for the brass pool ring. Now an ancient-for-swimming 31 years old, Ryan Lochte is looking for some glory in Rio. His best event historically, the 400-meter individual medley, hasn't been kind to him since he won gold in London. But he seems to be heating up now. Even so, he faces new challengers in many of the five other events for which he's registered in Omaha.
A new training regimen apparently has him working hard and swearing off fast food and candy. The horror! Why don't they just send him to the Dagobah system in an escape pod?
Notable Events
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Men's 200-meter butterfly final—Wednesday
Phelps has held the world record on this, his signature event, for almost seven years now. There's no compelling reason to think he can't win this one going away. Be there when the best swimmer to ever walk, er, swim the planet returns to the national stage.
Women's 200-meter backstroke final—July 2
Missy Franklin owns this event. The final leg of Team USA's "big four" along with Phelps, Lochte and Ledecky, Franklin has held the world record in this event since 2012. You may recall that Franklin took home five medals (four gold) in London. At the ripe old age of 21, she seems primed for more in Rio, with this as her cornerstone event.
Men's 200-meter individual medley final—July 1
It's swimming's greatest rivalry when Phelps and Lochte lock horns in this event. You may recall that Phelps and Lochte finished gold and silver, respectively, in this event at the 2012 Olympics. Also, Lochte currently holds the world record. So, yes: This story writes itself.
Men's 50-meter freestyle final—July 2
According to Jon Ackerman of NBC Sports, this sprint could be one of the most competitive and exciting events of the trials. He broke down the crowded field:
"Cullen Jones won the silver medal in London, but he’s 32 now and the fifth-best American in the 50 free. The top seed is Nathan Adrian, defending Olympic gold medalist in the 100; he placed third in the 50 at Trials four years ago. The second seed is 19-year-old Caeleb Dressel who won the 2015 Nationals in 21.53 (which would have given him silver in London).
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Locks for Rio
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Phelps
Competitive swimming authority SwimSwam has the king favored in the 100-meter fly, 200-meter fly and 200-meter individual medley. It probably goes without saying, but with his past and present track record Phelps is really hard to bet against.
Ledecky
As described in the previous slide, Ledecky won't sneak up on anyone this year. Her mountain of current records makes her as strong a bet as anyone.
Franklin
I know, I know...broken record over here. But if you're into locks, this is your world.
For her part, Franklin is brimming with confidence.
"I feel the most confident when I know that I’ve given everything I have to reach my goals," she recently told Swimming World magazine. "I feel stronger and fitter than ever before, and I’m so excited to see what this summer has in store."
Kevin Cordes
Cordes is a specialist. He's not as famous as the big four in the general American public, but if you swim the 200-meter breast stroke, he's downright Kardashianesque. The 22-year-old took the silver medal in this event at last year's world championships, and he'll punch his ticket to Brazil at the trials.
Dark Horses to Watch
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Matt Grevers
Wait just a minute. Grevers is the 2012 Olympic champion in the 100-meter backstroke. But the 31-year-old is no longer the best American in the event, at least if the numbers are to be believed. That would be emerging backstroke phenom Ryan Murphy, who SwimSwam favors to win both events. More on Murphy momentarily.
Jack Conger
Conger is the Utah Jazz to Phelps' Chicago Bulls. He's a great swimmer, but his specialty just happens to be the butterfly. It's an uphill battle, but he may be able to make it to Rio even if he comes up second, if things break his way. He'll also compete in freestyle, where he is not as strong but still stands a chance to take first or second.
Caeleb Dressel
The young sprinter may not overtake Nathan Adrian in the 50-meter or 100-meter events in which he's scheduled to compete. He's slated as more of a future star. But there's nothing saying he can't move up his own timeline a little bit.
Future American Stars at the Trials
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Caeleb Dressel
The 19-year-old University of Florida product is set to compete in seven events at the trials, even though his specialties are the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle. This may not be his time, but he's still one to watch.
“Every once in a while an athlete like that comes along and is just magical to watch in the water, and he really is,” swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines told NBC Sports' Olympic Talk blog.
Ryan Murphy
The 20-year-old is favored in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events in Omaha. He just recently beat the world record holder, Australian Mitch Larkin, in a head-to-head 100-meter back showdown. Murphy could be ready to make a big "splash," if you will, in Rio.
Michael Andrew
Andrew has only an outside chance to make the Olympic team this time. Out of the five events for which he's registered at the trials, the 17-year-old's best chance to win looks to be the 100-meter breaststroke.
Still, Andrew is considered a great talent and future star for the Stars and Stripes. His insular, Marinovichian training routine has raised some eyebrows, but so far things appear to be working.
How USA Swimming Stacks Up vs. the Competition in Rio
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No matter who emerges from Omaha, Team USA, as usual, stacks up pretty well against the rest of the world.
It's difficult to imagine the big four of Phelps, Ledecky, Franklin and Lochte slipping entirely out of the picture. Every indication is that they all are firing on all cylinders heading into the trials.
As a result, America's medal chances are looking strong in the men's butterfly and individual medley, which are Phelps and Lochte's territory.
Franklin will compete at the trials in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle and the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke, and if she moves on to Rio should compete vigorously with the rest of the world in whatever she qualifies for.
Last but not least, Ledecky is a mortal lock to reach Rio and vie for gold in some combination of the women's 50-meter, 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle, as well as the 400m-meter individual medley. When it's all said and done, she could be the most decorated American swimmer (or athlete, period) of these games.
But it doesn't end there.
After Cesar Cielo—the world record holder in the men's 50-meter and 100-meter events—failed to qualify to swim in front of his countrymen in Brazil, Adrian and Dressel could have the inside track to top the podium if they can get past Omaha.
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