When the USA Swimming Olympic Trials concluded last weekend, Katie Ledecky had won all four events she entered: the 200M, 400M, 800M, and 1500M freestyle. 

Ledecky has reigned as the freestyle despot for the better part of a decade. Her first taste of dominance came when she won gold in the 800M as the youngest member of swimming’s Team USA at the 2012 Olympics in London. She added four more golds and a silver in Rio, winning the 200M, 400M, and 800M (which no other swimmer had accomplished since 1968) and setting new world records in both the 400M and 800M, which still stand today. 

The only reason she doesn’t yet have gold in the 1500M is because the distance wasn’t an Olympic event for women until this year. With her ticket to Tokyo punched many times over, let’s break down what she’s up against in each of her events.

200M Free

Ledecky’s shortest distance is the only one in which she’s not the current world record holder. That belongs to Federica Pellegrini, whose time of 1:52.98 clocked in 2009 (when special swimsuits were permitted) has yet to be beaten. Ledecky’s fastest 200M time so far this year is a 1:54.40, but 20-year-old Australian Ariarne Titmus swam a 1:53.09 at Australia’s Olympic Trials, a pace Ledecky has never reached at this distance. Ledecky may be the reigning gold medalist from Rio, but she is heading to Tokyo as the underdog for what many are hoping will be a fiercely competitive 200M final.

400M Free

Ledecky’s 400M world record time of 3:56.46 from Rio has been untouchable in the years since, but Titmus is suddenly breathing down her neck. Prior to last week, Ledecky held the seven fastest times ever in the event, but when Titmus clocked a 3:56.90 in the 400M final at Australia’s trials she came closer than anyone else has to Ledecky’s world record. Titmus now owns the second fastest time ever recorded and the best time of any swimmer this year. Ledecky’s fastest 400M time this year was a 3:59.25 in April. She could find herself the underdog in not one but two races heading into Tokyo.

800M Free

If swimmers had jerseys for fans to rock, Ledecky’s number would be 800. It was the event of her first gold medal in 2012. She has set new world records at this distance five separate times, the latest being her gold medal swim in Rio, and she owns the 23 fastest times ever recorded. While her pace this year isn’t entering record-breaking territory, she’s still the fastest of all active swimmers. If she manages to win gold in the 800M this summer, she will be the first American woman to ever win three straight gold medals in the same individual Olympic swimming event.  

1500M Free

The second iteration of a Ledecky jersey would be number 1500. The gap between her and her closest competition is bigger here than in any other event. Her current 1500M world record of 15:20.48 is eighteen seconds faster than the next best time. Eighteen seconds. At the Olympic Trials this year, she won the final by more than ten seconds. 

It’s a good thing the IOC finally got around to adding the event on the women’s side before the greatest female miler ran out of chances to win gold. (Similar to the marathon, back in the dark ages the 1500M swim was deemed too taxing for women.) As John Lohm of Swimming World put it, “To see her anywhere but on the top step of the [1500M] podium would mean disaster struck.”

Between 2013 and 2016, Ledecky posted thirteen of her fourteen career world record breaking swims. There is no clear indication that new world records are on the horizon this summer, almost completely the fault of her own dominant prior self, but she is a gold medal contender, if not landslide favorite, in every single one of her events in Tokyo. 

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

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Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."

Former Oklahoma slugger Jocelyn Alo has signed on with Athletes Unlimited and will compete in the AU Pro Softball AUX this June.

The NCAA record holder in career home runs (122), total bases (761), and slugging percentage (.987), Alo was originally drafted by the league in 2022 but opted instead to join the newly debuted Women’s Professional Fastpitch. 

Alo currently plays for independent pro softball team Oklahoma City Spark, with team owner Tina Floyd reportedly on board with her recent AUX signing. AUX games are scheduled for June 10-25, while the Spark's season will kick off June 19th. Alo will play for both. 

Among those joining Alo on the AUX roster are former James Madison ace pitcher Odicci Alexander and former Wichita State standout middle infielder Sydney McKinney.

According to Alo, the decision to play in the Athletes Unlimited league was fueled by her desire to propel women's sports forward as well as provide more exposure to a sport that's given her "so many opportunities."

"Not only to challenge myself more, but just for the growth of the game," Alo said, explaining her reasoning to The Oklahoman. "I genuinely believe that professional softball can be a career for girls."

Joining AUX is also one more step in her plan toward representing Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I’m constantly thinking about how can I do these little things right in these four years to prepare me for the biggest stage of softball," she told The Oklahoman. "I definitely want to play in the Olympics, for sure."

Alo further expressed enthusiasm in the hope that the rise of other women’s sports, like women’s basketball and the NWSL, will push softball’s professional viability even higher.

"We’re seeing the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) get their stuff going, I see the WNBA starting to get hot," she continued. "I feel like the softball community is like, 'All right, it’s our turn and it’s our turn to just demand more.'"