With US swimmer Torri Huske’s 100-meter butterfly gold medal win on Sunday, Team USA’s combined tally of 14 swimming medals leads all countries across the Olympics.
But while the current haul is looking healthy, the USA’s Olympic swimming gold medal stranglehold is very much in danger of falling by the wayside.
Australia takes aim at USA's Olympic gold medal streak
It’s been 36 years since the coed US swimming squad came up short in the Olympic gold medal race — at least five years before anyone on today's team was even born.
That dominance, however, is hanging by a thread as the Australians are gold medal count favorites after running away with the 2023 World Swimming Championships.
"Certainly, there are some events… where we’ve got a significant amount of ground to make up," US head women’s coach Todd DeSorbo told reporters. "But I’m confident in the motivation and excitement and commitment of everybody — men and women — on the team that are prepared to do that."
Women's swimming wins keep hardware hopes alive
In the seven women’s events so far, the US has captured eight medals: one gold, four silver, and three bronze.
Joining Huske on Sunday’s 100-meter butterfly podium was US teammate and fellow NCAA swimmer Gretchen Walsh, who snagged silver just six weeks after becoming the event’s world record-holder at US Trials.
Monday’s 400-meter individual medley also saw two US swimmers medal in their second Olympic Games, with Katie Grimes and Emma Weyant taking silver and bronze behind 17-year-old Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh, who won the event by the equivalent of a country mile.
While Australia's Kaylee McKeown successfully defended her 100-meter backstroke gold medal on Tuesday — breaking her own Olympic record in the process —Team USA completed the podium. Regan Smith, who reclaimed the world record from McKeown at last month’s Trials, swam to silver, with first-time Olympian Katharine Berkoff taking bronze.
USA's Ledecky expected to make more Olympic history
After dropping to third in Saturday's 400-meter freestyle, seven-time USA gold medalist Katie Ledecky is still expected to own Wednesday’s 1500-meter freestyle, a race she hasn’t lost in 14 years.
A medal in that event would tie Ledecky with three former Team USA athletes as the most decorated Olympic women swimmers in history.
Decorated swimmer Simone Manuel made her third US Olympic team on Wednesday, touching fourth in the 100-meter freestyle to secure a spot in the relay event in front of a record crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
With her gold medal win at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, Manuel became the first Black woman to win gold in an individual Olympic swimming event. But the former champion in the 100-meter freestyle endured a long road after being diagnosed with overtraining syndrome ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"I think Paris is going to be a blast," Manuel said after qualifying. "It's a different spot than I'm used to right now with only being a relay swimmer. But it's my third Olympic team, and that's something that's really hard to accomplish.
"It's a miracle that I'm even able to stand up here and be able to race again. The people close to me know the journey it took to get here. I'm really proud of myself and proud of Team USA."
Kate Douglass and Torri Huske will advance as the two individual swimmers in the event. They'll be joined by Gretchen Walsh and Manuel.
Elsewhere, Katie Ledecky added to her long list of accolades by winning the 1500-meter freestyle in a time that she wasn’t entirely happy with — despite finishing well ahead of the rest of the heat.
"I was expecting to go a lot faster," she said afterwards. "I know I have a lot more in me than the end result today. I just didn't have that next gear."
One day prior, Regan Smith reclaimed the World Record in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of record time of 57.33 seconds. Smith had previously set the record in 2019, before Australia’s Kaylee McKeown broke it soon after. The feat marked the second World Record broken at the US Olympic Swimming Trials.
"There were many years that went by after 2019 where I thought that I would never do that ever again," Smith said Tuesday, before adding that she’d love to set a new record in Paris. "I think 56 is a possibility, for sure."
Katie Ledecky is officially on to her fourth-straight Olympics, punching her ticket to Paris in the 400-meter freestyle at Saturday's US Olympic Swimming Trials.
But Ledecky’s wasn’t the only name in the headlines in Indianapolis. Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh set a World Record in the 100-meter butterfly on Saturday in the semifinal. And roughly 24 hours later, she was also named an Olympian, taking first in the event.
"I was definitely nervous," Walsh said. "There were a lot of what-ifs. Coming off breaking the world record, I was thinking, 'Do I need to do that again just to make the team? What if I get third? What's that even even going to look like?'"
She later added that she "couldn’t ask for a better start" to the meet.
Both Torri Huske and Regan Smith were under the previous American record placing second and third respectively. But Smith, whose time would’ve won her silver at the Tokyo Olympics, won’t swim the event in Paris after placing third.
And in front of a record crowd, 46-year-old Gabrielle Rose proved that age is just a number. She set a best time in the 100-meter breaststroke en route to advancing to the semifinals of the event. There, she finished in 10th place — and with another best time.
"I’m just hoping to show people you can do more, you’re capable of doing more," Rose, a two-time Olympian, said. "You can have more energy, you can have more strength than you thought was possible. I want women in particular to not be afraid to be strong, to lift weights, to take care of themselves, and just know that they can have a lot more in the older chapters of their lives."
The US Olympic Swimming Trials begin this weekend, running from June 15th through June 23rd in Indianapolis, with Katie Ledecky eyeing her fourth-straight Summer Games.
While traditionally held in Omaha, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, has been fitted with a 50-meter pool to host the meet that will determine the 2024 Paris Olympics roster.
All eyes will be on seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky, who will be competing in the 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter freestyle — all events in which she’s been an Olympic champion.
Rival Ariarne Titmus had her trials last week, breaking the world record in the 200-meter freestyle. Ledecky’s 200 is intended to qualify her for the Olympic relay. Meanwhile stateside, Katie Grimes stands to be a challenger in the 1500-meter freestyle has already qualified for the Paris Olympics in the 10km open water event.
Other competitors of note include 47-year-old Gabrielle Rose, who stands to become the oldest US Swimming Olympic qualifier in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke.
Additionally, Kate Douglass — an NCAA and World Champion — is a favorite to make her first Olympic team in the 200-meter IM and 200-meter breaststroke. Simone Manuel, an Olympic champion in the 100-meter freestyle, is also looking to make her third-straight Olympics.
Where to watch: The Trials will be streaming all week on Peacock, with later qualifying heats airing live on USA Network and event finals airing in primetime on NBC.
For the first time in 11 years, Katie Ledecky lost a 400-meter freestyle race in a U.S. pool, with Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh taking the title at the U.S. Open on Thursday.
At just 17 years old, McIntosh is no stranger to the international swimming circuit. She even held the world record in the 400 free for three months – before Australia’s Ariarne Titmus took back the crown.
In July, McIntosh entered the world championship as the record holder but placed fourth in the event, while Titmus took the world title and the world record.
“After that race, I learned a lot about how to get back out after it,” McIntosh said Thursday. “I had so many races after that that I was really happy with. No matter how bad one race is, you really get back up and get back into it.”
At the U.S. Open final, she swam a time of 3:59.42, beating Ledecky by 2.96 seconds.
It’s the first time that Ledecky has lost the event in the United States since placing third at the 2012 Olympic trials at 15 years old.
The 2024 Olympics are looming, and McIntosh’s rise has made what seemed to be a two-person race between Titmus and Ledecky much more intriguing. Last March, McIntosh snapped Ledecky’s nine-year domestic win streak in the 200 free.
Ledecky remains undefeated in the United States in the 800 and 1500 free races, and she has been for 13 years.
🚨 Championship Record Alert 🚨
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) November 30, 2023
17-year-old Summer McIntosh claims victory in the women's 400m free with a time of 3:59.42 with Katie Ledecky coming in second.#ToyotaUSOpen | 📺 @peacock pic.twitter.com/f8GA3pPVHR
Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus broke the women’s 400m freestyle world record — and defeated American rival Katie Ledecky and previous world record-holder Summer McIntosh of Canada — at the 2023 World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, on Sunday.
Titmus, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the event, led from 100 meters and ultimately clocked 3:55.38, cutting seven-hundredths off McIntosh’s world record and touching the wall more than three seconds ahead of Ledecky (3:58.73). New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather claimed bronze, while the 16-year-old McIntosh placed fourth.
Titmus, Ledecky, and McIntosh are the three fastest women to ever swim the 400m free and the event was billed as the ‘Race of the Century’ heading into this week’s world championships.
Ledecky owned the world record in the event from 2014 until last year, when Titmus claimed it for herself at Australian Championships. McIntosh then took it over at Canadian Trials in March.
“It wasn’t something (breaking the record) that I had my mind on for this meet,” Titmus told reporters in Japan. “I just wanted to come here and try and swim the way I know I’m capable of. I knew the only way to win — I believed — was to try to take it out (fast) and whoever had as much fight left at the end was going to win it.”
By taking silver, Ledecky claimed the 23rd world championship medal of her career, extending her mark as the most decorated female swimmer in world championship history.
“I think you could just see the world record coming. It’s been a very fast year of swimming and it was kind of predictable that it would be a really fast field,” Ledecky said. “I can’t really complain. My stroke feels good. I feel good in the water. I think all year my 800 has felt better than my 400, so I’m excited about the rest of my week.”
Katie Ledecky crushed the competition in the 800 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Saturday.
Ledecky clocked a time of 8:14.62, finishing five seconds ahead of the field. Her win in the 800 free secured Ledecky her fourth individual Olympic event, qualifying in the 200, 400, and 1,500 as well.
KATIE x2‼️
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 20, 2021
Katie Ledecky and 15-year-old Katie Grimes are headed to the #TokyoOlympics in the women's 800m.@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/7cVB5VHy0s
Fifteen-year-old Katie Grimes also booked her ticket to Tokyo, finishing second in the 800 free behind Ledecky at 8:20.36. Grimes shared an emotional embrace with her parents before joining Ledecky in the post-race interview, where the veteran passed the baton to the young phenom, stating Grimes was “the now” of the sport.
Katie Ledecky making history. Let us know if you’ve heard that one before.
The Olympic champion kicked off her history-making double last night with the 200 freestyle. Her 1:55.11 was just off of her season-best 1:54.40 but was enough for her to make the Olympic team in the event.
.@arschmitty takes second to secure her spot to become a 4️⃣-time Olympian!@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/7iTDbRU10g
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2021
The Olympic gold medalist in the event in 2012, Allison Schmitt, touched in second to make her fourth Olympics. With 2008 Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini also swimming the event in Tokyo, it marks the first time that an individual event will have the past three Olympic champions all competing against one another on the Olympic stage.
Roughly 85 minutes later, Ledecky was back in the pool again to complete the grueling double. This time, making history as the first-ever Olympic Trials winner in the 1500 freestyle. She easily dominated the field, touching in at a time of 15:40.50 good for fastest in the world this year.
Did you know @katieledecky’s broken the world record in the 1500m free SIX times?
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2021
Well now she’s heading to its Olympic debut!@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/YG81aEpnfQ
Despite Ledecky’s history-making performance, the women’s 200 IM might have been the most exciting race of the night. Three swimmers all finished within four hundredths of one another as Alex Walsh managed to get her hand on the wall first to earn a spot in Tokyo with a time of 2:09.30. It’s the closest Olympic Trials finish in history.
What. A. Race!
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2021
Alex Walsh earns her spot to Tokyo in a photo finish! 📸@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/MxVKnrYll2
It’s hard to imagine anyone being more dominant than Katie Ledecky.
But 14-year old Summer McIntosh might just be laying the groundwork. The young Canadian has firmly entrenched herself into the international conversation after dropping an astounding 4:05.13 in the 400-meter freestyle on Thursday evening.
The time places her second on the all-time list for Canadian women and takes eight seconds off of the old National Age Group record of 4:13.51 that was set by Taylor Ruck, now a double Olympic bronze medalist, in 2015.
It also marks a 10-second improvement from the best time that McIntosh set a mere three weeks ago, where she swam a 4:15.43. At that meet, McIntosh also set new Canadian National Age Group Records in the 200 free (1:57.65), 800 free (8:35.30) and 1500 free (16:15.19).
Additionally, those times saw her earn a FINA “A” cut in the 1500 free and put her name amongst the fastest Canadians ever in all three events.
But what makes last night’s performance so astounding is that, while there are no reliable all-time global rankings for 14 year olds available, it’s likely that her swim is the fastest ever by someone her age.
According to FINA databases, the fastest time by a 14 year old in the last decade was a 4:06.83, swum by China’s Liu Zixuan at the 2014 Chinese National Championships. There are reports of a 4:05.75 done by Chinese 13-year old Xu Danlu at the 2012 Asian Swimming Championships, though the result doesn’t appear in FINA’s database.
The fastest Ledecky ever was in the event at the age of 14 was 4:09.30. Ledecky was just past her 15th birthday when she placed third at Olympic Trials in the 400 with a time of 4:05.00.
For further comparison: Ledecky swam an 8:30.14 in the 800 free in February 2012 at the age of 14 before unloading an 8:14.63 at the 2012 Olympics at the age of 15, stunning the world as she took home gold. While McIntosh’s 8:35.30 is a bit slower than Ledecky’s at that age, her improvements in other events suggest McIntosh could be in for a big drops in the event in the coming months, much like Ledecky.
McIntosh is slated to swim the 800 freestyle Friday night, which will be a further indicator of just how good the 14-year old is — and has the potential to be.
Had any doubts about Katie Ledecky’s dominance?
Well, doubt no longer. The 24-year old is doing what she normally does – beating her opponents by nearly as much as her age.
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) April 12, 2021
In a time of 15:40.55 on Sunday, Ledecky finished 26 seconds ahead of her opponent and once again solidified herself as the world’s best in the 1500m freestyle. The second-fastest time in the world this year? 15:57.03, posted by Simona Quadarella at Italian Olympic Trials. That’s still a full 17 seconds that separates the two.
Sure, something freaky could happen come the Olympics. But that seems unlikely.
Ledecky’s 800 split would have won the individual event and would have been the world’s fastest this year as well. Her 400m freestyle earlier on in the meet, a 3:59.25, was the fastest time this early in the year ever. It’s also the fastest she’s been in that event in awhile.
Her 200m freestyle tied the U.S. Open record and puts her at – you guessed it – first in the world.
Long story short? Ledecky is doing what Ledecky does, and it appears as though she isn’t worried about slowing down either.