Dressel and Ledecky won again at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. Keep an eye on Kate Douglas too

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caleb Dressel won his second individual race finish in Paris, giving him another chance to shine after his stellar performance at the last Olympics.

Keep an eye on Kate Douglas, too. She may be one of the biggest American stars in pool.

And, of course, Katie Ledecky will be swimming in several events.

Dressel, The Winner of five gold medals At the Tokyo Games, the U.S. finished first in the men’s 100-meter butterfly at the Olympic swimming trials on Saturday night.

Dressel followed up his victory 50 freestyle With a winning time of 50.19 seconds, he got a chance to defend another gold medal he won in Tokyo.

“I think I did as well as I could with all my swimming,” he said.

Douglas capped off her third individual event at the Olympics with a win in the 200 meter individual medley.

She was competing hard with Alex Walsh on the final turn, but no one could keep up with Douglas on the freestyle leg.

She finished in 2:06.79, while Walsh took second Olympic place in 2:07.86.

Douglas has established herself as one of the world’s most versatile swimmers, also claiming trial wins in the 200 breaststroke and 100 freestyle.

“I’m really happy with it,” Douglas said. “I was coming into the meet trying to win all three events, but I didn’t think I could accomplish it. So I’m glad I did it.”

Ledecky won the 800 freestyle in 8 minutes, 14.12 seconds, earning her fourth win at the trials. Paige Madden took second in 8:20.71.

Ledecky plans to remove the 200 freestyle from her Olympic program, but she will compete in the 400, 800 and 1,500 free as well as the 4×200 free relay.

Dressel didn’t even come close to his world record of 49.45, which he set in the previous Olympics. But he led all the way and finished by almost half a body length behind 17-year-old Thomas Heilmann, who earned second place for Paris in 50.80.

Dressel will also swim up to three relays at the Summer Games, which will bring him closer to his six-event schedule in Tokyo. The only event he did not win was the mixed relay three years ago.

“It’s hard to go through the trials,” Dressel said. “That’s really the hardest part.”

The only individual gold that Dressel won’t get to save in Paris is the 100 freestyle. He missed the event finishing third in his first event of these trials.

After stepping away from swimming midway through the 2022 World Championships, which required him to take a long time off to regain his love for the sport, Dressel will attend these Olympics with slightly less publicity than three years ago, When he was announced as the next Michael Phelps.

Dressel is keenly aware that others around the world have posted upswings in their programs this year. He readily admits that he will never swim a second personal best in his career. But he’s still a man who knows how to perform when the spotlight is brightest, as he will be in Paris.

“I know I’m the defending champion,” Dressel said, “there’s no way to avoid it. But I feel like I’m chasing some of those guys, too.”

Perhaps his biggest thrill at these tests was having his 4-month-old son, August Wilder, in the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium with his wife, Meghan.

“My son watched me make the Olympic team,” Dressel said with a big smile. “He won’t remember this. But I would tell him, trust me. I have the pictures to prove it.”

Heilman would also compete in the 200 butterfly, and by winning that event at the trials he would become the youngest male to make the U.S. swim team since 15-year-old Michael Phelps in 2000.

“Butterfly is in good hands with this guy,” Dressel said, pointing to Heilman. “That’s scary, scary.”

Walsh would get the chance to swim at the Olympics with her sister Gretchen, and would eventually join the team on the next-to-last night of the trials.

“It means the world,” said Alex Walsh, who competed without her sister in Tokyo. “I didn’t know if I would be able to go to Paris after he made it. This is a dream we have been dreaming of for a very long time.”

Simone Manuel, the first black female swimmer to win an individual gold medal, will have another chance to make the team in the individual event.

Already assured of his third Olympics as a member of the 4×100 free relay, Manuel advanced to the 50 freestyle final on Sunday with the fourth-fastest time in Saturday night’s semifinals (24.51).

Gretchen Walsh was the top qualifier in 24.06, just ahead of Tori Huske in 24.09. Abbey Weitzil, who, like Manuel, has earned a spot on her third Olympic team as a relay swimmer, was next in 24.48.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games