Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky headline another stacked US Olympic swimming trials
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Caeleb Dressel competes in the 100m butterfly final at the TYR Pro Swim Series San Antonio on April 12, 2024.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES – Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel brings a new perspective to the pressure-packed US Olympic swimming trials, where he and freestyle phenomenon Katie Ledecky are set to star again as they and their rivals battle for a ticket to the Paris Games.
The duo bring formidable credentials to the nine-day meet in Indianapolis, Indiana, where only a top-two finish can secure an individual race berth in this summer’s Olympics.
Lucas Oil Stadium promises to provide a spectacular setting when the trials get under way on June 15.
It has been a twisting path back to this point for 27-year-old Dressel, who followed his two relay golds at the 2016 Rio Olympics with five gold medals in Tokyo in 2021 to stamp himself as the heir to US great Michael Phelps.
But he withdrew abruptly from the 2022 World Championships, taking a nine-month break from the sport.
Now that he is back, he is set to contest the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 50m free.
Although he is not the top-ranked swimmer going into any of those events, his steady progress in recent months indicates he will be ready for young challengers such as world bronze medallist Dare Rose in the 100m butterfly and world silver medallist Jack Alexy in the 50m free.
As his comeback gathered steam in 2024, Dressel said his extended break had refreshed his relationship to the sport.
“I knew I was in a spot where it wasn’t healthy,” he said. “It got to that point where I was like, if I don’t break a world record in whatever event, then my career is a waste.
“That was my thinking, which is pretty ludicrous... Because I know I’m a good swimmer, but if you were to ask me that a couple years ago, I don’t know what I’d say.”
Ledecky, who burst onto the international scene as a 15-year-old with her victory in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, is slated to race the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m free in pursuit of a fourth Games and a chance to add to her stash of seven Olympic gold medals.
The women’s 100m fly promises fireworks with Tokyo Olympian Torri Huske – who challenged Sarah Sjostrom’s world record in April – taking on red-hot Gretchen Walsh and world silver medallist Claire Curzan.
Regan Smith headlines the women’s 100m and 200m backstrokes and the 200m butterfly, aiming to secure a chance to renew her rivalries with Australian Kaylee McKeown and Canadian Summer McIntosh.
Ryan Murphy, who completed an Olympic backstroke double in Rio but settled for silver and bronze in Tokyo, will compete in the men’s 100m and 200m back. AFP
