TOP SWIMMERS HEAD TO NATIONALS SEEKING WORLDS SPOTS, OLYMPIC TRIALS PREVIEW
The who’s who of American swimming will be in Indianapolis this week for the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships, and they’ll be vying not only for nationals titles but also spots on the world championships team.
A total of 10 gold medalists from last year’s world championships will be on deck, including superstar Katie Ledecky, and Caeleb Dressel will be making his much-anticipated return to high level competition.
Dressel (100-meter butterfly) and Ledecky (800- and 1,500-meter freestyle) are among the four current world record holders who will compete, along with Hunter Armstrong (50-meter backstroke) and Lilly King (100-meter breaststroke).
The meet runs Tuesday through Saturday with streaming live on USASwimming.org and Peacock. NBC will air tape-delayed coverage on Saturday and Sunday. For a full streaming and broadcast schedule click here.
Here are a few storylines to watch this week:
TRIALS PREVIEW, WITH ROSTER SPOTS ON THE LINE
The meet takes place at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, not far from where an even bigger event is set for next summer: the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.
This year’s meet is also the selection event for its own bigger competitions, including the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and Pan American Games, among others. This is the second half of back-to-back world championships years, typically held only in odd-numbered years. The 2021 world championships, however, were pushed to 2022 because of the pandemic. This year’s world meet will be held next month in Fukuoka, Japan.
TEEN STARS ON THE RISE
Last year’s world championships saw some breakout performances from teenagers on the women’s side, most notably Katie Grimes. She won two silver medals at just 16 years old, and this year she’s swimming the 400-meter individual medley even faster than she did to capture one of those medals a year ago. She’s just 0.70 seconds off the American record in the event, set in 2008 by Katie Hoff. It’s the longest-standing U.S. women’s record, and it could soon go down.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympian will have a lot of competition in the event, including fellow teen phenom Leah Hayes, who was the last addition to last year’s world championships roster at the age of 16. Other teens to keep an eye out for on the women’s side include 2022 Olympian Claire Curzan and Bella Sims, both, 18, and 16-year-olds Claire Weinstein and Leah Shackley.
COMEBACKS AND ABSENCES
Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel shocked the world when he pulled out of the 2022 world championships midway through the meet for undisclosed medical reasons and then took an extended break from the pool. He competed for the first time in 11 months this past May, however, and is entered in the 100-meter freestyle, 50-meter butterfly, 100 fly and 50-meter freestyle as the top seed.
One major absence this week will be Simone Manuel, who did not enter the meet. The two-time Olympian and five-time medalist has been battling overtraining syndrome. After taking some time off, she returned to competition this year, but noted in her explanation of why she won’t compete this week that this year was full of new challenges and that there were a lot of steps, precautions and patience to get her body back to normalcy and adjust to a new training environment. Manuel said her decision not to race was “an investment for the future. … The goal has always been to be my best for the 2024 Olympic Trials and hopefully, Paris [2024]. I know I can’t reach that goal if I’m not patient with myself and this process, so this summer, I will be prioritizing that. The journey continues!”
LEDECKY AND KALISZ GOING FOR SIX
Katie Ledecky and Chase Kalisz could join an elite group of American swimmers to compete in six world championships if they make this year’s team. They’ve been to every worlds since 2013, with Kalisz holding six medals and Ledecky an astonishing 22 — 19 of them gold — and they’re each entered in four events in Indianapolis. Ledecky is seeded first in the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyle while Kalisz will race the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys, the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter breaststroke. Among Americans, only Nathan Adrian, Elizabeth Beisel, Natalie Coughlin, Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps have qualified for six worlds teams.
SHOWING THEIR STUFF
With the world championships looming as this year’s biggest event, there will still be plenty to see in Indianapolis, and even some battles heating up. Longtime backstroke star Ryan Murphy could have his work cut out for him in the 100-meter backstroke with Hunter Armstrong and with 17-year-old Daniel Diehl in the 200. … Reigning 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle Olympic champion Bobby Finke will be ready to reassert his dominance in the men’s distance events, as will 19-year-old Lydia Jacoby (100-meter breaststroke). … Three-time Olympic medalist Regan Smith, who set the American record earlier this month in the 200-meter butterfly, will be racing that event in addition to the 100 fly; the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke; and the 200 IM. … Five-time Olympic medalist Lilly King is the top seed in all the women’s breaststroke events.
KAREN PRICE
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.