With the 2024 Summer Olympics opening in Paris next month, the U.S. Team Olympic Swimming Trials will begin Saturday with the best American swimmers competing for a spot on the team.
The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials is a nine-day event with two sessions on most days, with preliminaries in the morning and semifinals and finals in the evening, and it will be held at its largest venue yet, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Many veteran swimmers, including Katie Ledecky, Caleb Dressel and Simone Manuel, will be returning to the trials in an attempt to once again qualify for the Olympics, while there are also a number of newcomers who could emerge as new swimming stars for the U.S. team.
Here are six things you need to know about the nine-day trial.
1. Basic Information: How and When to Watch the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials
The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials for the Paris 2024 Games will be held from June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Competition will take place in the morning with preliminaries, followed by the semifinals and finals in the evening local time.
Like the Olympics, the trials will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
The preliminaries will air live on Peacock at 11am ET and will be taped and broadcast later the same day on USA Network. The semi-finals and finals will begin at 8pm ET and will air live on both NBC and Peacock.
2. How many swimmers qualify for the Olympics?
Up to 52 swimmers can qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. The top two swimmers in each event will be selected for the team if they meet the Olympic qualifying standard. In the 100m and 200m freestyle races, up to six swimmers can compete in each relay.
Swimmers will be officially selected to the Olympic team on qualification night.
But the head coaches for the U.S. team have already been announced: Virginia head coach Todd DeSorbo will lead the women's team, while Florida head coach Anthony Nesty will lead the men's team. Both men served as assistant coaches for the U.S. team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and as head coaches for the 2022 world championship team.
3. What to know about Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials
This will be the first time that swim trials have been held at an NFL stadium, and USA Swimming has built three pools at the Colts' venue for the occasion — after removing the sod, of course.
With the larger space, USA Swimming hopes to break attendance records for an indoor swimming meet, anticipating up to 30,000 fans on opening day when the renovated venue reaches its maximum capacity.
Construction took about a month and required 1.8 million gallons of water to fill the competition pool and two warm-up pools. Although the pools are temporary, they are not going to be discarded and will be used permanently once the trials are over.
4. Olympians return to the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials
If you followed the 2021 Tokyo Olympics or the 2016 Rio Games, you will see a lot of familiar names in this year's quad trials.
The biggest athlete, of course, is three-time Olympian Katie Ledecky, who has won 10 Olympic medals, including seven gold, since the London 2012 Games. The 27-year-old will compete in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle, all events in which she has been Olympic champion.
Other Olympians expected to compete at the trials include Caleb Dressel (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly), Simone Manuel (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle), Lily King (100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke), Ryan Murphy (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke) and Tori Huske (100m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley).
5. Aren't some U.S. swimmers already qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Yes, but they're not strictly pool swimmers. Three open water swimmers — Katie Grimes, Mariah Dennigan and Ivan Puskovic — have already been selected to the Olympic team, and Grimes is the first American to qualify for the 2024 Olympics after winning bronze in the 10-kilometer race at the 2023 World Championships.
But Grimes is the only American swimmer also aiming to qualify in the pool, competing in the 200, 400, 800, 1,500 freestyle, 400 individual medley and 200 backstroke at the 2024 Trials.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Grimes finished fourth in the 800m freestyle.
6. Full schedule of events at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials
- Saturday, June 15 — Qualifiers, 11 a.m. ET
- Women's 100m Butterfly
- Women's 400m Freestyle
- Men's 100m breaststroke
- Men's 400m Freestyle
- Saturday, June 15, Semi-finals and Finals, 8:00 PM ET
- Women's 100m Butterfly Semifinals
- Men's 400m Freestyle Final
- Women's 400m Freestyle Final
- Men's 100m Breaststroke Semifinals
- Sunday, June 16 — Qualifiers, 11:00 AM ET
- Men's 200m Freestyle
- Men's 400m Individual Medley
- Women's 100m breaststroke
- Men's 100m backstroke
- Women's 200m Freestyle
- Sunday, June 16th: Semi-finals and Finals, 8pm ET
- Men's 400m Individual Medley Final
- Women's 100m Butterfly Final
- Men's 200m Freestyle Semifinals
- Women's 100m Breaststroke Semifinals
- Men's 100m Backstroke Semifinals
- Men's 100m Breaststroke Final
- Women's 200m Freestyle Semifinals
- Monday, June 17 — Qualifiers, 11 a.m. ET
- Women's 400m Individual Medley
- Women's 100m backstroke
- Men's 800m Freestyle
- Monday, June 17 – Semi-finals and Finals, 8pm ET
- Women's 400m Individual Medley Final
- Men's 200m Freestyle Final
- Women's 100m Backstroke Semifinals
- Men's 100m Backstroke Final
- Women's 100m Breaststroke Final
- Women's 200m Freestyle Final
- Tuesday, June 18th — Qualifiers, 11am ET
- Men's 200m Butterfly
- Men's 100m Freestyle
- Women's 1500m Freestyle
- Women's 100m Freestyle
- Men's 200m breaststroke
- Tuesday, June 18 — Semifinals and Finals, 8:00 PM ET
- Men's 100m Freestyle Semifinals
- Men's 200 Butterfly Semifinals
- Women's 100m Backstroke Final
- Men's 800m Freestyle Final
- Women's 100m Freestyle Semifinals
- Men's 200m Breaststroke Semifinals
- Wednesday, June 19 — Qualifiers, 11 a.m. ET
- Women's 200m breaststroke
- Men's 200m backstroke
- Women's 200m Butterfly
- Wednesday, June 19th – Semi-Finals and Finals, 8pm ET
- Women's 100m Freestyle Final
- Men's 200m Butterfly Final
- Women's 200m Butterfly Semifinals
- Women's 1500m Freestyle Final
- Men's 200m Backstroke Semifinals
- Women's 200m Breaststroke Semifinals
- Men's 200m Breaststroke Final
- Men's 100m Freestyle Final
- Thursday, June 20 — Qualifiers, 11 a.m. ET
- Women's 200m backstroke
- Men's 50m Freestyle
- Men's 200m Individual Medley
- Thursday, June 20 – Semi-finals and Finals, 8pm ET
- Women's 200m Butterfly Final
- Men's 200m Backstroke Final
- Men's 50m Freestyle Semifinals
- Women's 200m Breaststroke Final
- Women's 200m Backstroke Semifinals
- Men's 200m Individual Medley Semifinals
- Friday, June 21 — Qualifiers, 11 a.m. ET
- Men's 100m Butterfly
- Women's 200m Individual Medley
- Women's 800m Freestyle
- Friday, June 21 – Semi-finals and Finals, 8pm ET
- Men's 50m Freestyle Final
- Women's 200m Backstroke Final
- Men's 200m Individual Medley Final
- Men's 100m Butterfly Semifinals
- Women's 200m Individual Medley Semifinals
- Saturday, June 22 — Qualifiers, 11 a.m. ET
- Women's 50m Freestyle
- Men's 1,500m Freestyle
- Saturday, June 22nd: Semi-finals and Finals, 8pm ET
- Men's 100m Butterfly Final
- Women's 50m Freestyle Semifinals
- Women's 200m Individual Medley Final
- Women's 800m Freestyle Final
- Sunday, June 23 — Finals, 8:00 PM ET (no morning session)
- Women's 50m Freestyle Final
- Men's 1500m Freestyle Final
