Gretchen Walsh, Tori Huske and Regan Smith entered the race ranked #1, #2 and #3 in the world. They are the only women on the planet to have broken 56 seconds this season. Put them on the starting line at any major international meet and they'd almost certainly win all the medals.
But the cold, relentless math that governs Olympic qualifying means that only two people in this event could earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for Paris, and it was Walsh and Husk who reached the final wall first: Walsh (55.31), just shy of the world record of 55.18 she set the night before in the semifinals, and Husk close behind in 55.52.
“It's completely unprecedented to have an athlete in his mid-50s selected for this year's Olympic team,” Walsh said. “I'm excited to see the U.S. succeed in the games in Paris.”
Unfortunately, Smith finished third, clocking 55.62 seconds, making her the fifth-fastest woman ever to compete in the event. But that placement is no consolation, since it doesn't mean Smith will be selected for the team to Paris. While Walsh and Husk embraced poolside and waved to the crowd, Smith quietly disappeared down the athlete's passage. The 22-year-old Smith has three more chances in the meet: the 200 butterfly, the 100 backstroke and the 200 backstroke. And in all three events, Smith is the clear favorite to win.
The 21-year-old Walsh is fresh off one of the most dominant collegiate seasons in history, winning seven gold medals at the NCAA Championships, where she set NCAA records in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly to lead Virginia to its fourth consecutive national championship. But her stellar collegiate career, combined with her failure to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, has led to the perception that she is better suited to the 25-yard pool of NCAA swimming than the 50-meter version of international competition.
If that reputation isn't completely wiped away Sunday night, it might be by next weekend, when Walsh is scheduled to compete in the 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle and possibly the 100 backstroke.
“This journey has had many ups and downs,” she says, “but I feel very happy now.”
If anyone understands the grueling, unforgiving nature of the U.S. Olympic Trials, it's Carson Foster. Three years ago at the 2021 Trials, Foster let a lead slip away in the final 50 meters of the 400 individual medley, finishing third just half a second away from making the team.
This time, he went all the way to the end, and even veteran Chase Callis, lane next to him, couldn't catch him. Foster (4:07.64) and Callis (4:09.39) both earned berths in Paris. Jay Litherland (4:12.34), who narrowly beat Foster to silver in Tokyo in 2021, was a fearsome third-place finisher on Sunday.
“For me, that's the moment when everything came back together,” Foster said.
Walsh and Foster credit the mental performance coach they began working with after the disappointment of 2021 for giving them the tools to overcome the heartbreak and succeed this summer. They quantified it in the exact same way: “It completely changed my career.”
“A few years ago, when I was approached about working with a performance coach, I was a little put off,” Foster added. “Deep down, I knew I needed it, but I was like, 'I don't need that,' just because I had a stigma against it. But I can 100% guarantee that without it, I wouldn't be sitting here.”
Legendary distance swimmer Katie Ledecky was in the semifinals of the 200 freestyle one night after winning the 400 freestyle and earning a spot on her fourth Olympic team. She no longer dominates internationally, and in some cases she doesn't even compete. But in the U.S., at least, she's still a favorite to win, a point she made again by clocking 1:55.25 in the semifinals and leading the field heading into Monday night's final.
It's unclear whether Ledecky plans to swim the 200 meters individual in Monday night's final or in Paris, or if she plans to use her time here to try to secure a spot in the Olympic 800-meter freestyle relay.
The final is one of five matches on an action-packed schedule on Monday night. As many as 18 athletes could be on the U.S. roster for Paris, including relay spots, though some spots, especially for relays, won't be made official until after the Games due to roster restrictions.
As exciting as it is to watch swimmers become Olympians, the flip side is just as painful: Five finals mean five third-place finishes, and the grueling Olympic trials mean more casualties every night.
