2024 U.S. Olympic Selection
Women's 1500m Freestyle in Numbers
- World Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018 Pro Swim Series, Indianapolis
- American Record: 15:20.48; Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018 Pro Swim Series, Indianapolis
- U.S. Open Record: 15:20.48; Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018 Pro Swim Series, Indianapolis
- World Junior Record: 15:28.36; Katie Ledecky (united states of america)
- 2021 Olympic Champions: Katie Ledecky (USA) 15:37.34
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champions: Katie Ledecky15:40.50
- 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 16:45.69
- 2024 Olympic Qualification Time (“A” Cut): 16:09.09
Katie LedeckyBread and butter
This year marks the second time the women's 1500m freestyle has been included in the Olympic Games since it was introduced in Tokyo. Katie Ledecky Ledecky topped the podium by a wide margin with a time of 15:37.34, beating the other competitors by about 5 seconds. Since then, Ledecky has gotten faster and faster, clocking a time of 15:30.15 at the 2022 World Championships and 15:26.27 in 2023. In fact, at the 2023 World Championships, Ledecky beat the other competitors by more than 15 seconds, widening her lead in Tokyo. Therefore, it seems almost certain that Ledecky will win this race at the Trials and win the gold medal in Paris.
It might be worth watching the world record line in this race. Ledecky's current record is 15:20.48. That time hasn't been run since 2018, but Ledecky hasn't competed in many tapered 1500m races, so with some rest she could improve.
The only question that remains is who will join Ledecky in Paris?
Young Distance Star
Behind Ledecky is a host of young long-distance stars itching to grab Olympic glory.


Katie Grimes (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Katie Grimes Grimes was the youngest member of the 2021 U.S. Olympic team, competing in the 800m freestyle at just 15 years old (reminiscent of a young Ledecky). Since then, Grimes has developed into an accomplished long-distance star. In addition to finding her pace in the pool, Grimes has become one of the top open water swimmers in the world. Last year, she had a great race in the open water 10km at the 2023 World Championships, earning her a ticket to her second Olympic Games in Paris. This season, she holds the second-best time in the country behind Ledecky, with a 15:57.31 at the California Meet of Champs. Additionally, Grimes' time leads the rest of the competition by more than 10 seconds.
Grimes will almost certainly not be well rested at the Trials, having already qualified for Paris, but having trained for the Olympic 10km race she will have a very good anaerobic base for the longest distance in the pool.
Gillian Cox Since Tokyo, her ranking has risen and she improved significantly in the 800m freestyle at the U.S. Championships, qualifying her for the 2023 World Championships. At the same championships, Cox finished 5th in the 1500m with a personal best of 16:18.40. Just before that meet, she ran 16:31.00 at the Mission Viejo Pro Swim Series. This season, she has already run 16:20.83, which has prepared her very well for this event at the Trials.
Kate Hurst While she may not be a big name at the senior level right now, she will certainly be after the trials. Hurst won the 1500m freestyle at the 2023 World Junior Championships in a personal best of 16:09.37, good for third in the country this season behind Ledecky and Grimes. Though she hasn't competed much in the 1500m since the World Junior Championships ended last September, Hurst has proven she can perform when it matters, beating some of the best junior swimmers in the world. The only question that remains is whether she can translate that success to the senior level.
Kayla Hann Han was another athlete who competed in the 1500m freestyle at last fall's World Junior Championships, finishing in a very close race and placing fifth (16:19.07), missing out on a medal by just one second. Since then, Han has gained more valuable experience and will represent the United States in multiple events at the 2024 World Championships. Han is also no stranger to the Olympic Trials stage, having been the youngest athlete at the 2021 Trials at just 13 years old. Her best time of 16:16.94 is slower than the likes of Grimes and Hurst, but Han is still very young, having just turned 16, and has plenty of room to achieve great things.


Claire Weinstein (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Another junior swimmer to watch is Grimes' Nevada Sandpipers teammate. Claire WeinsteinWhile best known for his 200m freestyle, Weinstein has recently been experimenting with longer distance events, placing third in the 800m freestyle at the 2023 U.S. Championships. Weinstein is currently scheduled to compete in the event at the Trials, where he is seeded fourth with a 2023 personal best of 16:09.85. In the past, overlap between the 200m and 1500m freestyle events at many major international competitions limited Weinstein's chances of competing in the event. However, that overlap will not exist in Paris or at the Trials. If Weinstein decides to compete in the event, he could easily be in contention to win, especially if he is close to his best.
Former Sandpiper Bella Sims is also entered in the event and is seeded 11th, but Sims is currently entered in 11 events and is likely to withdraw from the event given its proximity to the 100m freestyle at the Trials, especially if she is hoping to qualify for the relay.
2021 Olympians seek comeback
There are three members of the 2021 Olympic team aiming to return to the world's biggest stage.


Erica Sullivan (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Erica Sullivan One of the athletes to watch in this event is Sullivan, who won silver in this event in Tokyo, clocking a huge PR of 15:41.41 to close behind Ledecky in a 1-2 sweep for the Americans. Since then, Sullivan has struggled with a few injuries that have hindered her progress. A shoulder injury prevented him from competing in the 2022 U.S. International Team Trials.That prevented her from making it to the Olympics. Though she won't come anywhere close to her best time in 2021 or beyond, Sullivan finished fourth at last summer's U.S. championships in 16 minutes, 16.94 seconds. She was promoted to third place after Kenzie McMahon was suspended after testing positive for doping..
Paige Madden Madden was also on the 2021 Olympic team, competing in the 400 freestyle and the 4×200 freestyle relay. Like Sullivan, Madden has struggled somewhat since Tokyo and missed out on qualifying for the 2022 or 2023 World Championship team. However, Madden has been on a roll lately, setting a personal best in the 400 freestyle (4:03.02) just a few weeks ago. Like Weinstein and Sims, Madden may drop the event in favor of shorter races. However, she holds the No. 5 seed thanks to her best time of 16:09.93, which she recorded this year in the Westmont pro swim series.
Ashley Twitchell At the 2021 Olympics, Twitchell competed in the open water for the United States. Since then, Twitchell has taken a significant break from the sport, giving birth to her first child with husband Derek Wall in May 2022. But that hasn't stopped Wall from trying to qualify for the Olympics again in the pool. Her time of 16:22.69 in the 1,500m freestyle at the Atlanta Classic earlier this year was good for 10th in the country this season. Twitchell will need to improve her time significantly to make the Olympic team again, but she has proven to be a force to be reckoned with.
NCAA Newcomers


Rachel Stege (Photo: Jack Spitzer)
Over the past few seasons, Stages has slowly built up a resume of NCAA and international competition, becoming one of the top distance swimmers in the country. At the 2024 NCAA Championships, Stages placed 5th in the 500m freestyle (4:37.26). Earlier this season, she was selected to represent the United States at the 2023 Pan American Games, her first senior-level international team. At the Pan American, she took a big step toward a gold medal by setting a personal best in the 1500m freestyle. Her time of 16:13.59 ranked her 6th on the mental sheet for the meet.
Aurora Rogaea The Stanford star finished off a strong season at NCAAs with a personal best and runner-up finish (15:41.11) in the 1,650 freestyle at U.S. Championships. She then carried that momentum into the distance season, running a personal best of 16:19.79 in the 1,500 freestyle at the Trojan Invitational last month. That time currently ranks 12th on the psych sheet and 8th in the country this season. If Roger can keep up her momentum, the Trials could be another big opportunity for her.
Another notable name is Paige McKenna McKenna won the 1,650m freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships. McKenna didn't have the best NCAA season this year, finishing ninth in the 1,650m at the NCAAs. However, she finished second at last summer's European Under-23 Championships with a time of 16:22.76. She currently enters the meet in 13th place behind Roger.
Like Grimes, Mariah Dennigan She has already qualified to compete in the open water events in Paris. The Indiana swimmer had a respectable showing at the NCAA Championships this year but hasn't competed since. She posted a lifetime best time of 16:12.44 at the 2022 International Team Trials, putting her in contention to win.
Top 8 Recommendations:
Dark Horse Pick: Abby McCullough McCullough, the reigning 1,650m freestyle NCAA champion, had a breakout season this year, smashing her 1,650m freestyle personal best with a time of 15:37.74. McCullough has already set multiple personal bests in the long pool this season, lowering her 1,500m freestyle personal best to 16:24.90 at last month's Atlanta Classic. That time currently ranks McCullough 15th entering the meet, but if her NCAA performance is any indication, it's that she may still have some room in the tank in the prelims.