Lilly King and Ryan Murphy are headed to their third consecutive Olympics after securing victories at the US Olympic swimming trials on Monday. Katie Ledecky also continued her dominance, preparing for her fourth straight Games in Paris.
King, a world record-holder, led from start to finish in the 100m breaststroke, clocking 1:05.43 to secure her place. Emma Weber finished second in 1:06.10, while Tokyo gold medallist Lydia Jacoby placed third, missing out on an Olympic berth as only the top two qualify.
Murphy, who won double backstroke gold in Rio 2016 and silver and bronze in Tokyo, claimed the men’s 100m backstroke in 52.22 seconds, with Hunter Armstrong finishing second in 52.72. “I think I enjoy it a little bit more than I used to,” Murphy, 28, remarked after his victory at Lucas Oil Stadium. “I used to feel like I was going to throw up before every race, but now I can take it in a little bit more.”
In the women’s 400m individual medley, Katie Grimes edged out Emma Weyant to secure her second spot for Paris, having already qualified in open water. Grimes, 18, built an early lead with her strong butterfly and backstroke but was briefly overtaken by Weyant during the breaststroke leg. Grimes surged ahead in the freestyle to win in 4:35.00, with Weyant finishing second in 4:35.56.
Grimes and Weyant will compete in Paris against Summer McIntosh, who set a world record of 4:24.38 at the Canadian trials. Grimes is a two-time world silver medallist behind McIntosh.
Freestyle legend Ledecky, who has seven Olympic gold medals (including six in individual events), clocked 1:55.22 to add the 200m freestyle title to her 400m win from Saturday. Although she may opt out of the individual 200m in Paris, she is expected to compete in the 400m, 800m, and 1,500m freestyle events. Claire Weinstein was second in the 200m with 1:56.18, and Paige Madden, second in the 400m, was third.
Luke Hobson won the men’s 200m freestyle in 1:44.89, securing his first Olympic berth. Chris Guiliano finished second with a personal best of 1:45.38, overtaking Drew Kibler on the final lap.
In the semifinals, Regan Smith set a new American record in the 100m backstroke with a time of 57.47, challenging Australian Kaylee McKeown’s world record. Smith’s time ties McKeown’s fourth-fastest performance ever. Katharine Berkoff also impressed, joining Smith in the sub-58 club with a time of 57.83. The final promises to be thrilling, with both swimmers in top form.