Indianapolis kicks off Olympic swim trials at Lucas Oil
By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – An Olympic-size swimming pool in an NFL stadium.
Welcome to the 2024 Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, which is being done the only way Indianapolis knows how to do a big event: first class and fan-friendly. The Trials begin this morning in the beautiful pool inside Lucas Oil Stadium and run every day through Sunday, June 23.
USA Swimming hosted a pre-trials press conference Friday afternoon. The event featured comments from NBC commentators Rowdy Gaines and Elizabeth Beisel, USA Swimming head coaches Anthony Nesty (men’s) and Todd DeSorbo (women’s). Lindsay Mintenko, the managing director of the national team spoke alongside the coaches, after which Tim Hinchey III, CEO and president of USA Swimming, gave some remarks.
Last, but certainly not least, were two of the competing swimmers: gold medalists Lilly King and Cody Miller. Both swam at Indiana University and were champions at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro games; King won golds in the women’s 100 breaststroke and 4×100 medley relay, while Miller was part of the gold-medal men’s 4×100 medley relay.
“I think if you ask any Olympic athlete from the United States why we’re so successful when you ultimately get to the games, it’s because of this,” said Miller. “It’s because of this gauntlet. Nobody else has this, or even Omaha, 20,000 fans. Just the trials, the pressure, the gauntlet that is being successful at this meet. It’s magic. And everyone that’s standing on deck can feel it, and you can see it.”
This will be the first time ever that an NFL stadium hosts an Olympic swimming trials. While the setting is historic and looks amazing, King referenced a line from the iconic basketball movie Hoosiers to point out that there is nothing different about this pool than those from previous trials.
“There’s a scene where the small-town basketball team shows up at the state basketball game,” said King. “They walk out on to the court and (say), ‘What does it look like?’ And they measure everything, and it’s the same measurements as their basketball court at home. That’s all it is.”
This will likely be the last Olympic Trials for King, who said at the end of the press conference that she will not be trying out for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I will be watching in Los Angeles,” said King. “And I’m good with that decision. I will not be done after the summer, but I will not be going another four years. I’ll be cheering on the team.”
A total of 1,007 swimmers have qualified for the trials, including several from Hamilton County (see related story). The athletes range in age from 14 – there are three that age competing – to 46-year-old Gabrielle Rose, who competed in the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics.
There will be two sessions for all but the last day of the Trials. The morning sessions begin at 11 a.m. and will consist of all preliminary swims. The top 16 in each event after the prelims advance to the semifinals, which take place during the same day’s night session, which start at 8 p.m.
The top eight swimmers in each semifinal move on to the finals. Those also take place during prime time, at 8 p.m. The only exception is June 23, where there will be a night session only.