INDIANAPOLIS — Swimming superstar Katie Ledecky punched her ticket to Paris on Saturday, earning her fourth spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
In Indianapolis, Ledecky Seven-time gold medalistwon the women’s 400m freestyle at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, earning a spot on the U.S. national team. Paige Madden came in second but did not qualify for Paris in that race.
“Tonight, I came out of the tunnel, looked around and enjoyed this moment,” said Ledecky, who finished in 3:58.35. “We’ve come a long way and it’s so nice to have everyone out there supporting us. It was a great opening night.”
In the men’s 400m freestyle final, 19-year-old Aaron Shackel won, securing a spot in Paris.
This will be Mr Shakel’s first Olympics, as he is the son of Nick Shakel, the swimmer who represented Great Britain at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
“Ever since I found out my dad was an Olympian, I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian,” Aaron Shackel said, adding that for a while he wasn’t particularly good at or fond of sports. “It’s just unbelievable, honestly.”
And University of Virginia senior Gretchen Walsh set a new record in the 100-meter butterfly in Saturday’s semifinals, swimming a time of 55.18 seconds — the first world record at the Trials since Michael Phelps in 2008.
Walsh’s record was greeted with applause and cheers from a crowd of thousands.
For the first time, USA Swimming held the event in an NFL stadium, transforming the Indianapolis Colts’ Red Zone at Lucas Oil Stadium into the competition pool for the trials. Organizers say the massive venue can accommodate 30,000 fans at once as the world’s best athletes compete in events more intense than the Olympics themselves.
“It’s going to be a lot tougher than the Olympics. It’s very hard to get to the Olympics, but when you add a monster like this to the mix, it puts a lot of pressure on the athletes,” said three-time gold medalist and NBC Sports commentator Rowdy Gaines.
The opening night event was broadcast in prime time on NBC and, according to commentators, drew an estimated 20,000 spectators, making it the largest audience ever to watch a nighttime swimming event.
Preparation for the nine-day event took weeks, according to USA Swimming’s chief commercial officer, Shanna Ferguson, who said 1.8 million gallons of water were pumped into the stadium and circulated constantly to fill temporary competition and warm-up pools.
With more than a week to go, hundreds of elite athletes are still vying for a chance to represent the United States, some in their first Olympic Games.
“There’s no such thing as a former Olympian or former Olympian. Once you make the team, it’s for life,” Gaines said. “And it can never be taken away.”
