2021 U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS
- When:
- Wave I Dates: June 4-7, 2021
- Wave II Dates: June 13-20, 2021
- Prelims: 10am CDT | Finals: 7pm CDT
- Where: CHI Health Center / Omaha, Nebraska
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Cuts
- Wave I & II Event Order
- LCM (50m)
- Prelims Live Stream (NBC Olympics)
- Finals Live Stream (Olympic Channel)
- Wave II Psych Sheets
- Wave II Live Results
Michael Andrew is entered in six different events, including the 100s of all four strokes, at 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials.
The pre-scratch psych sheets dropped this morning, showing which events versatile top athletes could potentially target – though athletes can still scratch individual events closer to meet day.
For Andrew, his lineup will still probably pare down some. But he’s given himself the opportunity, at least, to swim all five disciplines at Olympic Trials: freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and IM.
Chronologically, Andrew is entered in the 100 breast, 100 back, 100 free, 200 IM, 100 fly, and 50 free. Here’s a look at how those events would fit in the 8-day Trials format, assuming Andrew swims through to the final of all six:
| Morning | Evening | |
| Day 1 (Sun. 6/13) | 100 breast (heats) |
100 breast (semis)
|
| Day 2 (Mon. 6/14) | 100 back (heats) |
100 breast (final)
|
|
100 back (semifinal)
|
||
| Day 3 (Tue. 6/15) | — | 100 back (final) |
| Day 4 (Wed. 6/16) | 100 free (heats) | 100 free (semis) |
| Day 5 (Thu. 6/17) | 200 IM (heats) | 100 free (final) |
| 200 IM (semis) | ||
| Day 6 (Fri. 6/18) | 100 fly (heats) | 200 IM (final) |
| 100 fly (semis) | ||
| Day 7 (Sat. 6/19) | 50 free (heats) | 100 fly (final) |
| 50 free (semis) | ||
| Day 8 (Sun. 6/20) | — | 50 free (final) |
The events where Andrew has previously represented Team USA internationally fall at the very beginning of his lineup (100 breast) and very end of his lineup (50 free). The 200 IM has also become a top Olympic bid for Andrew, and those three events would fit together very well, without requiring any multi-event sessions for Andrew. We’ve bolded them above.
The 100 free is the most likely of this bunch to be a scratch – the allure is that the event will select up to 6 Olympic roster spots to fill the relay, compared to 2 Olympic roster spots in other events. But the field is fierce, and there’s a good chance Andrew really only plans to swim the event in prelims to see if he pops a big time drop.
The 100 back and 100 fly are tricky. Andrew sits 4th on the psych sheet in the 100 fly, and would actually be 3rd if his seed used his recent personal best of 50.80. He’s the 5th seed in the 100 back. Both are tough event fields and would force doubles with more of Andrew’s primary events (the 100 breast/100 back share sessions, as do the 100 fly/200 IM). But Andrew has also had a tendency to surge in different strokes at different meets, so entering all six races gives him the option to focus on a stroke if it’s really heating up the week of the meet.
If Michael Andrew wants to take a relay spot in the 100m freestyle, I think he has to shorten his best record by two seconds.
Even if Michael Andrew puts out the best in the 100m freestyle and puts out 48 seconds lower, I think it is highly likely that 48 seconds lower will not reach the 6 slots of the relay members.
Let’s see what MA can do!! My predictions
-100 breast 58.3✅
-200 IM (1:55.5)✅
-100 fly (50.3)✅
– 50 free (21.6)✅
Don’t do the 100 free, too deep!!
21.6 won’t make it, Held will be faster.
Drops in everything but the 50 free?
He said on his Instagram live, that he is doing 100 free to try to get a relay spot. He is doing 100 back also, but he said “we will see” about 100 fly… interesting
Bruh
That was my reaction
That’s wild. He’s got a way Better shot medaling at fly. 1 back does him almost no good. He’s not world level in it and he’s already in the medley relay…seems weird.
Yeah seriously..
He won’t have to worry about the semis or finals schedule of the 100 free
has anyone did (swam) all strokes in Olympics trial before?
I mean Tracy Caulkins did hold American records across every stroke and in the IMs
If he does swim every one of these I don’t think he makes the team in the 200IM and he could hurt his shot in the 50 as well. He needs a small schedule and to limit the number of swims per session. He has improved a lot but his base to fall back on is still very limited, he’s very good at going very fast a couple of times max per session and per day. I’m thinking this may be another “enter everything just in case and scratch as you go” scenario because it’s not the smartest plan for getting him to the olympics in multiple events otherwise
Disappointed not to see the 400 free in there.
Here was me hoping MA had been pulling the greatest troll in history and hiding a Thorpe-like mid-d freestyle, going 3:41 then crushing a 26 on the last 50 of the IM.
51 first 100 3:00 last 300