2016 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
- Sunday June 26th-Sunday July 3rd, 2016
- Century Link Center – Omaha, Nebraska
- Friday-Sunday – Prelims – 11:00 am EDT Finals – 7:45 pm EDT
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Ryan Lochte has scratched the semifinals of the 100 free for tonight, after putting up a sixth place finish in prelims this morning with 49.13.
Even without Lochte swimming in semifinals or finals, U.S. Olympic men’s coach Bob Bowman can still name him to the relay team in Rio, but, most likely, another four swimmers will be fast enough to merit the relay spots.
With this scratch, Joshua Fleagle of OSU moves into the semifinals of the 100 free tonight.
This morning, the top qualifier was defending Olympic champion in the 100 free Nathan Adrian of Cal, who put up a 48.43. Ryan Held of NC State came up second with 48.46, followed by Caeleb Dressel of the Bolles School (48.69) and 2012 Olympian Anthony Ervin (48.76). NYAC’s Jimmy Feigen also came in ahead of Lochte with 49.03.
Lochte is the seventh-fastest American 100 freestyler in history with his 48.16 from Indianapolis in 2009. Barring any more scratches, he still has the 200 back, 200 IM, and 100 fly to go this week.
I’m just glad we get to pick relay lineups via comment section. Real democratic of the coaches.
Bob Bowman is the head coach of the Olympic team. Michael Phelps is his favorite swimmmer.
Here is the definition of favoritism: the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person or group at the expense of another.
Is this the case in the relays? What is fair our unfair?
Gold Medal Mel already addressed this question back when Phelps competed in Texas. His answer was that Phelp’s other swims would be used to determine his suitability to be used on the relays. If he is winning gold medals and throwing down fast times he is a lock for the relays.
Unfortunately, The relay is August 7th, which would make the relay his first event…
Favoritism with coaches is a sticky business.
Michael is not swimming any freestyle at this meet. How can anyone judge how is freestyle is?
At least Ryan swam the free in Omaha and we know what his times are.
Definitely not enough to warrant relay consideration
The US won’t win and probably won’t medal with 48s on this relay. I think we have to wait for finals before we really know what everyone can do, but Phelps and Lochte have shown they can split 47s on relays, consistently. If you want a chance to win, you have to go with the guys with upside. If we put guys on that go 48 on the relay and get 4th, or miss finals like at worlds last year, it’s not going to be good.
If tonight and tomorrow night we see that 4 guys not named Lochte or Phelps can flat start 47 anything, they earned their spot on the relay, and the guys that sat out didn’t.
Phelps did not earn anything… Why does everyone want to give him a spot on these relays?
I think that the great strength of the US selection process is that it is fair and very transparent: the fastest guys on the day of the trials are selected.
Keep it that way.
There will be enough doubles to take the top 6 guys for both the 100 free and 200 free. If US Swimming decides to take only 5, and not the top 6 in the 100 because of any speakeasy agreements that the coaches will use wider discretion to use the scratch guys at the Olympics, I think that would be apalling. You can’t tell a guy who races for it and gets 6th that he’s going to e denied what he earned. That would be horrible.
The mitigating factor is Lotche’s health. I think the coaches will need to consider this carefully when the relays are put together in Rio. Here Ryan could be a prelims swimmer.
I would say that I find it disturbing that so many guys opted out of a prelim swim. I know Phelps and Conger have the 200 final tonite, but in Rio each will have their individual swims come again (assuming both Phelps and Conger have the individual events we expect them to have as this week fills out). So now the trend is don’t put one prelim swim in at Trials?
I think this is getting ridiculous. MP has earned some latitude, but he could have put down… Read more »
^^ agree
Before today, Lochte had 5 swims in this meet (2 being the 400IM), is probably injured, and somehow they guarantee Conger a spot but not Ryan? I don’t get it. This is out of control
I think in Rio we’ll see a 4×100 combo of Ervin, Conger, Held, 1 vet who can get the relay out of trouble if need be (Could be Phelps, Grevers if he makes the relay, or even Lochte at the worse case) for prelims. Then Dressel, ?, Conger, Adrian at finals. All three of those guys have either split 47 in the past year or are capable of 48low 47high leadoffs. I know Conger’s best time is 49.0, but again and again he’s show that he’s a team guy and balls out on relays. The last guy will be whoever splits the fastest in prelims or Phelps if he doesn’t swim prelims and Bowman feels he can beat any of… Read more »
Go with the guys who put up fastest times in the trials. If you scratch, you lose your chance. Too much fealty toward the old guys, who are hanging on, but this is not 2008 or 2012.
Who ever would give up the chance to swim the 100 at Olympi c trials ?
Only those fearful.of failure. Whatever you’d lose in energy would be replaced by adrenaline .What a buzz.
If its not your main event even better . It would be thang they all say – fun.
I agree with everything you say but i still think the coach can do whatever the coach wants to do. If I was coach I would leave the #6 guy home and use Conger in the AM