2016 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
- Sunday, June 26 – Sunday, July 3, 2016
- CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska
- SwimSwam Preview Links and Schedule
- Psych Sheets
- NBC Broadcast Schedule
- Day 3 Finals Live Recap
Olivia Smoliga won the final of the woman’s 100 back tonight, securing a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, and continuing a great run of success for the Georgia Bulldogs. You can view Smoliga’s post-race press conference above, but here are a few snippets:
On being an “emotions-on-your-sleeve” type of person:
Oh, yeah, definitely. I think the thing that helped me the most honestly was just having my teammates on the sidelines, just as they were at NCs, so I was trying to channel that at this meet, because at NCs, stakes are so high, you do want to get your hand to the wall first to get point for your team, and I kept telling myself that’s exactly what I wanted to feel here, because this is so individual and it’s awesome, but swimming for your team, it’s so much more special, so I loved having them right on the sidelines. My parents were right behind me, and having their support was awesome.
On the pressure of winning an event where American women have traditionally done very well:
I love it. I’m glad there is pressure on me. I feel as though I perform my best when stakes are high, just as they were at NCAAs this past March and just as they were here. You never know what’s going to happen in a final like this.