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 (8PM finals on Friday & Saturday)
- Where: CHI Health Center / Omaha, Nebraska
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Cuts
- Wave I & II Event Order
- LCM (50m)
- Day 6 Finals Live Stream
- Psych Sheets
- Wave II Live Results
- Day 6 Finals Heat Sheet
The top four finishers in the women’s 100 free — Abbey Weitzeil, Erika Brown, Olivia Smoliga, and Natalie Hinds — sat down to answer questions after last night’s session.
Hinds, who took a long break from swimming after graduating college, described what making the team for the relay means for her:
I can say that I’m grateful. I have been watching 2015, 2017, 2019 World’s from my couch at home and being like, wow that’s so cool! I think just sitting up here being part of this relay is a full circle moment. I’m just excited to do whatever I need to do to represent Team USA on this relay.
Hinds’ training partner Olivia Smoliga shared similar thoughts:
This is incredible to have been right next to Nat and right next to Abbey, because I know both of them take it out. I know I have to do work coming back, but I like it that way. This has been incredible. It’s been really hard. This meet is tough. To have done it with Nat, she makes me my best, three years.
Weitzeil mentioned that she worked in a brewery during the pandemic, and also expressed optimism about the US’s relay chances, despite the times not looking super strong compared to other countries:
When you have the flag on your cap, you get stuff done. I’m confident in this relay, and I’m confident in Team USA. We have our work cut out for us, no doubt. The Australians are fast, and they have been fast, and I’ve been on this relay, and it’s tough, but it’s fun. When you have the flag on your cap there is something else that comes out of you. I’m confident in these girls next to me. Like Olivia said, this meet is hard, and it sets you up to learn how to control certain things in your mind, and it will be fun. It will be hard, and it will be fun, and we will keep challenging them.
Brown spoke on her transition from short course college to success to swimming the 100 free individually in Tokyo:
Yeah, looking back on my sophomore year of college, I remember that summer was really difficult. I did not perform the way I wanted. I think everything happens for a reason. It motivated me to continue working really hard and really focusing on all the details, and it’s really exciting to see it finally paying off.
Originally reported by James Sutherland
WOMEN’S 100 FREE FINAL
- Abbey Weitzeil (CAL), 53.53
- Erika Brown (TNAQ), 53.59
- Olivia Smoliga (ABSC), 53.63
- Natalie Hinds (ABSC), 53.84
- Catie Deloof (CA-Y), 53.87
- Allison Schmitt (SUN), 54.12
The wide-open women’s 100 freestyle came down to the wire, with speedster Abbey Weitzeil and Tennessee’s Erika Brown jumping on the lead early.
Brown, who squeaked into the final by two one-hundredths, provided some true outside smoke from Lane 8, blasting down the back-half as she looked like she was leading the pack.
Olivia Smoliga, Natalie Hinds and Catie Deloof began to make up some ground down the stretch, but ultimately Weitzeil and Brown held on, going 1-2 with respective times of 53.53 and 53.59.
The victory for Weitzeil is her second straight in the event at Trials, having won in 2016, and was just off her season-best of 53.52 set in the prelims.
Brown, who was a bit off early in the meet, failing to advance out of the heats in the 200 free and 100 fly, stepped up big when it mattered, producing the third-fastest swim of her career—just shy of her best time of 53.42 set at the 2019 U.S. Open.
Smoliga (53.63), Hinds (53.84) and Deloof (53.87) all had slight adds from the semis, all qualifying for the team for the first time (though Deloof’s spot is not yet confirmed).
Allison Schmitt, who qualified individually in the 200 free, took sixth in 54.12 to round out the relay slots, edging Kate Douglass (54.17) and Linnea Mack (54.32).