TOKYO, Japan — Carmel High School graduate Jake Mitchell finished fourth in the final preliminary heat of the men's 400-meter freestyle Saturday morning. His time of 3:45.38 was good enough to make it back for another swim and a chance for a medal.
Mitchell stands seventh heading into the final. He will be joined by his American teammate Kieran Smith, who touched the wall just ahead of Mitchell in the same qualifying heat to earn the sixth seed for the final.
The top seed time for the final is 3:43.67, so both Americans will likely have to find at least another second of speed to contend for a medal.
The final takes place Saturday, July 24 at 9:52 p.m. ET., and will air on WTHR Channel 13.
Mitchell had to swim a 400-meter freestyle time trial with no one else in the pool during USA Swimming's Olympic Trials in Omaha to earn his spot on Team USA. While he finished second in the event finals, his time wasn't fast enough to meet the Olympic standard.
As Mitchell reached for the wall to finish the trial, the crowd in Omaha roared as his time showed on the scoreboard - 3:45.86 - fast enough to earn his spot on the Olympic team.