INDIANAPOLIS — Big winners on night 8 Saturday of the U.S. Olympic Trials were Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky and Kate Douglass.
And Blake Pieroni, who didn’t swim a stroke.
(NOTE: The video above is from a previous report on Indianapolis already pushing to host the 2028 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials.)
Dressel took the 100-meter butterfly in 50.19 seconds at Lucas Oil Stadium, the third-fastest time in the world this year. He trains in Gainesville, Fla., as does world leader Josh Liendo, a Canadian whose time is 50.06.
Second in the 100 butterfly, in 50.80, was 17-year-old Thomas Heilman. He will thus be the youngest U.S. men’s swimmer at an Olympics in multiple individual events since Brian Goodell in 1976, according to OlyMADMen.
Moreover, by doubling, Heilman might have cleared a pathway for Pieroni to be chosen to the Olympic team.
Countries are limited to 26 swimmers per gender for the Paris Olympics, and USA Swimming prioritizes second-place swimmers and the top four in 100 and 200 freestyles. Those finishing fifth and sixth in the 100 and 200 freestyles are selected for relays if the team isn’t over the limit.
The U.S. men are close to the limit.
Pieroni, a former Indiana University swimmer and state champion at Chesterton High School, came out of a retirement in a bid to make a third Olympics. He was sixth in the 200 freestyle. Coincidentally, he is pitted against Matt King, who was sixth in the 100 freestyle — and is transferring to IU.
If there is one spot left for a sixth-place swimmer, it goes to King, who has a tiebreaker over Pieroni on world ranking. But if Bobby Finke makes the team Sunday night in the 1,500 freestyle, as expected, Pieroni is in.
Ledecky won the 800 freestyle in 8:14.12, or seven seconds off the national championships record she set at the IU Natatorium last June. She will go for a fourth gold medal in that event at the Paris Olympics. She previously won 200, 400 and 1,500 freestyles at the trials.
In the 200 individual medley, Kate Douglass set an American record five blocks away from the Natatorium — where she set the previous record on July 1, 2023. Her time at the stadium was 2:06.79, lowering her record of 2:07.06.
Because Alex Wash finished second (in 2:07.86), she joins sister Gretchen on the Olympic team. Gretchen set a world record of 55.18 in semifinals of the 100 butterfly and led the semis of the 50 freestyle Saturday night in 24.06.
Contact WTHR correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.