INDIANAPOLIS — Mariah Denigan said she did not rest before coming to the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Indianapolis. She trained all the way up to the start. That's because Denigan had already claimed her spot on Team USA.
Denigan is going to Paris to compete in the 10K open swim. No lanes, just Denigan and the beautiful Siene River. But this week, she's in the pool, looking to qualify for another Olympic event.
On Tuesday, Denigan blew through the 1500-meter freestyle prelims with no problem and will now advance to the finals on Wednesday night.
13News visited Denigan in her final days before trials. She said as an IU student originally from Kentucky, competing in Indianapolis comes with a homecourt advantage.
"Yeah, absolutely, it's like a home crowd for us," said Denigan. "I'm excited. A lot of our family members are not going to be pressed to come, because it's so close. I'm excited for that."
And if Denigan qualifies for Team USA in a pool event, she'll be only the second woman ever to qualify for an open swim and a pool event. On Monday, fellow Paris Olympian Katie Grimes became the first women to ever do it.
"It still doesn't feel real to me that I'm able to do this. I'm super excited to just be able to have the chance to represent my country," Denigan said.
You can catch Denigan in the pool several more times this week. She's competing in the 800-meter freestyle.
She said this whole experience is something she's dreamed of since she was a little girl.
After trials, Denigan said she will have just a few days before heading to France for six weeks to make her Olympic debut in Paris, and you can watch it all right here on Channel 13.