INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana sent a record five swimmers – those from high schools in the state – to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
After three of nine days of the U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indiana again has five – and, after Tuesday night, perhaps six.
“We love swimming here. This is what we do,” Lilly King told NBC after winning the 100-meter breaststroke Monday night. “We’re a swimming state. And we’re really, really proud of that. I’m glad I get to represent us.”
Moreover, Carmel High School, whose storied girls program has won 38 successive state titles, finally has an Olympian: Alex Shackell.
She tentatively made the team, finishing sixth in the 200-meter freestyle. Announcement won’t be official until Sunday, but top six customarily are chosen for relays in the 100 and 200 freestyles. Otherwise, it is two per event.
Alex, 17, would join brother Aaron, 19, on the team. Aaron won Saturday’s 400 freestyle. The siblings’ father, Nick Shackell, made British Olympic teams in 1996 and 2000.
Alex qualified for last year’s World Championships and won a silver medal as U.S. anchor in the 4x200 freestyle relay.
Indiana’s five 2024 Olympians: King, Aaron and Alex Shackell, Drew Kibler, Blake Pieroni.
The five from 2021: King, Kibler, Pieroni, Jake Mitchell, Michael Brinegar.
Most native Hoosiers placed on an Olympic team previously was four, in 1976: Dan Harrigan, South Bend; Jennifer Hooker, Bloomington; Matt Vogel, Fort Wayne; Camille Wright, New Albany. They combined to win two gold medals, a silver and a bronze in Montreal.
Katie Ledecky won the 200 free in 1:55.22, adding that to the 400 free she won Saturday night.
Indiana University’s Anna Peplowski was fifth in 1:57.04 and Shackell sixth in 1:57.05. They were just ahead of Simone Manuel, a five-time Olympic medalist and 100 freestyle champion in 2016.
Alex Shackell became Carmel’s third Olympian of these trials.
Kibler was the second, securing a spot by finishing third in the 200 freestyle, just as he did at the 2021 trials.
Luke Hobson won in 1:44.89, followed by Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano in 1:45.38. Kibler’s time was 1:45.60.
Pieroni, of Chesterton and IU, came out of retirement to make his third Olympic team by placing sixth in 1:46.09. Mitchell was seventh in 1:46.48, thus missing out on Paris.
Aaron Shackell, after making the final in a swim-off Sunday night, was eighth in 1:47.47.
The state could add a sixth Olympian.
In prelims of the 800 freestyle, Luke Whitlock had the top time, 7:51.22. Bobby Finke, the 2021 Olympic champion, was next at 7:51.71.
Whitlock, a Noblesville 18-year-old who represents Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, also had the fastest prelim in the 400 freestyle. He finished fifth in the final. Whitlock was fifth in the 800 freestyle at last year’s World Junior Championships.
The final is Tuesday night.
The 27-year-old King, IU’s former NCAA champion from Evansville, made a third Olympic team in her signature event. She won in 1:05.43, beating surprise runner-up Emma Weber, 1:06.10.
Lydia Jacoby, who beat King in winning gold at the 2021 Olympics, was third in 1:06.37 – and out.
IU went without a U.S. Olympic swimmer from 1976 until 2016, when King, Pieroni and Cody Miller all made the team for Rio de Janeiro. In Paris, IU will have King, Pieroni, Peplowski and open-water swimmer Mariah Denigan.
King will try to become the first woman ever to win two Olympic golds in the 100 breaststroke. She famously won a showdown against Russian rival Yulia Efimova at Rio, then finished with bronze at Tokyo 2021 behind Jacoby.
At a news conference Friday, King announced she would not stick around for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
She will also try to make the team in the 200 breaststroke, in which heats and semifinals are Wednesday and the final Thursday night.
Contact WTHR correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.