2024 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials: Preview, schedule and how to watch live
The U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials get underway on Saturday 15 June, promising a fast competition with the best swimmers in the nation battling it out for a spot on the U.S. team for Paris 2024. Olympic gold medalists like Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel will vie for their chance to add more honors to their collection, while young swimmers such as Gretchen Walsh and Dare Rose will compete to make their first-ever Olympic team.
The selection procedure for USA Swimming is fairly simple. If a swimmer finishes in the top two of a race, and they have an Olympic qualifying time, they will make the team (pending confirmation from the federation). Swimmers for freestyle relays are also chosen by their times at the trials. The maximum size for the U.S. Olympic swim team is 26 women and 26 men, which also includes relay swimmers.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
• Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
This year, the swimmers will compete for the chance to swim at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in a built-for-purpose pool at Lucasoil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts, an American football team in the NFL. Swimming in a giant football stadium hasn’t been done before, and it will allow more fans than ever to witness the trials.
Athletes to watch at the 2024 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials
The beauty of the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials is that even swimmers like Ledecky and Dressel need to swim well to make for the team for Paris 2024. Read on for the swimmers to keep an eye on at the trials.
Ledecky is scheduled to race in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle races. She has the top time going into every race, and holds the world record in the 800 and 1500. Expectations are high for her, but they are in every Olympic cycle, and she’s had no problem meeting them.
Dressel brought home five gold medals from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and he is expected to swim in the 100m free, 50m free and 100m butterfly. But Dressel will have plenty of competition from younger swimmers. Dare Rose took bronze in the 100m butterfly at the 2023 world championships. Jack Alexy is one to watch in the always-thrilling 50m free, as he won silver at the 2023 Worlds.
Carson Foster didn’t make the U.S. team for Tokyo 2020, but since then, he’s collected an armful of medals at the world championships. Look for Foster in the 200m and 400m individual medleys.
Torri Huske was one of the youngest members of the U.S. swim team in Tokyo. Since winning a silver there, she has won 10 world championship medals, including four gold. Swimming in the 100m butterfly, 100m free, 200m IM and 50m free, Huske will have plenty of chances to impress in Indianapolis, while Katie Douglass should give her good competition in the medley.
Sisters Alexandra and Gretchen Walsh are hoping to make a splash. Alexandra was part of the silver medal-winning medley relay in Tokyo, while Gretchen is aiming to make her first Olympic team after a record-breaking college career at Virginia.
Nic Fink has established himself as one of the world’s best in the breaststroke, taking an upset victory at the World Aquatics Championships earlier this year. Look for him in the 100m and 200m breaststroke races.
Regan Smith and Ryan Murphy are two names that should come to your mind when you think of the best American backstrokers. Smith won silver in the women’s 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke at the 2023 world championships, and she’ll swim both the 100m and 200m in Indianapolis, as well as the 100m and 200m butterfly. Murphy comes into the 100m back with the American record and best qualifying time, and the best time in the 200m back. Also look for Murphy in the 100m butterfly.
If you’re a fan of long-distance swimming, keep an eye out for Katie Grimes and Bobby Finke. Grimes was the youngest member of the Tokyo 2020 team, and has continued to excel in long distances, winning silver in the 1500m at the Worlds in 2022. She also is coming into the 400m IM with the best qualifying time, and she obtained a quota for Paris 2024 in open water swimming. Finke won gold in the 800m and 1500m at the last Olympics and is coming into Indianapolis with the best qualifying times in both races.
Lilly King owns the world record and the best qualifying time in the 100m breaststroke. She is expected to swim both the 100m and 200m. Expect to see Lydia Jacoby challenge King in the 100m, while Douglass holds the best qualifying time and American record in the 200m.
(Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
2024 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials schedule
Evening sessions all starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Saturday, 15 June
W100 Butterfly semi
M 400 Freestyle final
W 400 Freestyle final
M 100 Breaststroke semi
Sunday, 16 June
M 400 IM final
W 100 Butterfly final
M 200 Freestyle semi
W 100 Breast semi
M 100 backstroke semi
M 100 breast final
W 200 freestyle semi
Monday, 17 June
W 400 IM final
M 200 free final
W 100 backstroke semi
M 100 Backstroke final
W 100 breaststroke final
W 200 freestyle final
Tuesday, 18 June
M 100 free semi
M 200 butterfly semi
W 100 backstroke final
M 800 free final
W 100 free semi
M 200 breast semi
Wednesday, 19 June
W 100 free final
M 200 butterfly final
W 200 butterfly semi
W 1500 free final
M 200 back semi
W 200 breaststroke semi
M 200m breast final
M 100 free final
Thursday, 20 June
W 200 butterfly final
M 200 backstroke final
M 50 free semi
W 200 breaststroke semi
M 200 IM semi
Friday, 21 June
M 50 free final
W 200 back final
M 200 IM final
M 100 butterfly semi
W 200 IM semi
Saturday, 22 June
M100 butterfly final
W 50 free semi
W 200 IM final
W 800 free final
Sunday, 23 June
W50 free
M1500 free
How to watch the 2024 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials
Heats will air on Peacock, with replays of the heats on USA Network. Finals and semifinals will air live on NBC starting at 8 pm every night throughout the trials.