U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials Day 7: Ledecky rules the 800m free while Dressel rolls on and Manuel makes women’s sprint final

Katie Ledecky rushed to a huge early lead in her signature 800m freestyle event.

And she never looked back.

The five-time Olympic gold medallist touched the wall in first place a full five seconds ahead of her young teammate, and fellow Katie (Grimes), who also booked her place in Tokyo by the thinnest of margins on Saturday night in Omaha.

On a night with three world-record holders in action, Caeleb Dressel was on pace to break his own world record in the 100m butterfly final before falling back slightly near the end in what was another unsurprising win.

The biggest shock of the night came in the women’s 200m backstroke final, where Rhyan White (first) and Phoebe Bacon (second) edged out world-record holder Regan Smith.

The night was rounded out with the sprint semi-finals, where Simone Manuel rebounded from her rough showing in the 100m freestyle to finish first in her 50m heat. Abbey Weitzeil, who won the women’s 100m free, put in a personal best in the second heat.

On the men’s side, Dressel did what he does best, touching the wall first ahead of 32-year-old Nathan Adrian, who also did enough to reach tomorrow’s final. In the other men's 50m heat, Michael Andrew and Bowe Bekker finished one and two respectively.

Dressel dominates men’s 100m butterfly

After breaking the U.S. open record (his own) in the semi-final last night, there were whispers of expectation around the arena when Dressel approached the pool for the first of Saturday’s finals – the men’s 100m butterfly

And it was yet another stunning performance from the budding 22-year-old megastar. Though Dressel came up just shy of breaking his own world record (49.50) in the event, he blew past the competition to finish in first place with a time of 49.87.

READ | Dressel is USA's reluctant icon

“My goal was to make the team in the butterfly. I hoped to be a little quicker, but it’s fine,” said the man who’s expected to compete in six, or maybe seven, events in Tokyo. “Now I get a morning off.”

Tom Shields, who finished in second-place with a time of 51.19, will also head to the Olympics while Zach Harting (who already qualified for Tokyo after winning the 200m butterfly) touched the wall in sixth.

White, Bacon pull off upset in the women’s 200m back

There was a major upset in the women’s 200m backstroke as world record holder Regan Smith was pushed into third, and out of the event for Tokyo, by Rhyan White (first) and 18-year-old Phoebe Bacon (second), who will both represent Team USA in the event in Tokyo.

“Honestly I liked kind of being the underdog and having a lower profile,” said White when asked how it felt to win when relatively few were tipping her to take first in the event. “It’s not as much pressure when you come in under the radar. It all just means a lot to me. And I‘m honored to be going [to Tokyo].”

Bacon, for her part, was thrilled with the surprise outcome. “There’s a lot of pressure to get around her [Smith] but I’ve raced her plenty before so it just felt like another race.”

Smith, though beaten in her signature event at these trials, will still travel to Tokyo to take part in the 100m backstroke and 200m butterfly events.

The two Katies rule 800m free

There was only ever going to be one winner in the women’s 800m freestyle, one of superstar Katie Ledecky’s signature events. The five-time gold medallist and world-record holder was way out in front from the first lap and never looked back, touching the wall first with a time of 8:14.62.

“It’s not the best time and maybe I got caught up a little after having good times in the prelims,” Ledecky said. “So that’s maybe a good reminder to take with me when I move forward.”

The real race was for second place, with 15-year-old Grimes touching the wall ahead of Haley Anderson by 15 one-hundredths of a second to book her place in a first Olympic Games.

“I don’t even know what I’m feeling – I might only be 15 [years old] but it’s been a lot of work to get here,” said Grimes. Ledecky, who swam over the Grimes to congratulate her and welcome her to the team, was thrilled for her new teammate: “I told her earlier in the event…you’re the future…but just now, I told her she’s the now.”

Grimes, at 15, is the same age as Ledecky was when she won her first gold in the 800m at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Now the two will be looking to make history together in the long-haul event at the Tokyo Games, just under five weeks away.

“I can’t believe how young this team is going to be,” said the 24-year-old Ledecky. “But I know it’s going to make us a really great team.”

Manuel, Dressel prosper in 50m freestyle semis

The night concluded with the high-intensity men’s and women’s sprint semi-finals.

It was no surprise when Dressel touched the wall first in his heat, while 32-year-old Nathan Adrian finished second, rounding out a comeback from testicular cancer which threatened his life. In the first heat, Michael Andrew touched first, followed by Bowe Bekker and Justin Ress.

The men’s 50m final will take place tomorrow night, same as the women’s event.

Simone Manuel, who failed to make the team in the 100m freestyle, was in fine form in her semi-final heat, finishing first and qualifying for the finals.

“I’m pleased with the swim,” said Manuel, who opened up about her demanding year, both physically and mentally, at a press conference on Thursday. “Now I have the chance to make improvements and be better tomorrow. I don’t quit. I’m here to fight until the end.”

In the second heat, Abbey Weitzeil shocked the crowd – and herself – finishing in first with a personal best time. “I was shocked when I saw the screen,” she said. “But now I can’t let my guard down.”