Gators Continue Qualifying In Olympic Swimming Trials

As the second day of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials concluded, three Gators advanced to the Finals. Kieran Smith and Jake Mitchell will compete for a spot on the Olympic Team in the men’s 200-meter freestyle. Meanwhile, Adam Chaney looks to secure his place in the 100-meter backstroke.

Adam Chaney, Jake Mitchell and Kieran Smith Advance to Monday Finals 🐊#GoGators https://t.co/FjxkHWkaPC

— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) June 17, 2024

Recapping Sunday’s Action

Overall, 11 Gators competed on Sunday.

In the men’s 100-back semifinals, Chaney posted a personal best time of 53.08 to finish second overall. After barely missing out on the Olympic Swim Finals last year, he comfortably made the cut.

Kieran Smith was able to secure a first-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:45:39. Like Chaney, it’s the best time of his career, beating the 1:50.14 he set at the 2022 Phillips 66 National Championships. Smith has a chance to match his performance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Swim Trials, where he finished first.

Jake Mitchell finished close behind Smith with a time of 1:46.43, good enough for fourth place. The six-time All-American has a chance to reach the Olympics once again, achieving it first in Tokyo 2020 (men’s 400-meter freestyle).

In addition to these three, the following are all the other Gators who performed yesterday: Micayla Cronk, Isabel Ivey, Lainy Kruger, Caleb Maldari, Josh Parent, Grace Rainey, Bella Sims, and Michaela Mattes. Many made their 2024 Olympic trial debut.

Kieran Smith: “I wanted to prove that… I’m capable of being a 2x Olympian” https://t.co/2Ketk5UzC4

— SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) June 16, 2024

Looking Ahead

The U.S. Olympic Swim Trials continues today at Lucas Oil Stadium. They’ll have 17 sessions distributed over nine days. Live coverage of the Trials will be available every night at 8. pm. ET on NBC.

Swimming at the 2024 Olympic Games will eventually be held at the Paris La Defense Arena. The full Team USA roster for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be confirmed later this summer in July.

Indoor swimming will begin on July 27 and continue until August 4. On August 8-9, the Olympic swimming competition will come to a close with the men’s and women’s open water races.