INDIANAPOLIS — Swimming superstar Katie Ledecky has punched her ticket to Paris, making her fourth Olympic team.
On Saturday night in Indianapolis, seven-time gold medalist Ledecky won the 400-meter freestyle at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, securing a spot on the U.S. national team. Paige Madden came in second but did not qualify for Paris in that race.
“Tonight, I came out of the tunnel, looked around and just enjoyed the moment,” said Ledecky, who finished in 3:58.35. “We’ve come a long way and it’s so nice to have everyone out there supporting us. It was a great opening night.”
In the men’s 400m freestyle final, 19-year-old Aaron Shackel won, securing a spot in Paris.
This will be Mr Shakel’s first Olympics, as he is the son of Nick Shakel, the swimmer who represented Great Britain at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
“Ever since I found out my dad was an Olympian, I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian,” Aaron Shackel said, adding that for a while he wasn’t particularly good at or fond of sports. “It’s just unbelievable, honestly.”
Gretchen Walsh swam the 100-meter butterfly in 55.18 seconds in Saturday’s semifinals, setting the first world record at the Trials since Michael Phelps in 2008.
Walsh’s record was greeted with applause and cheers from a crowd of thousands.
For the first time, USA Swimming held the event in an NFL stadium, transforming the Indianapolis Colts’ Red Zone at Lucas Oil Stadium into a competition pool for the trials. Organizers say the massive venue can accommodate up to 30,000 fans at once to watch the world’s best athletes compete in an event that may be more intense than the Olympics.
“This tournament is a lot more intense than the Olympics because it’s so hard to get into the Olympics. And then you add this monster to the mix and it puts a lot of pressure on the athletes,” said three-time gold medalist and NBC Sports commentator Rowdy Gaines.
According to commentators, about 20,000 people attended in person on opening night, which was broadcast in prime time on NBC, making it the largest audience ever to watch a night swimming event.
Preparation for the nine-day event took weeks, according to USA Swimming’s chief commercial officer, Shanna Ferguson, who said 1.8 million gallons of water were pumped into the stadium, and water is constantly recycled to fill temporary competition and warm-up pools.
With more than a week to go, hundreds of elite athletes are still vying for a chance to represent the United States, some in their first Olympic Games.
“There’s no such thing as a past Olympian or former Olympian. Once you make the team, it’s for life,” Gaines said. “And it can never be taken away.”
