Day 6 of US Olympic Trials is underway, with lots of great racing ahead! In the morning session we’ll see Katie Ledecky in the 800 free, Caeleb Dressel in the 100 fly, and Regan Smith in the 200 backstroke. The evening session is stacked with finals in the women’s 200 breaststroke, men’s 200 backstroke, men’s 200 IM and women’s 200 free.
Refresh this page throughout the day for live breakdowns of each race from prelims and finals! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch our recaps live.
Day 6 Prelims Recap
Today’s prelims lineup:
- Women’s 800 Freestyle
- Men’s 100 Butterfly
- Women’s 200 Backstroke
Women’s 800 Freestyle Prelims
Katie Ledecky is in the number one spot after prelims after clocking an 8:16.61, with almost 11 seconds separating her from the 2nd seed, 16-year-old Bella Sims (8:27.45). Sims will most likely swim in Tokyo as part of the 4×200 freestyle relay, but her swim this morning gives her a shot at adding the 800 free to her lineup as well. Erica Sullivan is also in position to put up a good fight in tomorrow’s finals, winning her prelims heat in 8:28.67. View results from the women’s 800 free prelims >
Men’s 100 Butterfly Prelims
With quite a few no-shows in the final heat of the men’s 100 fly this morning, Caeleb Dressel had empty lanes on either side of him during his race — ideal conditions for fast swimming! He set a new US Open record, touching the wall first in 50.17. While Dressel is a shoe in for Team USA, the #2 spot is anybody’s game. Tom Shields and Trenton Julian tied for second in 51.71. Danny Kovac (51.73), Tyler Sesvold (51.83) and 200 fly winner Zach Harting (51.86) take 4th, 5th and 6th.
We’ll see how the competition plays out in tonight’s semi’s! View results from the men’s 100 fly prelims >
Women’s 200 Backstroke Prelims
200 backstroke world record-holder Regan Smith showed up this morning, taking the #1 spot in 2:07.81, followed by Phoebe Bacon (2:08.71). Hali Flickinger, who has qualified for Toyko in the 200 fly and 400 IM, also advances to semi’s in 15th (2:12.02). 2016 Olympian Kathleen Baker made it through to semi’s in 11th place (2:11.78), but will need to throw down a really solid swim to make finals. View results from the women’s 200 backstroke prelims >
Day 6 Finals Recap
Tonight’s finals lineup:
- Women’s 200 Breaststroke Final
- Men’s 200 Backstroke Final
- Women’s 200 Backstroke Semifinal
- Men’s 200 IM Final
- Women’s 200 Free Final
- Men’s 100 Butterly Semifinal
Women’s 200 Breaststroke Final
In an emotional finish, training partners Annie Lazor (2:21.07) and Lilly King (2:21.75) went 1-2 in the 200 breast final. After Lazor’s father passed away a few months ago, King promised to do whatever it took to get her teammate to Tokyo. And that support and dedication paid off! Emily Escobedo took 3rd in 2:22.64 and Bethany Galat is 4th in 2:22.81. View results from the women’s 200 breaststroke final >
Men’s 200 Backstroke Final
Ryan Murphy has done it again! He finished 1st and added another event to his Tokyo roster with a solid 1:54.20. Bryce Mefford will also likely head to Tokyo, finishing 2nd in 1:54.79. Austin Katz was about 1 second behind Mefford, taking 3rd in 1:55.86. View results from the men’s 200 backstroke final >
Women’s 200 Backstroke Semifinal
The field is stacked as we head into tomorrow night’s 200 backstroke final. Regan Smith is top seed, throwing down a 2:07.23. Phoebe Bacon takes 2nd, winning her semi heat in 2:07.46. Despite a foot fracture, Kathleen Baker powered through and is seeded 4th in 2:08.58. Tokyo qualifier Hali Flickinger also makes finals, taking 8th with a time of 2:09.61. View results from the women’s 200 backstroke semifinal >
Men’s 200 IM Final
Michael Andrew went out fast, gaining nearly a 3-second lead by the 150 mark, and holding on for dear life on the freestyle leg, touching the wall in 1:55.44. His speed got him the #1 spot, and another race on in Tokyo! Chase Kalisz will join him, finishing 2nd in 1:56.97. View results from the men’s 200 IM final >
Women’s 100 Free Final
Abbey Weitzeil showed up tonight, taking the top spot and punching her ticket to Tokyo with a 53.53. Erika Brown gave us major outside smoke, coming out of nowhere in lane 8 and finishing 2nd in 53.59. Olivia Smoliga (53.63) and Natalie Hinds (53.84) will join Brown and Weitzeil in Tokyo as part of the relay squad. View results from the women’s 100 free final >
Men’s 100 Butterfly Semifinal
We rounded out the night with a Caeleb Dressel appearance! After breaking the US Open Record in prelims with a 51.77, Caeleb broke it again, taking the #1 seed in 49.76. He looked strong and smooth, so we’re definitely seeing even faster swimming from him tomorrow night. Tom Shields is second, finishing in 51.20, and Coleman Steward is 3rd, with a 51.54. Zach Harting, who qualified for Tokyo in the 200 fly, will swim in finals tomorrow as well. He’s seeded 7th with a 51.99. View results from the men’s 100 fly semifinal >
For prime-time coverage of US Olympic Trials finals, watch live on NBC at 9pm EST or stream on the NBC Olympics site via your cable provider.