U.S. Olympic swimming trials: Kate Douglass wins 100 free, Thomas Heilman takes 200 fly

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — Kate Douglass won the women’s 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Wednesday night, with Simone Manuel claiming a relay spot with a fourth-place finish after bouncing back from overtraining syndrome.

Manuel, the first Black woman to capture an individual swimming gold when she tied for the top spot in this event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, was denied a chance to swim the 100 free at the Paris Games.

Torri Huske took the second individual spot.

In perhaps the surest bet of the trials, Katie Ledecky claimed her third victory at Lucas Oil Stadium with another dominating performance in the 1,500 freestyle.

Ledecky added to her victories in the 200 and 400 free, though she doesn’t plan to swim the shorter event in Paris. She’s also a huge favorite to take the 800 free title before she leaves Indy.

Ledecky touched in 15 minutes, 37.35 seconds, more than a half-lap ahead of runner-up Katie Grimes at 15:57.77.

“I was hoping to go a little faster, but I’ll take it,” said Ledecky, whose six individual gold medals are already the most for any female swimmer in Olympic history. “I’ll be better in a few weeks.”

Grimes earned her second individual event in Paris, adding to her victory in the 400 individual medley. She’ll be swimming indoors and outdoors at the Olympics, also claiming a spot in the 10-kilometer open water race.

In the 100 free, Douglass was only fourth at the turn, but she powered to the finish for a winning time of 52.56. Huske finished at 52.93, while Gretchen Walsh faded from the lead at the midway point to touch third in 53.13.

Manuel was next at 53.25, with fifth-place finisher Abbey Weitzeil (53.70) also likely headed to her third Olympics as a relay option.

Manuel will have another chance to qualify for an individual Olympic event in the 50 freestyle, but she was clearly moved just to be on a relay.

“It means everything to me,” Manuel said, breaking down in tears on deck before the crowd of 22,209. “It’s a miracle that I’m even able to stand up here and be able to race again. The people close to me know the journey it took to get here. I’m really proud of myself and proud of Team USA.”

Manuel won two golds and two silvers at the Rio Games, a breakout performance for swimmers of color in a largely white sport. But her body broke down under the strain of overtraining syndrome ahead of the pandemic-delayed games in Tokyo.

Manuel didn’t even qualify to defend her title in the 100 freestyle, though she did rally to earn a spot in the 50 free. In Tokyo, she was eliminated in the semifinals of her only individual event, with her lone medal coming as the anchor of the 4×100 free relay team that finished third.

After the Olympics, she was ordered by her doctor to shut down all physical activity for more than six months to give her body time to properly recover.

Douglass had built on a bronze medal in the 200 individual medley at Tokyo to become one of America’s most versatile swimmers.

She won a total of 14 medals at the last three world championships in everything from the freestyle to the breaststroke to the individual medley to the relays.

Now, she’s headed back to the Olympics.

So is 17-year-old Thomas Heilman, who won the men’s 200-meter butterfly and will become the youngest U.S. male Olympic swimmer since Michael Phelps made the team for Sydney in 2000 at age 15.

Luke Whitlock, 18, had laid claim to that distinction a night earlier with his second-place showing in the 800 freestyle. Then someone even younger made the team when Heilman touched first in 1 minute, 54.50 seconds.

“It’s gonna be amazing. I’m just looking forward to hanging out with the team and building relationships that will last a lifetime,” Heilman said. “Going to the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m looking forward to cherishing every moment.”

Luca Urlando claimed the expected second spot in Paris with a time of 1:55.08.