Jake Mitchell Gives Detailed Perspective on 400 Free Time Trial | SwimSwam

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

2021 U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS

• When:
  • Wave I Dates: June 4-7, 2021
  • Wave II Dates: June 13-20, 2021
• Prelims: 10am CDT | Finals: 7pm CDT
• Where: CHI Health Center / Omaha, Nebraska
• 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Cuts
• Wave I & II Event Order
• LCM (50m)
• Day 3 Finals Live Stream
• Psych Sheets
• Wave II Live Results
• Day 3 Finals Heat Sheet

Reported by James Sutherland.

MEN’S 400 FREE TIME TRIAL

• FINA ‘A’ Cut: 3:46.78

1. Jake Mitchell (CSC), 3:45.86

In an unbelievable solo time trial effort, Carmel Swim Club’s Jake Mitchell produced the swim of his life to crush the Olympic qualifying time of 3:46.78 in 3:45.86, effectively putting him on the U.S. Olympic team.

Mitchell really attacked the race, out almost two seconds faster than he was in the individual final at the 100 (52.63) and more than three at the 200 (1:49.86) before closing just a quarter of a second slower, 1:56.00 compared to 1:55.25 on Sunday on the back-half.

Mitchell’s splits:

• 25.16
• 27.47 (52.63)
• 28.47
• 28.76 (1:49.86)
• 29.13
• 28.90 (2:47.89)
• 29.13
• 28.84 (3:45.86)

If you haven’t been following along, only Kieran Smith (3:44.86) went under the FINA ‘A’ time in the men’s 400 free final, leaving the second Olympic spot up for grabs. If no one in the field that finished ahead of Zane Grothe, who was 11th in the prelims, managed to get under the 3:46.78 standard, then the Olympic spot would be Grothe’s provided there was space on the roster.

As the runner-up in the final, Mitchell had first dibs on the available spot—as long as he went sub-3:46.78, it would be his, even if someone else went faster. And he did just that, dropping more than two seconds from his best time of 3:47.95, set at the 2019 World Juniors, in the process.

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