Olivia and Natalie Give Tearful Interview After Making Olympics Side-by-Side | 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 (8PM finals on Friday & Saturday)
• Where: CHI Health Center / Omaha, Nebraska
• 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Cuts
• Wave I & II Event Order
• LCM (50m)
• Day 6 Finals Live Stream
• Psych Sheets
• Wave II Live Results
• Day 6 Finals Heat Sheet

Reported by James Sutherland.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE FINAL

• World Record: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 51.71 (2017)
• American Record: Simone Manuel – 52.04 (2019)
• US Open Record: Simone Manuel (USA) – 52.54 (2018)
• World Junior Record: Penny Oleksiak (CAN) – 52.70 (2016)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Simone Manuel (USA) / Penny Oleksiak (CAN) – 52.70
• 2016 US Olympic Trials Champion: Abbey Weitzeil – 53.28
• Wave I Cut: 56.29
• Wave II Cut: 55.56
• FINA ‘A’ Cut: 54.38

1. Abbey Weitzeil (CAL), 53.53
2. Erika Brown (TNAQ), 53.59
3. Olivia Smoliga (ABSC), 53.63
4. Natalie Hinds (ABSC), 53.84
5. Catie Deloof (CA-Y), 53.87
6. Allison Schmitt (SUN), 54.12

The wide-open women’s 100 freestyle came down to the wire, with speedster Abbey Weitzeil and Tennessee’s Erika Brown jumping on the lead early.

Brown, who squeaked into the final by two one-hundredths, provided some true outside smoke from Lane 8, blasting down the back-half as she looked like she was leading the pack.

Olivia Smoliga, Natalie Hinds and Catie Deloof began to make up some ground down the stretch, but ultimately Weitzeil and Brown held on, going 1-2 with respective times of 53.53 and 53.59.

The victory for Weitzeil is her second straight in the event at Trials, having won in 2016, and was just off her season-best of 53.52 set in the prelims.

Brown, who was a bit off early in the meet, failing to advance out of the heats in the 200 free and 100 fly, stepped up big when it mattered, producing the third-fastest swim of her career—just shy of her best time of 53.42 set at the 2019 U.S. Open.

Smoliga (53.63), Hinds (53.84) and Deloof (53.87) all had slight adds from the semis, all qualifying for the team for the first time (though Deloof’s spot is not yet confirmed).

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