Lilly King and Ryan Murphy secured their spots for their third straight Olympic Games at the US Olympic swimming trials on Monday. Katie Ledecky, meanwhile, broadened her potential event lineup for her fourth Olympics in Paris.
World record-holder Lilly King excelled in the 100m breaststroke, finishing with a leading time of 1:05.43. King, who won Olympic gold in 2016, aims to reclaim her title in Paris. Emma Weber took second place in 1:06.10, earning the second Olympic berth, while Tokyo gold medalist Lydia Jacoby finished third, missing her chance to defend her title.
Ryan Murphy, double backstroke gold medalist in Rio 2016, won the men's 100m backstroke in 52.22 seconds. Rising talent Hunter Armstrong secured his first Olympic appearance with a second-place finish in 52.72 seconds.
Murphy, 28, shared his evolving perspective on competition, noting, "I used to feel like I was going to throw up before every race, where now I can take it in a little bit more," after his victory in front of a large crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.
Katie Grimes earned her second spot at the Paris Olympics by winning the women's 400m individual medley in 4:35.00, narrowly beating Emma Weyant, who finished in 4:35.56. Both will join the competition against world record-holder Summer McIntosh in Paris.
Katie Ledecky, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, won the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:55.22. She may choose to skip the individual 200m in Paris, focusing instead on the 400m, 800m, and 1,500m events. Claire Weinstein and Paige Madden finished second and third, respectively.
Luke Hobson claimed his first Olympic spot by winning the men's 200m freestyle in 1:44.89, with Chris Guiliano following in 1:45.38, securing the second spot with a personal best.
In the semifinals, Regan Smith set an American record in the 100m backstroke with a time of 57.47, matching the fourth-fastest time ever by Australia's Kaylee McKeown. Katharine Berkoff also impressed, joining Smith in the sub-58 club with a finish of 57.83, setting the stage for an exciting final.
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