U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials are taking place June 13-20 in Omaha, Nebraska. Sunday's finals session can be seen live on NBC at 8.15 p.m. ET, as well as streamed on NBCOlympics.com [HERE] and the NBC Sports App.
Just three races close out the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials on Night 8. Two of them are short. The third is rather long.
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A brief Sunday night session in Omaha will determine the final six members of the American swimming delegation in Tokyo in the men’s 50m freestyle, the women’s 50m freestyle and the men’s 1500m freestyle.
Currently, that delegation does not include a pair of all-time greats. Neither eight-time Olympic medalist Nathan Adrian nor four-time medalist Simone Manuel advanced to the finals of their respective 100m freestyle events earlier in the week, taking them out of contention not only for individual 100m Olympic spots but also for places on American relay teams.
Both, though, can get themselves to Tokyo in the 50 free.
Adrian, the older of the pair at 32, has aspirations of a fourth Olympics appearance following two surgeries to treat a 2019 testicular cancer diagnosis. He qualified third out of the semifinals in a time of 21.78 but faces elite competition for a spot in the top two.
SEE MORE: Podcast: Nathan Adrian details testicular cancer battle
Caeleb Dressel needs the “splash and dash” to keep the possibility of a seven-gold medal haul in Tokyo alive. Michael Andrew is interested in adding a third event to his Olympic calendar. Both rising stars won their semifinal heads Saturday with Dressel at 21.51 touching four hundredths quicker than Andrew.
SEE MORE: Swimming Trials: Dressel, Adrian advance to 50m free final
And in the women’s 50 free, Manuel starts beside semifinal pacesetter and 100m freestyle qualifier Abbey Weitzel with her Tokyo fate on the line. Manuel revealed earlier in the week that she had been battling a condition known as overtraining syndrome in the lead-up to Trials, causing her to take three weeks away from the pool in April to protect her mental health.
“I desperately want to be on the team. I feel like I have so much to give this sport, not just in the pool but out of the pool,” Manuel said Saturday. “I just want to see whatever I‘ve got. I want to walk away with my head held high at the end of this meet. Hopefully, it gets me a ticket to Tokyo, but if it doesn’t, I’m proud of myself.”
SEE MORE: Stronger than ever, Simone Manuel is being asked to carry unfair burden
Finally, the men’s 1500 free features three athletes all attempting to qualify in their second Olympic events, though their firsts are rather different. Bobby Finke and Michael Brinegar will attempt to book a conventional distance double having already qualified in the 800m free. Jordan Wilimovsky, meanwhile, has been an Olympian-in-waiting for nearly two years, qualifying for Tokyo in the men’s 10k open water swim at the 2019 World Championships.
Follow along below for up-to-the-minute highlights and results as the action unfolds.
Men's 50m Freestyle - Final
Caeleb Dressel equaled the American record of 21.04, winning the 50m freestyle to close out his successful week at U.S. Trials. Dressel will now race three individual events in Tokyo (including the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly) and could participate in as many as four relays.
Michael Andrew finished second, also booking a third individual Olympic event.
Nathan Adrian finished third in 21.73, missing out on a fourth Olympics appearance by a quarter of a second.
RESULTS
1. Caeleb Dressel - 21.04
2. Michael Andrew - 21.48
3. Nathan Adrian - 21.73
4. Bowe Becker - 21.78
5. Adan Chaney - 22.08
6. David Curtiss - 22.12
7. Justin Ress - 22.14
8. Michael Chadwick - 22.23
SEE MORE: Swimming Trials: Caeleb Dressel closes week with 50 free win
Women's 50m Freestyle - Final
Simone Manuel is headed to Tokyo. The four-time Rio 2016 medalist capitalized on her final opportunity to make Team USA, winning the women’s 50m freestyle in 24.29.
After Manuel failed to make the 100 free final earlier in the week, she revealed the she had received a diagnosis of overtraining disorder in April and took time away from the pool to focus on her mental health. Tokyo seemed very much in doubt in that moment. Her victory on the final night of Trials brought visible relief and emotion.
“This year has been difficult, especially the last couple months, but before I dove in I felt like it was my moment,” Manuel said after the final.
Abbey Weitzel finished one one-hundredth behind Manuel to claim the second Olympic spot and add the 50 free to her Tokyo schedule that already included the 100 free.
RESULTS
1. Simone Manuel - 24.29
2. Abbey Weitzeil - 24.30
3. Torri Huske - 24.46
4. Linnea Mack - 24.49
5. Gretchen Walsh - 24.74
6. Kate Douglass - 24.78
7. Catie Deloof - 24.80
8. Erika Brown - 24.93
SEE MORE: Trials: Simone Manuel captures Olympic spot in 50m freestyle
Men's 1500m Freestyle - Final
Bobby Finke did his best Katie Ledecky impression, winning the men's 1500 by nearly 15 seconds. Finke, who also won the 800 free, went 14:46.06. His win sealed the University of Florida men's team sweep of the freestyle events at Trials (Caeleb Dressel won the 50 and 100 and Kieran Smith won the 200 and 400).
Indiana's Michael Brinegar -- who was second in the 800 with a comeback finish -- also took second tonight in 15:00.87. Veteran Jordan Wilimovsky, who's already qualified for Tokyo in the men's open water 10K, took third in 15:05.29.
RESULTS
1. Bobby Finke - 14:46.06
2. Michael Brinegar - 15:00.87
3. Jordan Wilimovsky - 15:05.29
4. Arik Katz - 15:11.34
5. Charlie Clark - 15:14.11
6. Will Gallant - 15:17.34
7. David Johnston - 15:18.61
8. Brennan Gravley - 15:25.26
SEE MORE: Trials: Finke, Brinegar clinch distance doubles in 1500 free