Jun. 19—INDIANAPOLIS — After taking two days off, Cumberland native Daniel Diehl prepares for his final three events at the United States Olympic trials, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Diehl did not qualify for the final of the 200M freestyle after losing a swim-off to Aaron Shackell on Sunday.
Diehl elected to drop the 100M freestyle on Monday, giving him two days off.
Diehl will resume competition with two events on Wednesday, the 200M backstroke and 200M individual medley.
The preliminary rounds for both events start at 11 a.m., with the top 16 advancing to the semifinals at 8 p.m.
The top eight then compete in the finals on Thursday, starting at 8 p.m.
The 100M butterfly begins with preliminary rounds on Friday at 11 a.m.
It’s the same format as the other events, with 16 semifinalists swimming at 8 p.m. and the top eight in the final on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Qualifying heats can be streamed on Peacock.
The semifinals and finals will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
For individual events, only two athletes from each country are eligible to compete in the Olympics.
Each country can send one relay team per relay event.
For the 200M backstroke, the qualifying time is 2:01:69.
Diehl’s best time is 1:46:04, which he set at last year’s U.S. International Team Trials, also in Indianapolis.
It was at a LCM (long course meter) pool, meaning the pool is 50 meters long.
Among the other competitors, Ryan Murphy is the most notable.
He’s represented the United States in the 200M backstroke in the last two Olympics.
Murphy won the gold medal in 2016, finishing in 1:53:62.
He took silver at the 2020 Olympics, timing 1:54.15.
Jack Aikins is the reigning world champion, winning at the 2024 World Championships in 1:56:21.
In the 200M individual medley, the qualifying time is 2:03:49.
Diehl’s record in LCM is 1:58:62, set at the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships in Israel.
This event was dominated by Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, who represented America in four straight Olympics.
The 2021 games marked the first time Phelps and Lochte did not compete in the event for the first time since 2001.
Michael Andrew represented the USA, finishing fifth in Tokyo with a 1:57:31.
Shun Wang of China took gold with a 1:55 flat.
Carson Foster and Chase Kalicz are considered the favorites.
In the last two years, Foster has clocked under 1:57 nine times, finishing second at the World Championship twice in the last three years.
Kalicz finished fourth at the World Championships in 1:57:43, but has finished in the top four of US rankings every year since 2016.
At this year’s NCAA championships, Cal’s Destin Lasco set both an American and pool record with a 1:37:91.
Diehl finished in 16th place, but setting a career best, timing 1:41:84.
It was in a SCY (short course yards) pool, which is 25 yards long.
The qualifying time for the 100M butterfly is 53.59.
This could be Diehl’s toughest challenge, with the reigning Olympic gold medalist and world record holder as the clear favorite.
Caeleb Dressel set the world record at the 2021 Olympics, finishing in 49.45.
At the Atlanta Classic in May, he swam a 51.38, including a 26.15 split on the second 50M.
It’s one of the fastest back-half splits of all-time.
Thomas Heilman is another favorite, likely for second place.
He posted a 52.29 in May, compared to 52.71 last year.
He’s the top seed in the 200M butterfly and is expected to qualify for the Olympics in both events.
Diehl’s best time is 52.57, set at last year’s YMCA championships.
The swimming events at the 2024 Olympics begin on Saturday, July 27 at Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, France.
Jordan Kendall is a Sports Writer for the Cumberland Times-News. Email him with scores and story suggestions at jkendall@times-news.com.
