Olympic gold medallists Katie Ledecky, Kate Douglass and Regan Smith booked tickets to lane four for Day 4 finals at U.S. Nationals and World-titles selection trials this morning in Indianapolis. 

Ledecky led the way in the 400m free on 4:03.16, while Douglass clocked 1:06.37 in the 100m breaststroke just ahead of a 1:06.57 from 2016 Olympic champion Lilly King, racing at her last World-Championship trials before she retires. The last heats of the day unfolded in the 100m backstroke, Smith on 58.06, with Katharine Berkoff, who set an American record of 26.97sec in the dash yesterday to become the first woman from her nation inside 27, on 58.75.

A reminder of a tech shift in the sport worth having, Douglass a scientist and swimmer on a growing project... from our 2024 archive before Douglass grabbed Olympic gold in the 200m breaststroke at Paris 2024:

Douglass & Her Doppelgänger Dance With Data To Party In The Paris Olympic Pool

Thanks to Newton’s calculus, “Mathematics, physics and technology have revolutionised swimming. The idea is that biomechanical and hydrodynamic minutiae are variables in a complex physical and mathematical problem. By optimizing these “variables,” swimmers can reach near perfection.”

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

On the men's side in Indy this morning, Luka Mijatovic put in a swift 3:45.89 to top 400m free qualifiers ahead of a 3:47 and five 3:48s with three Longhorns in that group and through to the fight.  Josh Matheny was the only sub-minute man in the 100m breaststroke, on 59.80, while Daniel Diehl, 53.33, and teammate Hudson Williams, 53.62 went through to the 100m backstroke final either side of the man with the top sub-53 entry, Jack Aikins, 53.35. 

Day 4 qualifiers - A and B Finals

• RESULTS IN FULL AT OMEGA

At a glance:

400m Freestyle

100m Breaststroke

100m Backstroke 

FINALS - Day 1, 2 & 3:

Walsh’s Eye On ’Fly WR Double: Sjöström’s 100 Down, Borås 50 Feels First Breeze Of Challenge In 11 Years

Day 2 at U.S Nationals saw Gretchen Walsh, Kate Douglass, Claire Curzan, Jack Aikins, Josh Matheny and Dare Rose take golden tickets to World titles in solo events, the frontline of 4x200 free relays also in place for the Singapore showcase, Luke Hobson ands Claire Weinstein leading the pace

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Hobson Joins Sub 1:44 Club & Walsh Jets Home In 24.6 As Californian Games Dreaming Gets Real

Superb efforts from Luke Hobson and Gretchen Walsh point to golden prospects at World Championships in Singapore, while the turbulence in the podium pecking order in all day 2 finals at U.S. Nationals gave us a glimpse of home-Games aspiration washing through the American ranks

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Ledecky Inside 800 WR Pace To 600 On Way To Adding 8:05.79 To Her Epic 19 Best Swims Ever

American legend to chase record seventh World 800m freestyle title in Singapore after latest shot at World record: ahead of her top pace to 600m, most of the drop off was accounted for by a last 100m split 1.55sec slower than her pioneering pace last month

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Huske Leads Sub-53 Podium With 52.4 U.S. 100 Free Record

Torri Huske, Gretchen Walsh and Simone Manuel deliver a battle of 52s in the 100 free; big breakthrough for Caroline Bricker ahead of Regan Smith in 200 fly; tickets to Singapore Worlds for Bobby Finke, David Johnston, Luca Urlando, Carson Foster, Jack Alexy & Patrick Sammon at U.S. Nationals

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Bobby Vs Bowman’s Boys: Finke Pips Foster in 400IM, Both On 4:07s

1500 Olympic champion Bobby Finke wrote the result on the wall at the last turn of the long medley t U.S. Nationals when his feet registered a split just 0.31sec shy of Olympic medallist Carson Foster’s lead. 27.44sec later, Finke grabbed gold in a PB by 2sec, Foster 0.46 adrift

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Walsh Whistles To 54.76 Win That Makes Her 7 Swiftest 100 ’Fly Swims The Fastest 7 Ever

Gretchen Walsh’s second sub-55sec 100m butterfly takes her half-way to Sarah Sjöström’s record of holding the fastest 12 100 ’fly swims ever in 2019, her fourth season of rankings dominance

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Also in the June Vortex

• Queen Lilly King Gets Last Campaign Underway In Indy
• Gretchen Walsh Flies To Meet Mark 24.98 In Day 2 Heats Dash As Luke Hobson Goes 1:44 200 Free
• Jack Alexy 46.99 100 Free in Day 1 heats at U.S. Championships
• Regan Smith, Luca Urlando, Gretchen Walsh Start The U.S. Bidding For Worlds Tickets

In other News:

Enhanced Games Responds To World Aquatics Ban - Our Analysis

Commentary: Much talk of ‘real’ competition, ‘real’ money, and ‘real’ momentum from a project that might be said to have embraced the unreal

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

The Vortex in Full: