Olympic Trials Restore Confidence in Team USA’s Odds for Paris

The U.S. finished behind Australia in the gold medal count at last year’s world championships, but positive results in Indianapolis (and some smack talk) have many Americans raring to go.

Lilly King, left, celebrates with Emma Weber after winning the 100-meter breaststroke final during the U.S. Olympic Trials. Weber also qualified for the Games in the event. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY

USA Swimming brought its Olympic Trials to Indianapolis feeling hopeful but uncertain on multiple levels. Was the meet going to work in a football stadium? And were American swimmers going to respond to mounting competitive challenges coming from around the world?

Exiting the nine-day meet, the uncertainties have been resolved. Emphatically. 

Swimming in a football stadium works, spectacularly. Almost everyone loved it. There will be no downsizing from this going forward.

And, most significantly, America is still a blazing-fast swimming nation. Australia and a handful of transcendent individual talents likely will win their share of medals in Paris, but the U.S. has much of its swagger back and could win the medal count—gold and overall—after a humbling performance at the 2023 World Championships. 

If things break right.

America won just six gold medals at ’23 worlds, compared to 13 by Australia. U.S. coach Bob Bowman pointed out that the Americans did win the overall count, 38-25, which prompted the trash talk heard ‘round the world from Aussie veteran star Cate Campbell.

An Australian TV talking head prompted Campbell by calling the Americans “sore, pathetic losers,” and she dove right in. 

“Such sore losers,” Campbell said. “I mean, Australia coming out on top of the world is one thing, but it is just so much sweeter beating America.

“The first night of competition, we did not have to hear The Star-Spangled Banner ring out through the stadium. I cannot tell you how happy that made me. Bring on Paris. That’s all I have to say to the U.S. Stop being sore losers.

“When we’re right next to each other in the warm-up area, the U.S. has this infernal cowbell that they ring, and as someone leaves to go to the competition pool, they ring out ‘U-S-A, U-S-A’ and I have never wanted to punch someone more and steal that cowbell.”

Campbell, right, won four gold medals for Australia during her Olympic swimming career. / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Campbell, who told the Sydney Morning Herald in April that her comments were intended in jest, did not swim in the World Championships last year and did not make the Australian team for the Olympics. But she will be top of mind for many Americans. When it comes to swimming, this will be the Cowbell Games. 

“We're all bringing the cowbell,” said American sprinter Abbey Weitzeil. “Whenever comments are made about your country or your jobs, it’s all competitive, and I think we all are competitive, our competitive side comes out. So we’re all bringing the cowbell, extra loud.”

Sprinter Hunter Armstrong took the layup this situation offered by commenting, “We need more cowbell.”

And the greatest swimmer of them all, Michael Phelps, weighed in on NBC after watching the clip of Campbell: “If somebody said that to me, I would lose it. I would make them eat every word they just said about me.”

There are reasons to believe that the 46-member contingent selected here—26 men and 20 women—can get the U.S. back to winning double-digit gold medals in Paris and perhaps even as many as 15. 

Kate Douglass, left, and Simone Manuel wave to the crowd after receiving medals for the 100-meter freestyle final at Trials. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY

Start with this: It is an older, wiser and faster American team.

There is one swimmer in her fourth Olympics (Katie Ledecky), seven in their third and another 15 who have now made their second Summer Games. Seven of those veterans have won individual gold medals in the past. They’ve been through the battles—some of them within their own minds—and come back strong.

Among those is Caeleb Dressel, who was not on the U.S. team last year while working his way back from a 2022 mental-health episode that nearly drove him out of the sport. Dressel, who has won seven gold medals in two previous Olympics, will swim two individual events and all the relays he can handle. He was vital in 2021 and will be again this time.

Dressel leads a group of cutthroat racers who will vigorously contest everything they swim. Lilly King, Ryan Murphy, Bobby Finke and Simone Manuel have a long history of getting their hands on the wall first.

But it’s a different group, one with no individual gold medals yet to their names, that might turn the tide for the U.S. Tokyo Olympians Regan Smith and Kate Douglass each won three events here at Trials and will be prominently in the mix in Paris on the women’s side. On the men’s side, Chris Guiliano—the first Notre Dame swimming Olympian—qualified in three individual events and will be a bellcow on relays.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are the usual fresh faces. Eight teenagers dot the roster, including the brother-sister combo of Aaron and Alex Shackell. Half of them are male when it’s usually the women who are ready earlier. Youth is always served in American swimming.

USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey said before the Trials that the team’s goal in Paris is to win the meet (the most medals) and the gold-medal count. The nightly hype video here featured a lot of clips of American swimmers winning silver medals. Perhaps it was just an accurate recounting of how 2023 went for the U.S., but it might also have been moot national fuel.

Regardless, the United States will bring a better team to Paris this year. How much better remains to be seen, but the cowbells will be heard.