INDIANAPOLIS – Four of America’s biggest swimming stars doubled up at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials on Thursday night.
Ryan Murphy, Regan Smith, Kate Douglass and Lilly King won a second individual event in Paris with their performances in the temporary pool at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Murphy finished first in the men’s 200 meter backstroke, adding his triumph in the 100 laps. Smith won the women’s 200 meter butterfly after previously setting a world record in the 100 backstroke. And Douglass followed up his victory the night before in the 100-meter freestyle with a victory in the 200-meter breaststroke.
King recovered to finish behind Douglass, edging out Alex Walsh for the USA’s second spot at the Olympics. King had previously won the 100 breaststroke.
Murphy used his impressive underwater technique to fend off Keaton Jones and Jack Akins, finishing in 1 minute and 54.33 seconds. He punched the water in triumph when he saw his name on the scoreboard for the second time in the match.
Jones took a projected second place at the Olympics in 1:54.61, while it was another heartbreaking finish for Akins. He was third with 1:54.78, the same position he had in the 100m backstroke, when he lost his place in Paris by two hundredths of a second.
Smith fell behind 17-year-old Alex Shackell at the final turn, but recovered to win in 2:05.70. Shackell, from the suburb of Carmel, thrilled the local crowd by taking the expected second place for the Olympics in 2:06.69.
Shackell is heading to the Olympics with his 19-year-old brother Aaron, who made the team by winning the 400-meter freestyle on the opening night of the trials. Their father, Nick Shackell, represented Great Britain at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
Douglass dominated the 200 meter breaststroke, running at world record pace in the first half of the race and finishing in 2:19.46.
King was third at the final turn, but picked up the pace on the final lap to finish second in 2:21.93.
Another big prize awaited King after she got out of the pool. Her boyfriend pulled out a ring, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. King accepted with a big hug.
Walsh, silver medalist in the 200m individual medley at the Tokyo Olympics, was unable to join his sister Gretchen on this Olympic team.
Alex Walsh still has a chance to make the 200 IM squad, which begins Friday.
Caeleb Dressel bounced back with the second fastest time in the 50 meter freestyle semi-finals a night later a third place in the 100 freestyle it cost him the chance to defend his Olympic title in that event.
Dressel will need to finish in the top two of the 50 free finals on Friday night to claim his first individual race at the Paris Games. The tattooed Floridian was one of Tokyo’s biggest stars, winning five gold medals, but has not been as dominant since returning from a long layoff.
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