U.S. Swim Team Will Take 11 Teenagers to Tokyo Games

In 1996, it was the three-time Olympian Matt Biondi, who won 11 Olympic medals, including seven in 1988, who had left the sport. This year, for the first time since 1996, the 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps was not competing.

Thirty swimmers from the 2016 Olympic team returned in 2021 to vie for spots; 15 failed to repeat, including Nathan Adrian, 32, a five-time Olympic gold medalist who finished third, .25 of a second behind Michael Andrew in Sunday’s 50-meter freestyle final, won by Caeleb Dressel.

Dressel was one of three swimmers to qualify in at least three individual events (for him, the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly). The others were Katie Ledecky (200, 400, 800, 1500 freestyle) and Michael Andrew (50 free, 100 breast, 200 individual medley).

And for a second consecutive Olympics, the U.S. team will include Simone Manuel, who secured her berth in the final women’s event, the 50-meter freestyle. Manuel, 24, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the 50, out-touched Abbey Weitzeil, who had won Manuel’s signature event, the 100 free, on Friday after Manuel, who tied for the gold at the 2016 Olympics, failed to advance out of the semifinals.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/sports/olympics/swimming-manuel-dressel-ledecky.html