Swimming is one of the most prominent summer Olympic sports and perhaps the foremost one the US excels at. It has been an Olympic sport since the first modern Olympics and has included women’s events since 1912. The program has expanded all the way to 34 events from the original four (though only the 100m freestyle remains). The main events will be held at the temporary Olympic Aquatics Stadium while the outdoor events are held at the Fort Copacabana. In swimming as long as you have two swimmers who meet the minimum time you get two spots. So the US easily qualified two spots in each event except the women’s 10km open water swim. The relays all qualified at the 2015 world championships.
The Team:
This year’s team is made up of 47 athletes, 21 women and 26 men. 16 of the swimmers have Olympic experience with six going back for the third time, Ryan Lochte going for the fourth, and Michael Phelps appearing for the fifth time. Anthony Ervin is the oldest athlete in the team at 35 while Katie Ledecky is still the youngest member of the team at 19.
Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.
USA Swimming
Men:
Nathan Adrian** – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle relay, 4x100m Medley relay
Anthony Ervin^ – 50m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle relay
Caeleb Dressel – 100m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle relay, 4x100m Medley relay
Connor Dwyer* – 200m Freestyle, 400m Freestlye, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Townley Haas – 200m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Connor Jaeger* – 400m Freestlye, 1500m Freestyle
Jordan Wilimovsky – 1500m Freestyle, 10km open water
Ryan Murphy – 100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke, 4x100m Medley relay
David Plummer – 100m Backstroke, 4x100m Medley relay
Jacob Pebley – 200m Backstroke
Kevin Cordes – 100m Breaststroke, 200m Breaststroke, 4x100m Medley relay
Cody Miller – 100m Breaststroke, 4x100m Medley relay
Josh Prenot – 200m Breaststroke
Michael Phelps**** – 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 200m Individual medley, 4x100m Medley relay
Tom Shields – 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 4x100m Medley relay
Ryan Lochte*** – 200m Individual medley, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Chase Kalisz – 400m Individual medley
Jay Litherland – 400m Individual medley
Jimmy Feigen* – 4x100m Freestyle relay
Ryan Held – 4x100m Freestyle relay
Blake Pieroni – 4x100m Freestyle relay
Gunnar Bentz – 4x200m Freestyle relay
Jack Conger – 4x200m Freestyle relay
Clark Smith – 4x200m Freestyle relay
Sean Ryan – 10km open water
Women:
Simone Manuel – 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m Medley relay
Abbey Weitzeil – 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m Medley relay
Missy Franklin* – 200m Freestyle, 200m Backstroke, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Katie Ledecky* – 200m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Leah Smith – 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Kathleen Baker – 100m Backstroke, 4x100m Medley relay
Olivia Smoliga – 100m Backstroke, 4x100m Medley relay
Maya DiRado – 200m Backstroke, 200m Individual medley, 400m Individual medley
Lilly King – 100m Breaststroke, 200m Breaststroke, 4x100m Medley relay
Katie Meili – 100m Breaststroke, 4x100m Medley relay
Molly Hannis – 200m Breaststroke
Dana Vollmer` – 100m Butterfly, 4x100m Freestyle relay, 4x100m Medley relay
Kelsi Worrell – 100m Butterfly, 4x100m Medley relay
Cammile Adams* – 200m Butterfly
Hali Flickinger – 200m Butterfly
Melanie Margalis – 200m Individual medley, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Elizabeth Beisel** – 400m Individual medley
Lia Neal* – 4x100m Freestyle relay
Allison Schmitt** – 4x100m Freestyle relay, 4x200m Freestyle relay
Amanda Weir` – 4x100m Freestyle relay
Cierra Runge – 4x200m Freestyle relay
Haley Anderson* – 10km Open water
* – Was on team in 2012 – London
** – Was on team in 2012 and 2008 (Beijing)
*** – Was on team in 2012, 2008, and 2004 (Athens)
**** – Was on team in 2012, 2008, 2004, and 2000 (Sydney)
` – Was on team in 2012 and 2004
^ – Was on team in 2012 and 2000
Format:
Most swimming events will consist of a round of heats, then a round of two semifinals, and then the final. Some of the events don’t have a semifinal round. Your time is compared to the other swimmers at that round, not just those in your heat. So the top 16 times of everyone in the heats advances and the top 8 times of everyone in the semifinals advances. The 10km open water races consist of only a final.
Schedule:
All Times ET
Saturday, August 6th
12:02 PM – Men’s 400m Individual Medley – Heats
12:28 PM – Women’s 100m Butterfly – Heats
12:48 PM – Men’s 400m Freestyle – Heats
1:32 PM – Women’s 400m Individual Medley – Heats
2:04 PM – Men’s 100m Breaststroke – Heats
2:24 PM – Women’s 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – Heats
9:03 PM – Men’s 400m Individual Medley – Final
9:14 PM – Women’s 100m Butterfly – Semifinals
9:30 PM – Men’s 400m Freestyle – Final
9:49 PM – Women’s 400m Individual Medley – Final
10:08 PM – Men’s 100m Breaststroke – Semifinals
10:24 PM – Women’s 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – Final
Sunday, August 7th
12:02 PM – Women’s 100m Backstroke – Heats
12:19 PM – Men’s 200m Freestyle – Heats
12:56 PM – Women’s 100m Breaststroke – Heats
1:16 PM – Men’s 100m Backstroke – Heats
1:33 PM – Women’s 400m Freestyle – Heats
2:05 PM – Men’s 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – Heats
9:03 PM – Women’s 100m Butterfly – Final
9:11 PM – Men’s 200m Freestyle – Semifinals
9:29 PM – Women’s 100m Breaststroke – Semifinals
9:53 PM – Men’s 100m Breaststroke – Final
10:01 PM – Women’s 400m Freestyle – Final
10:12 PM – Men’s 100m Backstroke – Semifinals
10:36 PM – Women’s 100m Backstroke – Semifinals
10:52 PM – Men’s 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – Final
Monday, August 8th
12:02 PM – Women’s 200m Freestyle – Heats
12:34 PM – Men’s 200m Butterfly – Heats
12:56 PM – Women’s 200m Individual Medley – Heats
9:03 PM – Women’s 200m Freestyle – Semifinals
9:21 PM – Men’s 200m Freestyle – Final
9:30 PM – Women’s 100m Backstroke – Final
9:38 PM – Men’s 100m Backstroke – Final
9:54 PM – Women’s 100m Breaststroke – Final
10:10 PM – Men’s 200m Butterfly – Semifinals
10:36 PM – Women’s 200m Ind. Medley – Semifinals
Tuesday, August 9th
12:02 PM – Men’s 100m Freestyle – Heats
12:28 PM – Women’s 200m Butterfly – Heats
12:50 PM – Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Heats
1:17 PM – Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Heats
9:03 PM – Men’s 100m Freestyle – Semifinals
9:19 PM – Women’s 200m Freestyle – Final
9:28 PM – Men’s 200m Butterfly – Final
9:37 PM – Women’s 200m Butterfly – Semifinals
10:03 PM – Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Semifinals
10:29 PM – Women’s 200m Individual Medley – Final
10:38 PM – Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Final
Wednesday, August 10th
12:02 PM – Women’s 100m Freestyle – Heats
12:25 PM – Men’s 200m Backstroke – Heats
12:47 PM – Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Heats
1:09 PM – Men’s 200m Individual Medley – Heats
1:31 PM – Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Heats
9:03 PM – Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Final
9:12 PM – Women’s 100m Freestyle – Semifinals
9:28 PM – Men’s 200m Backstroke – Semifinals
9:54 PM – Women’s 200m Butterfly – Final
10:03 PM – Men’s 100m Freestyle – Final
10:11 PM – Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Semifinals
10:29 PM – Men’s 200m Individual Medley – Semifinals
10:55 PM – Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Final
Thursday, August 11th
12:02 PM – Men’s 50m Freestyle – Heats
12:26 PM – Women’s 800m Freestyle – Heats
1:16 PM – Men’s 100m Butterfly – Heats
1:36 PM – Women’s 200m Backstroke – Heats
9:03 PM – Men’s 50m Freestyle – Semifinals
9:17 PM – Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Final
9:26 PM – Men’s 200m Backstroke – Final
9:35 PM – Women’s 200m Backstroke – Semifinals
10:01 PM – Men’s 200m Individual Medley – Final
10:18 PM – Women’s 100m Freestyle – Final
10:34 PM – Men’s 100m Butterfly – Semifinals
Friday, August 12th
12:02 PM – Women’s 50m Freestyle – Heats
12:40 PM – Men’s 1500m Freestyle – Heats
2:30 PM – Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Heats
2:48 PM – Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Heats
9:03 PM – Women’s 200m Backstroke – Final
9:12 PM – Men’s 100m Butterfly – Final
9:20 PM – Women’s 800m Freestyle – Final
9:44 PM – Men’s 50m Freestyle – Finals
9:59 PM – Women’s 50m Freestyle – Semifinals
Saturday, August 13th
9:03 PM – Women’s 50m Freestyle – Final
9:11 PM – Men’s 1500m Freestyle – Final
9:49 PM – Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Final
10:04 PM – Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Final
Monday, August 15th
8 AM – Women’s Open Water
Tuesday, August 16th
8 AM – Men’s Open Water
Past Results:
Decorated is clearly the way to describe the returning Olympians as they have amassed 40 golds, 13 silvers, and 11 bronze medals. Phelps won four golds and two silvers in London while Lochte won two golds, two silvers, and a bronze. Elizabeth Beisel won a silver and a bronze while Allison Schmitt took home three golds, a silver and a bronze. Nathan Adrian had two golds and a silver while Dana Vollmer took three golds and Missy Franklin took home four.
The US has won an incredible 520 medals in swimming, basically 1 in every 3. This includes 230 golds, 44% of the total awarded. That number went up in 2012 when the US won 16 of the 34 golds and 31 total medals.
