How many Gold medals USA win in pool, at Paris Olympics ?
After the 2023 calamity that saw Team USA miss the top of the medals table at the World Championships for the first time since 2001. This is a setback for the US team which is preparing for the upcoming Paris Olympics, in 2024.
The USA won 8 gold medals among 20 total at World Championship, in 2024. Even with an abbreviated team, placing them ahead of China (7/11) and Australia (3/16) for both the most gold medals and the most total medals.
But for the swimmers who had something to prove, it meant a lot. And for Team USA, there are a lot of swimmers with a lot of things to prove in 2024.
Kate Douglass proved that she is a bona fide international, long course star by setting the American Record in the 50 free (23.91), winning the 200 IM in a personal best (2:07.05), and taking silver in the 200 breast (2:20.91).
But there are a lot of issues to think about. She has to select events from 50 free 100 free, 200 IM, and 200 Breast. She has to swim below 2;19 in 200 breast. It may be also un sufficient for gold. in the case of 200 IM Summer Mclntosh, Kaylee Mckeown, and Alex Walsh. all of them are capable of sub 2;07.0
Two straight World titles in the 200 IM seem to belie that sentiment, though the first half is increasingly true. She became just the second American woman in history to win individual medals in three different disciplines at the World Championships (after the indomitable Tracy Caulkins in 1978).
She also continued to bring a stabilizing force to the American relays. While the women didn’t race most of their relays, she was very fast in the mixed events and should give the US some confidence heading into the Paris Olympics. They’re still not Australia, but they’ve got at least one reliable part to build around who has been good now for two straight meets.
Her partner in those events was Claire Curzan, who had a massive bounce-back after an ER visit kept her out of the 2023 World Championships. She swept the 50-100-200 backstrokes, won silver in the 100 fly, and also picked up a pair of relay medals. But She has also a lot of problems. To qualify Olympics she has to face Tori Huske and Gletch Walsh in the 100 fly. But sub-56 is only likely to win a medal at the Olympics.
Curzan is improving in the back. But She still has to face Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff. Curzan has to swim sub-58 to qualify. then she has to face WR holder Kaylee Mckeown and Smith.
In the case of 200 back, she is improving a lot. her best time is still far behind Mckeown and Smith. But her supporters can hope to drop about 1 sec in 100 and 2 and half sec in 200 in five months.
With lots of chatter about whether the 19-year-old’s career had peaked, she declared affirmatively, as the Swimmer of the Meet and the top money earner, that it had not. Her schedule may have been too big, so she’ll have to choose wisely in June at the Olympic Trials, but her times were good. Her 58.29 in the 100 back would have missed the podium at last year’s Worlds by .04 seconds. Her 2:05.77 in the 200 back would have won bronze.
Not only the progress of Curzan and Douglass after shofting to coach Bob Bowman Smith and Huske are improving, while Curzan and Douglass have huge improvements at UVA.
this improvement may be important for all relays, and 200 IM too.
They anchored the mixed medley in splits of 56.54 (fly – Curzan) and 52.34 (free – Douglass), and that mixed medley, even with no Ryan Murphy, was about as fast as the one they swam at Worlds last year.
For an American men’s team that needs any good news, his continued progression was some good news.
30-year-old Nic Fink, meanwhile, continues to hold on to his late-breaking peak form. Right now, he looks like the single most important lynchpin for Team USA, as Michael Andrew’s continued struggles don’t leave a lot of depth in the breaststroke events for the Americans.
Carson Foster, who faces the juggernaut that is Leon Marchand in Paris, had a mixed bag of results. There are two ways we can choose to remember his meet: getting run-down by Finlay Knox of Canada in the 200 IM, a race Foster should have won, and finishing 4th in the 400 IM, or his relay splits of 47.83 and 1:43.94 in the 100 and 200 freestyle respectively.
Foster’s spill may be crucial for Team USA for the 800 free relay. Smith, Foster, and Hubson are all 1:45 swimmers. Maximus Williamson is progressing. It means all 1: 45 and one 1:44 swimmer USA can be found.
We know Foster is faster than a 4:12 in the 400 IM – and the fact that he can split 1:43.94 in the 200 free while so far off his best in the IM races is a mind-melt.
But there was a lot more positive than negative out of the Americans in the results. It feels like it’s been a while since we could say that about Team USA coming out of a major international competition, and that sort of trend can weigh on the collective psyche of a ‘team’ – especially one that just watched the country’s most reliable performer Katie Ledecky lose in the 800 free for the first time in 13 years.
If Smith and Ledecky found their peak form USA can win 800 free, 1500 free, 100 back, 200 back, and 200 fly. Douglas is capable of 50 free, 200 IM, and 200 Breast, Jack Alexy’s improvement and inconsistency of other nation swimmers seem he is capable of 50 and 100 free titles and Bobby Finke is already able for 800 and 1500 free titles.
male 200 free and 400 free are still the weakest events. for USA where Both male IM event and 400 are locked for Leon Marchand. In the case of females 400 IM Sumemr is so strong than others.
In the case of 100 to 400 free females USA is underdog. In the female 800 relay, Australia looks unbeatable.
The USA is going to fight for the gold medal rest of the event. If they won 50 to 60 percent it is 13 or 14 Gold medal is likely for the USA.