Trials Throwback: Women’s 800 Free in 2012

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

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Just two days to go until Olympic Trials get underway in Omaha, Neb. But before the meet, we wanted to look back at some of the great moments from past editions of the meet held inside the CenturyLink Center. Welcome to #TrialsThrowback!

It’s funny to think about now, but the women’s 800 free at the 2012 Trials was pretty much wide open.

Kate Ziegler was the top qualifier and arguably the favorite after she had won bronze at the World Championships the year before. Ziegler’s peak days where she won back-to-back World titles in both the 800 and 1500 were well in the past, but she came in with a nice shot at getting on her second Olympic team.

Then there was Chloe Sutton, looking to add a second event to her Olympic program after finishing second behind Allison Schmitt in the 400 free. Sutton had competed in the 10k open water event four years earlier in Beijing but in the years since had given up open water and become a consistent presence in the pool events.

Haley Anderson had already qualified to swim the 10k in London, and she, too, was in the 800 final, swimming in lane seven with an outside shot at making the team in the pool.

And then there was this 15-year-old named Katie Ledecky who had made a name for herself when she took Schmitt down to the wire in the 400 free at the Charlotte Grand Prix six weeks earlier. Ledecky had gone on to finish third in the 400 free at Trials, and then she qualified second for the 800 final behind Ziegler.

Anderson led Ledecky by seven one-hundredths at the 50, but from there, Ledecky took over. She led by a full second at the 150, and the margin had doubled at the 300. She never relinquished that lead.

In the stands, tens of thousands of fans were in awe of the teenager’s intense pace. Surely she would not be able to hold on?

But Ledecky did hold on, touching in 8:19.78 to make her first Olympic team. Ziegler finished second in 8:21.87.

The result was one of the most surprising of the entire Olympic Trials. Ledecky, of course, would go on to shock hometown favorite Rebecca Adlington for gold in London and break Janet Evans’ 17-year-old American record in the process.

In the years since, we’ve learned to not be surprised by much Ledecky does.

Check out our previous #TrialsThrowbacks:
Men’s 400 IM in 2008
Women’s 400 IM in 2008
Women’s 100 Back in 2008
Men’s 200 Breast in 2008
Men’s 200 Back in 2008
Men’s 100 Back in 2012
Women’s 100 Breast in 2012
Women’s 200 IM in 2012
Men’s 200 Breast in 2012

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