{"id":477261,"date":"2021-06-15T19:19:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T02:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=477261"},"modified":"2021-06-15T20:27:15","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T03:27:15","slug":"jake-mitchell-secures-400-free-olympic-berth-after-swimming-345-8-in-post-finals-time-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jake-mitchell-secures-400-free-olympic-berth-after-swimming-345-8-in-post-finals-time-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Jake Mitchell Secures 400 Free Olympic Berth After Swimming 3:45.8 in Post Finals Time Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

University of Michigan’s\u00a0Jake Mitchell\u00a0<\/strong>officially stamped his name on to the US Olympic team for Tokyo with a 3:45.86 in a 400 freestyle time trial on Tuesday night in front of the Omaha crowd that was cheering for him every step of the way.<\/p>\n

Mitchell swam in the pool alone in front of the remaining crowd on night three of the Trials as he took the race out much, much quicker, turning three seconds quicker than his finals swim at 1:49.86 at the 200, where he was a 1:52.9. Mitchell was also under world record pace at this point and he kept rolling at the 300, flipping at 2:47, which was quicker than where the original winner Kieran Smith<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>was at that point in the 400 finals race, and four seconds faster than where himself (2:51.6). Mitchell started to show signs of fatigue, splitting a 29.13 on the seventh 50, as the pace started to catch up to him. But on the final 50, with the crowd roaring, Mitchell touched at 3:45.86, splitting a 28.84 on the final 50, to swim under the FINA A cut and grab a spot on the US Olympic team.<\/p>\n

It was a shocking development in the men’s 400 freestyle final on Sunday night at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha where only one swimmer got under the FINA A cut of 3:46.78. Questions began murmuring around the pool deck over whether second place finisher Jake Mitchell\u00a0<\/strong>of the University of Michigan and Carmel Swim Club would be able to represent the United States at the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

Mitchell’s 3:48.0 in the original 400 free final on Sunday was deemed not quick enough to race in Tokyo and a time trial needed to be swum where he had to go faster than 3:46.78. The top ten swimmers, minus the winner\u00a0Kieran Smith<\/strong>, would be eligible for the time trial, but since Mitchell finished runner-up, he had first dibs at the time trial.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was obviously pretty disappointed (in the 400 final) because all summer I was training to go 3:44 and 3:48 was not what I hoped,” Mitchell said immediately after the race.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake Mitchell is now ranked 12th in the world among swimmers that have qualified for the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

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HE\u2019S DONE IT!! 3:45.86!!<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a cool 2.8 seconds faster than Monday\u2019s 3:48.17 pic.twitter.com\/rTMfJgVCvB<\/a><\/p>\n
— Laine Higgins (@lainehiggins17) June 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n