{"id":612593,"date":"2025-06-01T16:27:48","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T23:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=612593"},"modified":"2025-06-01T16:27:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T23:27:43","slug":"u-s-nationals-olympic-stars-poised-to-shine-again-womens-predictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-nationals-olympic-stars-poised-to-shine-again-womens-predictions\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Nationals: Olympic Stars Poised to Shine Again (Women’s Predictions)"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Nationals: Olympic Stars Poised to Shine Again (Women’s Predictions)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The women from the United States accounted for 15 individual medals in swimming at the Paris Olympics, to go along with a world-record-setting medley relay gold. There were also two relay silvers, surpassed only by the record-breaking Australian squad in the freestyle relays. That team could be almost entirely reunified in 2025 as the group is picked for the upcoming World Championships in Singapore.<\/p>\n

There are only three women from the Paris team not entered at this week’s U.S. Nationals: Paige Madden<\/strong>, who won 800 free bronze while helping the 800 free relay to silver, and 400 free relay prelims swimmers\u00a0Abbey Weitzeil<\/strong> and\u00a0Erika Connolly<\/strong>. Meanwhile, multi-time medalists and world-record breakers Katie Ledecky<\/strong>,\u00a0Torri<\/strong> Huske<\/strong>, Kate Douglass<\/strong>, Regan Smith<\/strong> and Gretchen Walsh<\/strong> are all entered in their usual busy slate of events, with the expectation they will comprise the core of the next American squad bound for international competition.<\/p>\n

Ledecky is already in the midst of one of the finest years of her career<\/a>, having broken her first long course world record since 2018<\/a> at the Pro Series meet in Fort Lauderdale. Walsh dominated her final NCAA Championships<\/a> before twice lowering<\/a> her 100 butterfly world record<\/a> in Fort Lauderdale while Huske, Douglass and Smith already pepper the top of the world rankings.<\/p>\n

Others with individual Olympic medals entered include Katharine Berkoff<\/strong>,\u00a0Katie Grimes<\/strong>,\u00a0Emma Weyant<\/strong>,\u00a0Alex Walsh<\/strong> and\u00a0Lilly King<\/strong>, with the future Hall-of-Fame breaststroker no longer competing in the 200-meter distance as she enters the final selection meet of her career<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here’s how we expect the racing to go this week in Indianapolis, as the World Championships team is assembled. Of particular focus this year will be the 50-meter stroke events, scheduled to be part of the Olympic lineup for the first time in 2028<\/a>. Swimmers will put greater emphasis on those events than ever before.<\/p>\n