{"id":652418,"date":"2026-08-29T04:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T11:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=652418"},"modified":"2026-08-29T04:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T11:32:17","slug":"battle-for-la28-four-events-that-will-feature-brutal-qualifying-who-will-navigate-100-butterfly-in-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/battle-for-la28-four-events-that-will-feature-brutal-qualifying-who-will-navigate-100-butterfly-in-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle for LA28: Four Events That Will Feature Brutal Olympic Qualifying; Who Will Navigate 100 Fly in U.S.? (Men’s Edition)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Battle for LA28: Four Events That Will Feature Brutal Qualifying; Who Will Navigate 100 Butterfly in U.S.?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Halfway to the 2028 Olympic Games<\/a>, greater clarity has emerged around contenders for medals in Los Angeles. Of course, a few current hopefuls will fade by the time qualifying competitions are conducted around the world. On the flip side, a crop of late bloomers will surface, their names better known as we creep closer to the action inside SoFi Stadium.<\/p>\n

Based on the current dynamic of the sport, several countries can expect ultra-intense battles in the quest for Olympic invitations. Here is a look at specific events in four countries that will be among the most hotly contested during the Trials season, the likelihood high that an Olympic-medal contender will be locked out of LA28.<\/p>\n

A Sprint Breaststroke Brawl in Italy<\/h3>\n

At the recent European Championships, three Italian men could have finaled in the 50 breaststroke, but only two mvoed into the semifinals. Rules for Euros allow each nation to advance only two swimmers out of prelims, and the odd man out was Ludovico<\/strong> Viberti<\/strong>. Ultimately, Nicolo Martinenghi<\/strong> won the gold when countryman Simone Cerasuolo<\/strong> was well of his prelims and semifinals times in the final.<\/p>\n

Cerasuolo owns a best of 26.20 in the 50 breaststroke, tied for No. 2 all-time. Meanwhile, Viberti has a best of 26.27, good for No. 3 in history. As for Martinenghi, he’s been as quick as 26.33 and was 26-mid on the way to the Euro title. Bottom line: An Italian capable of winning an Olympic medal is not going to get on a plane to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

The German Distance Juggernaut<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Johannes

Johannes Liebmann of Germany celebrates after winning the gold medal, setting a new world record, in the Men\u2019s 1500m Freestyle Final during the European Aquatics Championships at the Olympic Aquatic Center in Paris (France), August 15, 2026.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the biggest storylines in the sport this month was Joannes Liebmann’s<\/strong> world record in the 1500 freestyle at the European Championships. The German 19-year-old went 14:26.79 to take three-plus seconds off Bobby Finke’s<\/strong> previous record and has firmly established himself as the man to beat at this stage of the Quad. However, Liebmann will have plenty of company in the search for Olympic nods.<\/p>\n

Three other Germans have cracked 14:40 during their careers, in the form of Florian Wellbrock<\/strong> (14:34.89), Sven Schwarz<\/strong> (14:35.69) and Oliver Klemet<\/strong> (14:39.03). Wellbrock has been leaning more heavily into his open-water career, so it remains to be seen whether he will be a factor in the pool on the road to LA28. Schwarz was the silver medalist in the 800 free and 1500 free at last summer’s World Champs and Klemet was the bronze medalist in the Euros race that produced Liebmann’s world record.<\/p>\n

The added intrigue in the 1500 freestyle is the fact that Liebmann, Wellbrock and Klemet train together in Magdeburg, along with Lukas Martens<\/strong>, the world-record holder in the 400 freestyle and owner of a best in the 1500 freestyle of 14:40.28. How will coach Bernd Berkhahn<\/strong> handle the intensity of practice with LA28 on the horizon?<\/p>\n

A Butterfly Battle in United States<\/h3>\n

The initial thought was to focus on the 100 freestyle, given the American firepower and depth in the event. However, because relay berths are also available in that event, we decided to shift the attention to the 100 butterfly, where numerous contenders exist.<\/p>\n

The 100 butterfly is absolutely stacked and is only going to get better. At U.S. Nationals, Tokyo Olympic champion and world-record holder Caeleb Dressel<\/strong> reaffirmed his status as a top contender by clocking 50.45, the top time by an American this year. The likes of Shaine Casas<\/strong>, with a best of 50.24, and Dare Rose<\/strong> (50.46), also figure to be factors, alongside Thomas Heilman<\/strong> (50.70).<\/p>\n

The event has also been boosted by newcomers. Heading into his freshman year at the University of Texas, Rowan Cox<\/strong> went 50.64 at Nationals and has a huge upside. Meanwhile, Luca Urlando<\/strong> went 50.86 at the Pan Pacific Championships, showing that he is more than a 200 butterfly star. But the biggest addition can be found in Ilya Kharun<\/strong>, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist who is changing his sporting nationality from Canada to the United States. Kharun boasts a best of 50.05 and can be argued as the current man to beat.<\/p>\n

Medley Melee in Japan<\/h3>\n
\"Tomoyuki

tomoyuki-matsushita-<\/p><\/div>\n

Japanese standouts can be found throughout the world rankings in the 400 individual medley, led by reigning Olympic and World Championships silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita<\/strong>. The gold medalist at the Pan Pacific Championships, Matsushita has gone under the 4:07 barrier, clocking 4:06.75 to become the No. 3 performer in the history of his country.<\/p>\n

While Matsushita currently is in command, he is being chased by a number of foes. Asaki Nishikawa<\/strong> posseses a best of 4:07.67 and Yumeki Kojima<\/strong> is a blossoming talent and the world junior record holder. Kojima, a 17-year-old, probably has the most potential to challenge Matsushita, based on his youth and rapid improvement. Another 17-year-old, Raito Numata<\/strong> has been 4:10, while Kosuke Makino<\/strong> has gone 4:09.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Battle for LA28: Four Events That Will Feature Brutal Qualifying; Who Will Navigate 100 Butterfly in U.S.? Halfway to the 2028 Olympic Games, greater clarity has emerged around contenders for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7533,"featured_media":648524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[35724,584,54241,75886,131994],"class_list":["post-652418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-world","tag-caeleb-dressel","tag-italy","tag-nicolo-martinenghi","tag-simone-cerasuolo","tag-tomoyuki-matsushita"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nBattle for LA28: Four Events That Will Feature Brutal Qualifying<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Several men's events will feature brutal national battles for berths to LA28, the Olympic Games just two years away.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/battle-for-la28-four-events-that-will-feature-brutal-qualifying-who-will-navigate-100-butterfly-in-u-s\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Battle for LA28: Four Events That Will Feature Brutal Olympic Qualifying; Who Will Navigate 100 Fly in U.S.? 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