More than 1,800 swimmers traveled to Omaha, Nebraska to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials this week. Fourteen of those swimmers are from the Nashville Aquatic Club and among them is swimming superstar Gretchen Walsh, who is only 13-years-old. Gretchen just finished 7th grade at Harpeth Hall and it seems like she’ll have a pretty exciting summer story to tell her friends next school year.
Gretchen competes in the 50 meter freestyle on Saturday. Gretchen’s sister Alex, who is only 14-years-old, also qualified for the Olympic Trials and swam earlier this week, competing in the 100 meter backstroke. Alex came in 14th (out of 155 swimmers) in the semifinals. The top eight finishers moved on to the finals.
“There are a few other 13-year olds who made the cut, but Walsh is officially the youngest,” reports NPR. “Does 13-year old Gretchen have a shot at making the team? That’s not the point of her trip to Omaha, and it’s why she says she isn’t nervous. The experience is mostly preparation for the trials four years from now. She has big dreams.”
Gretchen and Alex were just two of the talented swimmers from the Nashville Aquatic Club to qualify for the Olympic Trials. Other swimmers include:
Mary Cayten Brakefield
(David) Taylor Charles
Maclin Davis
Chatham Dobbs
Dakota Hodgson
Annie Kyriakidis
Curtis Lovelace
Ella Nelson
Allie Raab
Meaghan Raab
Elizabeth Stinson
Tatum Wade
How Swimmers Make the Olympic Team
The trials consist of 26 events. The top male and female finisher in each of those events– and the top four in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle — will automatically earn a spot on the Olympic team. After that, the second-place finishers in all events, and fifth and sixth in the 100 and 200 free, will be added to the team should spots remain. A maximum of 26 men and 26 women can be named to the team, but swimmers often qualify in multiple events. The 2012 London team, for example, featured 49 members.
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil begin August 5th.
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