Shaine Casas finally makes the US Olympic team, Chris Guiliano’s big week continues at swimming qualifiers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Shaine Casas looked at the scoreboard, took off his cap and slapped the water angrily as if he had just won the men’s 200-meter individual medley at U.S. Olympic qualifying events Friday.

For the 24-year-old Californian, it seemed to be no problem to settle for second place.

Three years after placing third and sixth in his two top events at the trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Casas was finally able to realize his lifelong dream: making the American team.

Casas finished in 1 minute, 55.83 seconds, just behind Carson Foster, to secure second place in the event. It wasn’t easy. Casas admitted that memories of missing the Tokyo Games helped him make it through the final 50 meters – and put him on the road to Paris.

He then celebrated with Foster, who had qualified for his second event of the week in Indianapolis.

This time he was not the favorite like he was four years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the Olympics to 2021. But he is hardly the biggest surprise this week.

Chris Guiliano, the first Notre Dame swimmer to qualify for a U.S. Olympic swim team, qualified in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.69 seconds. Only seven-time Olympic champion Caleb Dressel was faster at 0.28 seconds.

Guiliano was the first American man since Matt Biondi in 1988 to qualify for the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyle swims, and he will also compete in several relays.

Biondi was a three-time member of the U.S. Olympic team and won eleven gold medals.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games