Swimming

The International Swimming Federation rejected an application from Soul Cap seeking to allow its swim caps, which are inclusive caps designed for swimmers with natural Black, voluminous, thick or curly hair types and styles, for use in official competitions, including the Tokyo Olympics. 

FINA ruled the caps don't follow the "natural form of the head" and added to its "best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require ... caps of such size and configuration," per Priya Elan of The Guardian.

FINA's guidelines are followed by the International Olympic Committee for all swimming events at the Summer Games, meaning the caps won't be allowed during competition in Tokyo.

"We hoped to further our work for diversity in swimming by having our swim caps certified for competition, so swimmers at any level don't have to choose between the sport they love and their hair," Soul Cap, a Black-owned company, said in a statement.

Black Swimming Association chairwoman Danielle Obe told Sky Sports the ruling is "not what inclusion is about."

"This will affect younger swimmers, up and coming, who might want to consider taking up elite swimming," Obe said. "It will affect their decision because by and large, hair is a significant barrier to aquatics for—women especially—many people of color from our communities. That should be considered as a product that overcomes this barrier."

Swim England, the sport's governing body in the country, told Sky Sports it would allow the caps for training and competitions under its direction, and would push for future clearance at international events.

Alice Dearing, who recently qualified to become the first Black female swimmer to represent Great Britain in the Olympics, partnered with Soul Cap in June 2020.

"Growing up, I was blessed to have had so much support as I worked my way up to swimming for Great Britain," Dearing said. "But I know that swimming as a sport hasn't always been seen as accessible to people from minority communities. Increasing diversity in the water is a huge passion of mine, so with Soul Cap and these new swimming workshops, we hope we can start to dispel those barriers."

Swimming competition at the Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to begin July 24.

Katie Ledecky had one test left at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, this week with the 800-meter freestyle.

Of course, she easily aced this one, too.

ANOTHA ONE.@katieledecky will swim four individual events at the Tokyo Olympics!

She has officially qualified in the 200, 400, 800 & 1500. pic.twitter.com/RtNK8On03W

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) June 20, 2021

In Ledecky's signature event, the 800-meter, the 24-year-old cruised to an easy win, finishing in 8:14.62—nearly six seconds faster than the second-place finisher and just 10 seconds off the world record.

Most importantly, Ledecky won all four of her races here and will have a shot at 5 medals in Tokyo -- possibly six if coaches ask her to also do the 4x100 relay

— Rick Maese (@RickMaese) June 20, 2021

FINAL results, Women's 800 Freestyle:
1. Katie Ledecky - 8:14.62
2. Katie Grimes - 8:20.36
3. Haley Anderson - 8:20.51
4. Ally McHugh - 8:23.51
5. Bella Sims - 8:23.55
6. Erica Sullivan - 8:24.02
7. Kaersten Meitz - 8:31.88
8. Sierra Schmidt - 8:39.51#SwimTrials21

— SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) June 20, 2021

Katie Grimes, 15, took second place at 8:20.36—immediately earning the praise of Ledecky before even getting out of the pool.

"You're the future. She's the now."

15-year-old Katie Grimes will join THE Katie Ledecky at the #TokyoOlympics this summer. #SwimTrials21

📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/bLQQa1G8Qh

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 20, 2021

The Washington D.C. native is now the fifth woman to swim four individual events at the Olympics, joining Shirley Babashoff, Summer Sanders, Katie Hoff and Missy Franklin, per Bill Mallon of Olympedia.org (h/t NBC Sports' Nick Zaccardi). Ledecky entered Saturday having already won the 400 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 1500 freestyle in Omaha. She's also joining the 4x200 free relay team in Tokyo.

A win in each event would make her the first American woman to win five golds in a single Olympics.

Watching Ledecky swim remained as thrilling as ever Saturday as the veteran of two Olympics Games surged ahead of the field after just two laps, pulling away until she was the only swimmer who could fit in the TV broadcast frame as the race for second place became the only question remaining.

I mean, @katieledecky things. #SwimTrials21 pic.twitter.com/fthZUzBbGT

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) June 20, 2021

Ledecky already owns five Olympic gold medals. She could end up matching that total in a few weeks after her performance in Omaha.

Six-time gold medalist Ryan Lochte is one race away from his fifth Olympics. 

The swimmer, who will turn 37 on Aug. 3, qualified for the 200-meter individual medley final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday.

Lochte clocked a time of 1 minute, 58.65 seconds in his semifinal heat, roughly 1.5 seconds behind the leader, 27-year-old Chase Kalisz. 

.@RyanLochte qualifies for the finals in the men's 200 IM and his family is there to celebrate.@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/1ws18Bc5u1

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 18, 2021

After the second heat, Lochte was slotted sixth of the eight swimmers who had advanced. Michael Andrew, 22, paced the field into the final with a time of 1:55.26. 

The final will be contested on Friday. 

.@chasekalisz, Kieran Smith, and @RyanLochte led the way in the first 200m individual medley semi of the night.@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/MxWKybElfW

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 18, 2021

Lochte is a long-shot to celebrate his 37th birthday in Tokyo based on Thursday's performances. In fact, instead of an Olympic trip, he could very well lose his world record later down the line this summer. 

His world record time is 1:54:00, which he logged at World Championships in Shanghai in 2011.

Andrew was on pace to challenge that for much of his swim: 

MICHAEL ANDREW IS 1.2 AHEAD OF WR PACE

— Laine Higgins (@lainehiggins17) June 18, 2021

And even though he fell short, his 1:55.26 was more than a full second faster than his previous PR for the year, which was 1:56.84, and put him in good company heading into what's likely to be multiple IMs in his near future: 

Michael Andrew is now the third-fastest American all time in the 200 IM. But his time is the 19th-fastest in American history. That's because Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps own the 18 fastest times.

— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) June 18, 2021

Lochte fell short in the 200m freestyle on Monday, finishing 25th with a time of 1:49.23 in the preliminary round. He was also entered in the 400 IM and the 100 backstroke, but scratched both events. 

I don't want to assume, but that look Lochte gave to the board after that swim looked like more of a "that's all I've got" look instead of an "idk if I'll make the final" look.

— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) June 18, 2021

His best outing at the Olympics came in 2012 in London, where he won two gold medals and a pair of silver medals, four years after he picked up two golds and two bronze medals in Beijing. 

Most recently, he was a member of the 4x200 freestyle relay squad that won gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, though his victory was overshadowed by controversy. Lochte claimed that he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint, and he was eventually charged with filing a false report—a crime punishable by up to 18 months in prison. 

While a Brazilian court threw out the case in 2017, Lochte served a 10-month suspension from USA Swimming and lost the support of four major sponsors, including Speedo USA. 

When he tried to get back into racing following that ban, he was suspended for 14 months in July 2018 after an investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency found he was injected with an illegal amount of fluid, though the substance injected was not illegal.

Lochte, now a father of two, can count on at least one more race in his decorated career. 

Before Wednesday night, there had never been a 1,500-meter women's freestyle final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Of course, Katie Ledecky made history.

𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗖.

The first ever Trials women’s 1500m free winner! 🇺🇸👏#SwimTrials21 | #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/qYfUasCueD

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) June 17, 2021

The five-time gold medalist, who won the 200-meter freestyle event little more than an hour before heading back to the deck for the 1,500-meter, bested the field with a time of 15 minutes, 40.50 seconds to qualify to represent the U.S. in Tokyo when the event is held at the Olympics for the first time this summer.

Did you know @katieledecky’s broken the world record in the 1500m free SIX times?

Well now she’s heading to its Olympic debut!@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/YG81aEpnfQ

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2021

Her finish was the fastest time in the world this year. 

She was far in front of Erica Sullivan, who finished 15:51.18, a personal best. 

The finish was no surprise as Ledecky holds the top 10 times in the event. Her best time in the event in 2021 was 15:40.55, but she previously flew to a 15:29.51 finish last year—roughly nine seconds off her world record time from 2018. 

But this victory was perhaps even more impressive as it came so soon after her 200-meter freestyle win: 

From the moment Katie Ledecky touched the wall in the 200 free to the moment she dove in for the 1,500 free: 1 hour 9 minutes 28.64 seconds. (I put a stopwatch on it.)

— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) June 17, 2021

In addition to the 200-meter freestyle, Ledecky had already qualified for Tokyo in the 400-meter free, an event that she holds the world record for with a time of 3:56.46. 

Later this week, she will try to qualify for the 800-meter freestyle and as a member of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay team.

The defending gold medalist in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter events, she'll look to add a brand new event to her repertoire in Tokyo. She didn't race the event at the 2019 Worlds, where Italian star Simona Quadarella finished in 15:40.89.

Was there ever any doubt?

Katie Ledecky smashed the field in the 200m freestyle at the U.S. Olympics Team Trials on Wednesday night, winning the event going away. 

.@arschmitty takes second to secure her spot to become a 4️⃣-time Olympian!@USASwimming | #SwimTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/7iTDbRU10g

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2021

The five-time gold medalist topped the field with a time of 1:55.11, followed by Allison Schmitt (1:56.79), Paige Madden (1:56.80) and Katie McLaughlin (1:57.16). All four qualified for the Tokyo Games and will join Team USA at the event. 

It will be Schmitt's fourth Olympics, a remarkable feat.

Ledecky, meanwhile, will be heading to her third Olympics. She already qualified for the Tokyo Games two days ago in the 400-meter freestyle, an event where she holds the world record (3:56.46).

Ledecky is also attempting to qualify for the Tokyo Games in the 1500m freestyle, with that final later on Wednesday night, and the 800m freestyle. And she almost assuredly be on the 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Ledecky is the defending gold medalist in the 200m, 400m and 800m races, so her win on Wednesday night didn't come as much of a surprise. She has a chance to become the most successful female Olympian in history at the Tokyo Games as she chases Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina, who holds the record with nine gold medals.

She'll have a battle on her hands at this summer's Olympics, however, with Australia's Ariarne Titmus emerging as a star.

Big night for Ledecky tonight at Swim Trials. Possible minority view here, but the potential for tough battles -- and possible defeats -- vs Ariarne Titmus (AUS) makes the Ledecky narrative 100x more compelling than a series of mortal lock walkovers.

— Tim Layden (@ByTimLayden) June 16, 2021

Titmus' qualifying time of 1:53.09 at her time trials was nearly a second better than anything Ledecky has mustered this season and just 0.11 seconds behind Federica Pellegrini's world record of 1:52.98 set in 2009.

"It's pretty crazy. That record is very old and no one really has been close to breaking it in a long time," the 20-year-old told reporters. "I knew that tonight if I swam the way that I wanted to race I had a 1:53 in me. I was pretty nervous, but last night's (400m) swim gave me confidence."

A Ledecky-Titmus showdown is on the horizon. The defending gold medalist will have her hands full. 

Katie Ledecky punched her ticket to the Tokyo Olympics by winning Monday's 400-meter freestyle final at the U.S. Olympic team trials in Omaha, Nebraska.

This will be her third Olympics after competing in 2012 and 2016.

Swimming out of the fourth lane, Ledecky initially came off the blocks in third place before moving into first. As expected, she widened her lead as the race unfolded. At the halfway mark, she was 0.53 seconds off a world-record pace.

The Washington, D.C., native slowed up a bit with the victory well in hand and touched the wall at 4:01.27. By her incredibly high standards, it was a somewhat nondescript performance. Paige Madden placed second at 4:04.86.

"Greatness and dominance confirmed again!"@KatieLedecky is going to the #TokyoOlympics!@USASwimming // #SwimTrials21 pic.twitter.com/U0y4TeLawP

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 15, 2021

Of course, simply qualifying for the Olympics was the goal Monday night, and she knocked that out of the park.

Ledecky swam her way into the final by posting the best time (4:03.07) during the preliminary heats.

Ledecky Things™️@katieledecky easily advances to the final in the Women's 400m freestyle.

Watch #SwimTrials21 now on @NBC. @USASwimming // #TokyoOlympicspic.twitter.com/3cUniMCauO

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 15, 2021

This isn't the last of Ledecky's involvement in the trials. She's looking to compete in the 200-, 800- and 1,500-meter individual freestyle events and also represent Team USA in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

The 24-year-old collected four gold medals during the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Improving on that performance obviously won't be easy, but she's in a class by herself.

At least when it comes to the 400 meters, Ledecky is basically swimming against herself, so a successful defense of her 2016 gold will be the minimum expectation.

USA Swimming has called for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to be postponed for 12 months because of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The governing body tweeted a letter they sent to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee asking them to support their request to move this summer's games:

USA Swimming respectfully requests that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. pic.twitter.com/q5bhUwi05q

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) March 20, 2020

In the letter, CEO Tim Hinchey stated training regimes have been compromised by the pandemic, and the health and safety of athletes must come first: 

"Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all.

"Our athletes are under tremendous pressure, stress and anxiety, and their mental health and wellness should be among the highest priorities."

According to Matthew Futterman of the New York Times, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said on Thursday the IOC are considering their options and will look at "different scenarios."

The opening ceremony is currently pencilled in for July 24, but with the majority of top-level sporting competitions, including several Olympic qualifiers and trials, cancelled for the months ahead, there's pressure to review and scrutinise the Olympics schedule.

Ryan Lochte had a moment to remember Sunday when he took the top spot in the 200-meter individual medley during the United States national championships.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Lochte won his first event after a 14-month ban with a time of one minute, 57.76 seconds.

Lochte was suspended from competition for violating United States Anti-Doping Agency rules after a May 2018 photo posted on social media showed him receiving an intravenous injection.

This is the photo that got Ryan Lochte banned 14 months. pic.twitter.com/1CljxSFlzy

— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) July 23, 2018

In USADA's official statement announcing the suspension, it said Lochte's injection was for "permitted substances," but the method of receiving it was a rules violation because "intravenous infusions or injections in a volume greater than 100 mL within a 12-hour period are prohibited at all times."

The six-time Olympic gold medalist entered in six events at the U.S. championships, including five that took place on Sunday.

"I've been splotchy with my swimming," Lochte said, via the Rick Eymer of the AP. "Family trumps everything. Swimming has been my second priority. Nationals, for me is a stepping stone to see where I'm at in the swimming world. It's a long journey to next year to see what I can do."

Lochte, 35, is attempting to qualify for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. He has competed in four straight Olympics dating back to 2004 and is the second-most decorated men's swimmer of all time with seven individual medals.

Caeleb Dressel will need to put on a flawless showing to win eight gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Michael Phelps said.

Phelps set that record at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, while Dressel will head into next year's Games on the back of winning eight medals—six of them gold—at the 2019 World Aquatic Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.

The 23-time Olympic gold medallist told the Associated Press (via ESPN): "If there's someone who doesn't care how hard it's going to be, how hard they're going to have to work, how much pain they're willing to put their body through, we might see it."

Phelps added the 22-year-old would make a "great addition" to the 4x200-metre free relay: "Clearly, he's got the speed. At this point, he's just got to have better endurance."

Dressel won seven gold medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

He produced a similarly spectacular showing in Korea, taking gold in the butterfly and freestyle events at both 50 metres and 100 metres, as well as the 4x100-metre freestyle relay and 4x100-metre mixed freestyle.

Dressel also bagged silvers in the 4x100-metre medley and mixed medley, setting a record in the process:

No man in history has won eight medals at a single world championships

... until @caelebdressel. #FINAGwangju2019 pic.twitter.com/dshVkJ2HCw

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 28, 2019

He beat another of Phelps' records along the way:

A trend at this year’s World’s is to break or equal 📣 WORLD RECORDS in semi-finals and USA’s Caeleb Dressel is obviously a trend-follower, shattering the 100m Fly record in dramatic style in a time of 49.50! #FINAGwangju2019 #Swimming pic.twitter.com/75maQpIWJc

— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) July 26, 2019

The Florida native said that while he was "a little scared" to have come close to setting the world record in 2017, he was delighted to have done so this time around: "It's really special for me just to have that one little moment where I claimed I was the best in the history of swimming. Just a young kid from a small town, it's just crazy how far the sport can go."

He's not resting on his laurels after a successful World Championships, either: "I always look for the bad. There's plenty to improve on. I know what to look for heading into next year, even for small meets. I take each event, and I have to learn from it."

Two South Korean men died and eight athletes were among the 16 injured when a nightclub balcony collapsed Saturday in Gwangju, South Korea, which is currently hosting the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.

Hyung-Jin Kim of the Associated Press reported police said three of the injured athletes were Americans. Water polo player Kaleigh Gilchrist of Newport Beach, California, required surgery on a deep left leg laceration.

USA Water Polo announced that Paige Hauschild and Johnny Hooper both received stitches for lacerations. Ben Hallock suffered "minor scrapes" on his legs but didn't require medical attention, which is why he wasn't among the official injured count. All three athletes are from California.

"This is an awful tragedy," USA Water Polo CEO Christopher Ramsey said, per Kim. "Players from our men's and women's teams were celebrating the women's world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club. Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families."

The United States women's water polo team scored an 11-6 victory over Spain in Friday night's final to capture gold. It was the squad's third consecutive triumph in the World Championships, and the U.S. is also the event's two-time defending champions in the Olympics.

None of the 16 injured in the balcony collapse are in life-threatening condition, per Kim.

Two athletes from New Zealand, one from the Netherlands, one from Italy and one from Brazil were among the other athletes injured.