David Woods| Special for IndyStar
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- More than 285,000 attended over 17 sessions in nine days, according to USA Swimming.
INDIANAPOLIS – It is not official, and probably won’t be for months.
Yet it is hard to forecast any location except Lucas Oil Stadium for swimming’s U.S. Olympic Trials ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Indianapolis is coming off a groundbreaking 2024 trials that set attendance records and featured two world records and three American records. The event selected 20 women and 26 men for the Paris Olympics.
More: U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials results, qualifiers for Paris Olympics
Yes, you can assemble a pool inside a football stadium, and it can be a fast pool. And yes, people will come — more than 285,000 over 17 sessions in nine days, according to a USA Swimming announcement. Wednesday night’s crowd of 22,209 was most ever for swimming in an indoor venue.
Tim Hinchey III, CEO of USA Swimming, said one of the organization’s goals is to promote the sport and introduce it to new audiences.
“As a host city, Indianapolis has exceeded our expectations, with the most tickets we’ve ever sold for an event,” he said in a statement. “This overwhelming support is a testament to the growing popularity of the top Olympic sport and a promising sign for its growth.”
Logically, as a rehearsal for the Olympics, trials in 2028 sports belong in Los Angeles.
Swimming at the 2028 Olympics is scheduled for So-Fi Stadium, accommodating 38,000 fans, thus exceeding capacity at Lucas Oil Stadium.
However, Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, said it is unlikely the trials can be there because So-Fi Stadium must be prepared for the opening ceremony. Parts of the pool deck are to be built in five days.
If the trials are not in Los Angeles, where? Pretty obvious.
When the trials left Indianapolis after 2000, they went to Long Beach, Calif., in 2004 and to Omaha, Neb., four times. Hinchey said crowds at Omaha were bigger at the second trials than the first. Before these Indianapolis trials even began, Hinchey said:
“Whatever we do here, I don’t think it’s against any real odds to say, ‘Listen, if it goes well, if we can accomplish what we want to accomplish, I would be open to coming back.’ We’ve invested this much first time around. Can we reap more rewards second time around?”
Projected economic impact of the trials here is $100 million.
It was more than a swim meet. USA Swimming reported record attendance at the Aqua Zone and in retail sales. The downtown, featuring a replica Eiffel Tower, was festive in a way more often seen at a college basketball Final Four.
Lilly King wins semifinal, has 'more left in tank' for Monday's final
Lilly King got a chance to swim in her home state while competing at the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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A case could be made there was a “home pool” advantage.
A record six swimmers from Indiana made the Olympic team: Lilly King, Evansville; Blake Pieroni, Chesterton; Luke Whitlock, Noblesville, and Drew Kibler, Aaron Shackell and Alex Shackell, all of Carmel.
The previous record of five was set in 2021, the most the state had produced since 1976.
Also making the team were Chris Guiliano of Notre Dame in 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyles, plus six swimmers out of Indiana University: King, Pieroni, Josh Matheny, Anna Peplowski, Matt King (transferring to IU) and Mariah Denigan (open water).
Selections to the Olympic coaching staff included Chris Plumb of Carmel Swim Club and Chris Lindauer of Notre Dame. IU’s Corey Chitwood was previously chosen as an assistant in open water.
It is a rarity in any sport for a high school coach to be on an Olympic staff. Plumb leads a Carmel High School program that has won 10 straight state titles for boys and a record 38 straight for girls.
Carmel swimmer Aaron Shackell makes 2024 USA Swimming Olympic team
The 19-year-old won the 400 men's freestyle on Night 1 of the USA Swimming Olympic Trials.
Special for IndyStar
Carmel had never produced an Olympic swimmer until 2021, when Kibler and Jake Mitchell made the team. In Paris, Carmel can produce its first Olympic swimming medalist.
Indiana swimmers who could be in the mix in 2028:
Zionsville’s Will Modglin, 20, who was in two finals; Bloomington’s Kristina Paegle, 20; Fishers’ Kyle Ponsler, 20; Wawasee’s Julie Mishler, 16; Whitlock, 18, and Carmel’s Kibler, 24; Mitchell, 22; Aaron Shackell, 19; Gregg Enoch, 18; Alex Shackell, 17; Kayla Han, 16; Molly Sweeney, 16; Lynsey Bowen, 16.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
