King Makes History in Olympic Roster Bid
Apple Earns Likely Spot for 800m Freestyle Relay
 OMAHA, Neb. – Indiana superstar Lilly King earned a Team USA roster spot for the second-straight Olympic Games by winning the women’s 100m Breaststroke final on day three of the 2020 Olympic Trials at the CHI Health Center on Tuesday night.
The Wave II eight-day Trials competition serves as the sole qualifier for pool swimmers on the U.S. Olympic Team for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The top 16 times out of the preliminary heats will form the semifinals for all events at 200m or less, with the top eight semifinalists advancing to the finals. In events 400m or longer, the top eight swimmers out of the preliminary heats will head straight to the finals.
Athletes will earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team roster at each of the eight finals sessions.
100m BREASTSTROKE
For the second time in as many Olympic Trials, Lilly King won the women’s 100m Breaststroke to cement her place on Team USA for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. She sprinted out quickly, hitting the turn at 30.34 and held on for the victory at 1:04.79.
She is the first woman to qualify outright for Team USA in the 100m Breaststroke in back-to-back Olympic Games since Tracy Caulkins won the Olympic Trials in 1980 and 1984.
Indiana Swim Club trainee Annie Lazor settled for the bronze position with a time of 1:05.60. She, along with King, will both be back in the preliminary heats of the 200m Breaststroke on Thursday morning.
200m FREESTYLE
Indiana alumnus Zach Apple will await a potential Olympic roster spot for the 800m Freestyle Relay after finishing fifth in the 200m Freestyle final with a time of 1:46.45, besting his seed time by nearly one-third of a second.
Rio gold medalist Blake Pieroni finished seventh in the final with a time of 1:46.57, just ahead of his seed time of 1:46.62. Both Apple and Pieroni will be back in action tomorrow morning for the 100m Freestyle preliminary heats.
200m BUTTERFLY
Hoosier Corey Gambardella cruised to a career-best time of 1:56.56 in the first semifinal heat of the men’s 200m Butterfly. His time placed him sixth and earned him a spot in Wednesday night’s final.
FINAL RESULTS
MEN’S 200m FREESTYLE
- Zach Apple – 1:46.45
- Blake Pieroni – 1:46.57
WOMEN’S 100m BREASTSTROKE
- Lilly King – 1:04.79 #
- Annie Lazor – 1:05.60
MEN’S 200m BUTTERFLY
- Corey Gambardella – 1:56.56 *
Advanced to Finals *
Advanced to Olympics #
The trials will continue with Hoosier representation in the preliminary heats in the men’s 100m Freestyle, women’s 200m Butterfly, men’s 200m Breaststroke and men’s 800m Freestyle. The morning session will begin at 11 a.m. ET.
