Virginia concludes U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials with three qualifiers

Posted on Sunday, Jun. 20, 2021, 11:30 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Paige Madden, Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass all became Olympians this week during the U.S. Olympic Trials. The trio will travel to Tokyo to compete for Team USA.

The last night of trials concluded with the women’s 50-meter freestyle for the Cavaliers. Incoming freshman Gretchen Walsh finished fifth in a time of 24.74 and Douglass was sixth in 24.78.

The final night capped off an amazing week for Virginia swimmers with three qualifying for their first Olympic games.

Madden finished second in the women’s 400-meter freestyle and added a third-place finish in the women’s 200-meter freestyle to secure a spot on the 4×200 meter relay.

Walsh won the closest event of the entire week, out-touching the field to finish first in the women’s 200-meter individual medley and secure her spot on the team.

Douglass finished just .02 seconds behind Walsh for second place. Once all the events had finished, second place finishers secured their spots on the US Olympic roster.

The Tokyo Olympics will run July 23 through August 8, with the swimming events scheduled for July 24-August 1.