It’s fairly common for people who are big fans of an Olympic sport to say that the Olympic Trials are way better than the Olympics themselves. I’ve said that about track, and I’ve heard it for swimming. But it’s probably not just that it’s better, but also perhaps that it’s harder and more stressful. Which sounds impossible, to think that something could be more stressful than competing in the Olympic Games, when your whole life is distilled into a defining matter of moments. But from the appearance of this year’s US Olympic Swimming trials, it feels accurate.
That’s at least the opinion of five-time Olympic medalist Lilly King, who won the gold in the 100-meter breaststroke in 2016 and just qualified for the same race in Paris this summer. King said after qualifying that the Trials “will make your career and break your career in a minute. It’s the hardest meet in the world. It’s a lot harder than the Olympics in my opinion.” King was reacting to the fact that the gold medal winner in that race in 2021 Lydia Jacoby finished third at the US Trials, second to King and Emma Weber, who finished 27 hundreds of a second in front of her. If you remember, back in 2021, Jacoby was the bright-eyed teenager from Alaska who shocked the world and herself in upsetting heavy favorite King to bring the 49th state its first ever swimming medal. But now Jacoby won’t just not win gold this time. She won’t even make it to the pool to try. Only two swimmers make it for each event. Which means that it’s entirely possible you’re the third best in the world in your event, good enough to win an Olympic bronze, but you still might not make the team. That, amongst other reasons, is why Lilly King thinks the Trials, not the Games, are the toughest tribunal.
Jacoby, who currently swims for the University of Texas, seems to be handling it as well as anyone can be expected to. She mentioned a bit of a cry after the race, and that it will probably take a few weeks to process some of the emotions. I’m sure watching the Games won’t be a lot of fun. She’s also talked about the pressure that came after winning last time and the depression that set in after the bright lights of Tokyo went out. That’s not unusual for Olympic athletes who largely live a life of exceptionalism and sacrifice in the pursuit of one seemingly unattainable goal. Even if the moment meets its lofty expectation, there’s still a whole lot to figure out in the vacuum of an afterglow. But as tough as that it, it’s even harder for all that effort to end without even the climax of an Olympic moment. For the journey not to die in the shadows of the Olympic cauldron, but in some warm-down pool in Indianapolis. If swimming has purgatory, this is it.
Of course, Lydia Jacoby is not alone, even if she is one of the most notable names to not make a return trip this year. Olympic sport is littered with former medalists who couldn’t make it back. Some walk away, and others try again. Like most sports, the Olympian who makes multiple games before walking away on their own is the rare exception, not the rule. Which is why finishing third, or fourth in track and field, or whatever is the first finisher to not qualify is perhaps the cruelest finish in sports, worse even than the fourth-place finisher in the Olympics who simply missed out on a bronze, but at least will be forever rewarded with the experience.
And perhaps that is why I think the Olympic Trials is far better than the Olympic Games. Not because of the authenticity of the competition, or because it’s for real fans, unlike the corporate sanitized Olympic arena where bandwagon spectators become steeplechase fans for the day. Although that is annoying. It’s because down deep, the trials are a true reminder of the essence of sport. That in the end, the thrill isn’t in victory, but in its pursuit. And nothing, truly nothing is more exciting than watching someone chase the opportunity to win an Olympic medal, way more than actually winning one. That’s where dreams are fulfilled, and where they die. Which is why Indianapolis right now is way cooler than Paris.
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him at @KeithStrudler
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