U.S. Olympic Trials, Day 3 Finals: Katie Grimes Uses Furious Finish to Retake Lead and Win 400 IM

Katie Grimes -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. Olympic Trials, Day 3 Finals: Katie Grimes Uses Furious Finish to Retake Lead and Win 400 IM

Few swimmers have ever achieved what Katie Grimes did prior to her 18th birthday: qualify for two Olympic teams.

Grimes first qualified as a 15-year-old in the 800 freestyle, dropping 17 seconds from her best time to upset a veteran-laden field for the second spot behind Katie Ledecky. Two years later, Grimes won bronze in the 10-kilometer open water race at the World Championships by touching out open water stalwarts Sharon van Rouwendaal and Ana Marcela Cunha by less than a second to earn an automatic spot in the field at the Paris Olympics.

She will have to balance pool and open water swimming at these Games, having finished first at Olympic Trials in the 400 IM in a masterful display of endurance and versatility.

However, it did not come easily as Grimes had to hold off a phenomenal back half by Emma Weyant. Grimes opened up a lead of more than a bodylength after butterfly, and by the halfway point, the lead was up to three seconds. But breaststroke is unquestionably her weakest stroke while Weyant excels in that discipline, and indeed, Weyant scorched her young rival there.

Weyant split 1:09.28 on the stroke, compared to Grimes’ 1:13.52, and that gave the University of Florida swimmer a slight lead heading into the final 100 meters. Meanwhile, teenager Lilla Bognar was surging, having come up alongside the two favorites and even moving into second place ahead of Grimes.

But Grimes freestyle was too much to overcome. Two lengths covered in 1:02.69 allowed Grimes to pull back ahead and then overcome Weyant’s final surge at the end.

Grimes touched in 4:35.00, just ahead of Weyant’s 4:35.56. Bognar fell back on the final 100 meters to take third in 4:37.86. Grimes’ time ranks sixth in the world for 2024 while Weyant sits eighth.

Weyant, the silver medalist in her senior-level international debut at the Tokyo Olympics, makes it back to the sport’s most prestigious meet after a controversial disqualification in the event at last year’s U.S. Nationals, denying her a spot at the World Championships. Weyant was hit for a breaststroke violation nearly invisible from the pool deck but caught through underwater video replay.

“I’m going to be honest, I’ve never been so nervous going into a race. The last two years have not been too perfect for me, so I’m just really proud of myself. Just really thankful for Nesty and everyone at Florida for helping me the past couple years getting back to my prime,” Weyant said.

“I think I had a little bit to prove to myself after last year. It hasn’t been really a linear progression since Tokyo, but I’m definitely back on the right track. It’s not exactly where I want to be, but I’m just really happy to be on the team.”

Grimes had captured has captured World Championship silver medals in both the 1500 free and 400 IM in addition to her open water third-place finish last year, but the medley presents her best chance at winning an Olympic medal for the first time. With her best time of 4:31.41, Grimes has the third-fastest lifetime best of any active swimmer, behind only Summer McIntosh and Kaylee McKeown.

No one is beating McIntosh in this event anytime soon, with the Canadian having destroyed her world record with a time of 4:24.38 last month, but McKeown did not swim the event at Australia’s Olympic Trials, leaving the battle for silver and bronze very much up for grabs. Grimes and Weyant, both very much within range.

Grimes did not deliver her best form at Trials, but her best within range of the American record, the 4:31.12 posted by Katie Hoff at the 2016 Olympic Trials. The record has survived numerous attempts, including sensational Olympic-silver-medal-winning swims from Elizabeth Beisel, Maya DiRado and Weyant. Perhaps Grimes will be able to finally knock off the mark as she chases a medal of her own next month.

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