U.S. Olympic Trials: Despite Painful Finishes, Jack Aikins Proved World-Class Status in Backstroke Events

U.S. Olympic Trials: Despite Painful Finishes, Jack Aikins Proved World-Class Status in Backstroke Events

It happens every quadrennial: Someone becomes the poster child for the pain the United States Olympic Trials can inflict. At this edition of Trials, that role has unfortunately belonged to Jack Aikins of the University of Virginia.

With individual Olympic selection requiring a top-two performance, it is often said that third is the worst place an athlete can finish at Trials. Aikins has finished in that position twice in Indianapolis, first in the 100-meter backstroke and then in the 200 backstroke. Combined, Aikins finished just .19 shy of an invitation to the Olympic Games in Paris.

In the year leading up to Trials, Aikins opted to take a redshirt year from collegiate competition at the University of Virginia. The decision enabled Aikins to focus on long-course racing and his training, and there was an obvious payoff. Aikins delivered personal-best times in each of his events at Lucas Oil Stadium, going 52.74 in the 100 backstroke and 1:54.78 in the 200 back. Those times make Aikins the fourth- and eighth-fastest performer in this year’s world rankings.

Yet, the power of the backstroke events in the United States left Aikins in an unenviable spot. In the 100 back, he touched the wall just behind Hunter Armstrong, who earned second place in 52.72. A few nights later, Aikins was edged by Keaton Jones in the 200 back, the Cal swimmer clocking 1:54.61. Ryan Murphy won both events.

Through the years, several athletes have finished third in a pair of events at the same Trials. In 2000, Brendan Hansen was third in both breaststroke events. At the 2020 Trials, Luca Urlando (butterfly) and Ross Dant (400 freestyle/800 freestyle) had two third-place showings. History provides a silver lining for Aikins, as Hansen went on to claim six medals across three Olympics. Meanwhile, Urlando answered back earlier this week by qualifying for Paris in the 200 butterfly.

Aikins has represented the United States on the international stage, including earlier this year at the World Championships in Doha. Based on his personal-best times in Indy, Aikins is positioned to be a factor in the years ahead, with motivation on his side.

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