Injured Lochte plows ahead in 200 free at US Olympic trials

But she has no complaints.

It turns out that Katie is no stranger to the Olympics.

Katie Ledecky delivered everything but the world record everyone had expected, storming to victory in the women’s 400 meters freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swim trials on Monday and securing her ticket to the Rio Games. “Rio!'” said Ledecky, who is also a big favorite in two other freestyle races to come.

“But I really just wanted to keep my eye on everybody and I knew that I could take it out fast and hold on”.

She is also set to compete Thursday in the prelims of the 200 breaststroke, her final race of the trials.

Katie Ledecky (L) reacts with Leah Smith after winning the women’s 400-meter freestyle final Monday.

“That’s fast”, Ledecky said. He’s now the second fastest 16-year-old in his best event, the 200 meter breaststroke.

“I think I do my best when I’m given a big challenge, and tonight I’m really going to have a big challenge ahead of me”, Franklin said.

She finished second in the 100 butterfly behind Olympic rookie Kelsi Worrell, one of several young swimmers already signaling a changing of the guard in the first two days of the meet. Phelps plans to be a participant in the Olympics as he competes there for the first time since his wife Nicole gave birth to his son, Boomer Robert, in May.

Two more first Olympians earned berths in the 100m Breaststroke final, with Kevin Cordes and Cody Miller taking the top two spots in a tightly contested race.

That means seven Olympic first-timers have made the USA team. Chase Kalisz, Jay Litherland and Maya DiRado qualified on the first night of the trials. To top if off, Murphy managed to swim the fastest time in the world this year in the first semifinal, only to see Plummer go faster in the second. “Practice makes flawless I guess”.

Tyler Clary snuck into the final of the 400 IM with the eighth-fastest time in qualifying, but made a decision to scratch out of the final, in order to focus on the 200 free, 200 fly and 200 back.

Phelps looked relieved to finally get in a swim at the trials, but found plenty in the race to improve on.

Just carving out a spot in U.S. Olympic Swim Trials – which have begun in Omaha, Neb. – is the real prize for the recent Bartlesville High School graduate.

“How are people going to feel protected in a city without security?”

“I think I’d be much more of a nervous wreck if I hadn’t”, she explained.

Incredibly, Ledecky’s time of 3 minutes and 58.98 seconds was considered a disappointment, as it came slightly less than a second away from the world record – which she owns.

“I’m just looking to having a lot of fun and soak in the whole experience”, Downey said Monday evening, on the eve of her departure to Nebraska.