Advertisement

Melanie Margalis advances to two finals at swimming trials; Missy Franklin denied

 
Melanie Margalis, a former Countryside High standout, competes in a semifinal in the 200-meter freestyle at the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. She’ll swim in two finals tonight.
Melanie Margalis, a former Countryside High standout, competes in a semifinal in the 200-meter freestyle at the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. She’ll swim in two finals tonight.
Published June 29, 2016

OMAHA, Neb. — One by one, some of America's biggest swimming stars are going down at the Olympic trials. First, Ryan Lochte. Then, Missy Franklin.

Meanwhile, Countryside High graduate Melanie Margalis might be one stop closer to the Rio Games.

Lochte, a former Florida star and an 11-time Olympic medalist slowed by a groin injury, missed his second chance to qualify in an individual event with a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle. There was consolation: Lochte clinched a spot in Rio in the 4x200 relay.

Franklin can't say that yet. She struggled to a seventh-place finish in the 100 backstroke, denying her a chance to defend her 2012 London gold medal.

"I think I am feeling more pressure than I ever have before," said Franklin, 21, who still has more chances to make the team. "But part of the process is learning how to move forward, and all I can do is the best I can do."

Just 23 minutes after qualifying for the final of the 200 free, Franklin couldn't pull off the grueling double. She finished nearly a body length behind winner Olivia Smoliga and runnerup Kathleen Baker, who will represent the U.S. team.

Margalis qualified for tonight's 200 free final with the fifth-best time; Katie Ledecky was the fastest. Northeast High grad Megan Romano and Plant High's Morgan Tankersley were eliminated in the preliminaries.

Margalis easily qualified for tonight's 200 individual medley final with the second-best semifinal time. She withdrew from the 100 breaststroke final, which she qualified for Monday.

In the men's 200 free, Lochte was second at the final turn but Townley Haas surged to the victory, followed by Conor Dwyer.

"I'm just happy that I'm going to Rio," Lochte said. "You can never go in knowing that you're going to make the team, just because the U.S. is one of the hardest countries to make the Olympic team."

Golf: Jason Day, ranked No. 1, pulled out of Rio because of the Zika virus. "The sole reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus and the potential risks that it may present to my wife's future pregnancies and to future members of our family," the Australian said in a statement. Day and his wife, Ellie, had their second child in November, and they want more children. Shane Lowry of Ireland said he is pulling out of Rio for the same reason. Lowry got married in April and said he wants to start a family soon.