The men’s 800 free and women’s 1500 free are now Olympic events, but the U.S. qualification standards for the events at this summer’s FINA World Championships will not change.
USA Swimming confirmed to Swimming World that the qualification procedures, available here and posted below, will be unchanged.
- Priority No. 1: The top finisher in every Olympic event plus the top four finishers in the 100 and 200 free
- Priority No. 2: The second-place finisher in every Olympic event
- Priority No. 3: The top finisher in every non-Olympic event (50s of stroke plus women’s 1500 and men’s 800 free)
- Priority No. 4: The fifth-place finisher in the 100 and 200 free
- Priority No. 5: The sixth-place finisher in the 100 and 200 free
So for this summer, the women’s 1500 and men’s 800 will continue to fall under Priority No. 3 as non-Olympic events.
That means that should Katie Ledecky not swim the 1500 free at Nationals (June 27-July 1 in Indianapolis), she may still have the option of competing in the event at the World Championships in Budapest.
However, come this fall, when USA Swimming’s new National team and funding schedules are announced, the newly-added distance races will be considered Olympic events. For the first time, athletes will be able to qualify for funding for their performances in those events.
USA Swimming announced earlier that it supports the IOC’s decision to add the new events to the Olympic program.