Kate just secured her spot in the second event for the Olympics. By finishing second to Katie Hoff she met her foremost objective and will have the opportunity to compete in this event in Beijing.
Kate finished in a strong time of 8:25.38, a few seconds off her personal best. With the pressure of the trials behind her, Kate and Ray can now focus on final preparations for the Olympics where she will be once again, one of the favorites in this event. Congratulations!
Kate is seeded first in tonight's 800 Free final and it will be an interesting race between her and the second seed Katie Hoff. The focus though is that Kate touches the wall either first or second at this point. She already swam a best time when she qualified in the 400 Free earlier this week.
Matthew will swim the 1500 Free this morning; event 26, heat 3, lane 2. This race can be seen on nbcolympics.com.
Update: 2:00 PM - Matthew just swam his favorite event, the 1500 Free. His desire to do well showed clearly when he started the race with a 50 meter split under 28 seconds. With his mother Joanne and his girlfriend Sjirsten cheering him on, he continued to lead his heat all the way to the 500 meter mark. The second third of the race saw him continue swimming splits under 32 seconds, but he had to surrender his lead to reigning Ivy League champion in the mile. His final time was a strong 15:53.36 and he improved by 12 places relative to his seed position.
Matthew will not make the Beijing Olympic Team, but the experience he gained at these Trials will proof invaluable for the next time around.
Today marks another very exciting day for the FISH team at the Olympic Trials as Kate will swim her favorite event the 800 Free. The prelims are this morning and can be watched on nbcplympics.com; Event 22, Heat 7, Lane 4. The finals will be shown tomorrow night on TV.
Update: Ray Benecki is very happy with Kate's prelim swim in the 800 Free. He said, "it was a very good, strong swim by Kate and she is seeded first in tomorrow night's final, that's very good."
The rest of the day will be devoted to resting and relaxing, and a mini practice in the late afternoon. Matthew is getting ready for the 1500 tomorrow morning and he feels especially happy, because his girlfriend will be back for his race. Joanne Benecki is also flying in for the special occasion to support her "men" during the final days at the Olympic Trials. Let's see what happens tomorrow.
Kate and Matthew are preparing for their next races. Kate will swim her favorite event the 800 Free on Friday in the prelims and Matthew will swim the 1500 Free on Saturday morning. The focus right now is to practice, eat and rest a lot before the big races. Coach Ray arranged for a practice site away from the crowds so that the can focus on their practices without any distractions.
Please come back for further updates and don't forget to leave a comment.
Now that Kate made the Olympic team, Kate is anticipating her next event in a much more relaxed fashion. She will be swimming the 200 Free in the morning and in the semi finals tonight. The mood in the FISH camp at trials and here at home is very happy and relaxed and we are looking forward to more of Kate's fantastic swims.
Update: The 200 Free was not a major focus for Kate, whereas the 800 Free on Friday will be.
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