Link to Article on The Red & Black
By Olivia Sayer
Chase Kalisz takes a breath after swimming laps. 2016 Olympian Chase Kalisz participated in practice and workouts adapted to COVID-19 with other Tokyo Olympic hopefuls on June 17, 2020, in Athens, Georgia. (Photo/ Kathryn Skeean, kskeean@randb.com)
Luca Urlando sat in the newly assembled pool at Lucas Oil Stadium. After finishing his race, Georgia’s rising fifth-year snapped his head to the scoreboard at the opposite end of the pool, looking for the results. Once he saw them, Urlando embraced 17-year-old Thomas Heilman, who was in the lane next to him. Smiles quickly appeared on their faces, as the two new Olympians soaked in a moment they will never forget.
Almost two years prior, Urlando had to be helped out of the pool after suffering a dislocated shoulder while competing in the 2022 FINA Swimming World Cup. The injury occurred a few miles down the road at the Indiana University Natatorium.
Wednesday night, the 22-year-old finished second in the men’s 200m fly to earn his spot on the Olympic roster. The event was the same one Urlando finished third in during the 2020 trials to narrowly miss the cut.
“I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to swim butterfly again or continue swimming,” Urlando said of his injury. “[To qualify with butterfly] is super special.”
Urlando was one of several Bulldogs to compete, as Georgia swim and dive was well-represented at the 2024 United States Olympic Swimming Trials. The Bulldogs saw 32 current, former and future athletes participate in the eight days of action.
Georgia alumnus Nic Fink was the first Bulldog to earn his spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, as the two-time Olympian won the men’s 100m breaststroke to qualify. Fink is the reigning world champion for the event but is still searching for his first Olympic medal. In the 2020 Summer Games, the former Bulldog finished fifth in the 200m breast.
“It’s the Olympic trials, you never really know who is going to qualify,” Fink said of the talent. “I think we’ve had enough surprises already in the meet to justify that. With as even of a field as it was going into the final, you had to not take anyone for granted.”
Fink quickly got out to a solid lead in the first half of the race. After the flip turn, the level of competition began to show itself, as the rest of the field neared. With about 25 meters left in the swim, Fink pulled away to secure his place in the 2024 Olympics. The victory occurred on Father’s Day, which was fitting for the expecting father.
“I can’t really describe it,” Fink said of the moment. “It’s a really cool feeling.”
In addition to swimming and preparing for his first child, Fink works a full-time job with an engineering company. He said the support of his wife, who is an Olympic gold medalist herself, and others around him allow him to achieve success.
“That’s a win for me, but it’s really a win for everybody in my life,” Fink said. “It takes a village to get this old man this far.”
Urlando was the next Bulldog to earn a spot on the roster, as the No. 1 qualifier gained the middle of pool designation for the finals. Urlando, who broke one of Michael Phelps’ age group records, did not pull into second until late in the race.
Urlando sprinted the final few meters of the race to touch second. In his final lap, the Bulldog surpassed four other swimmers, who appeared to tire out after expending their energy too early. Urlando’s effort punched his ticket to Paris three years after wondering if he would ever swim the stroke again.
“I’m ecstatic,” Urlando said of qualifying for his first Olympics. “It’s been a long journey. I’ve been swimming for 16 years now, [and] the past [four-to-five] years have been turbulent, to say the least. But just taking things one step at a time, one day at a time and really just cherishing this journey and having the best time doing it.”
Chase Kalisz was the final Bulldog to qualify for the U.S. Team, as the three-time Olympian and Georgia alumnus will aim to defend his gold medal in the men’s 400 IM.
The race was a three-headed monster between Kalisz, reigning silver medalist Jay Litherland and top qualifier Carson Foster. After a strong butterfly and backstroke, Foster held a comfortable lead. Entering the third leg, Kalisz had a slight edge over Litherland for second.
The former Bulldog used his best stroke to extend his lead over Litherland and close to the gap on Foster. Kalisz’s powerful breaststroke trimmed Foster’s lead from two seconds to four tenths of a second. The effort left the freestyle laps relatively stress free, as the former Bulldog touched second to earn his third spot on the Olympic roster.
Kalisz’s journey is one that was considered unlikely, as Guillain-Barre syndrome left him paralyzed for about eight months. Kalisz said he was 8 years old at the time of his diagnosis.
“It basically rendered me fully paralyzed for eight months in the ICU,” Kalisz said in 2021. “I had no control of my body. I was on a ventilator and a feeding tube, and I was in an induced coma for about a month.”
Despite his health status, Kalisz had no doubt he would continue swimming.
“There really wasn’t a time during that whole process, even when my parents were wondering if I was going to be alive,” Kalisz said. “My whole headspace and my mindset [was] really ‘What’s the next step? How am I going to achieve my goals?’”
Now, Kalisz is competing in the Olympics along with Urlando, Fink and former Bulldog Javier Acevedo, who made the Canadian roster. All took vastly different paths filled with a variety of setbacks but will culminate on the grand stage of Paris July 26 when the 2024 Summer Games begin.