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As she sat inside Lucas Oil Stadium, answering questions from media members on the eve of the kickoff to U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, Lilly King couldn’t help but make a movie reference.
King, an Indiana University alumni and five-time gold medalist, compared the complexity of swimming in a pool built within an NFL stadium—a first for the sport—to a scene from the 1986 film “Hoosiers,” in which Gene Hackman measures the dimensions of Hinkle Fieldhouse before Milan’s championship game appearance.
Her point: Despite the size of the stage, the fundamentals are the same for the athletes jumping into the pool.
In the film, she said, “They measure everything, and it’s the same measurements as their basketball court at home.
“So that’s all it is. I’ve been in the competition pool once, and I know the walls like the back of my hand. It’s the same Myrtha [brand] pool that has been in every other Olympic trials … so it really feels the same for me. It’s always 50 meters.”
She said she doesn’t expect sight-lines from the pool to be much different than what she’s experienced in the past, whether at the Olympics, the World Swimming Championships or at past trials, which have been held in Omaha since 2008. Because she’s always looking at the bottom of the pool, the larger venue won’t affect her performance, she said.
King is a favorite to secure a spot on Team USA for multiple races. She said Indianapolis will be her swan song participating in the trials, as Paris will be her final Olympic Games.
“I will be watching [the 2028 games] in Los Angeles, and I’m good with that decision,” she said. “I will not be done after this summer, but I will not be going another four years. I’ll be cheering on” Team USA.
Dozens of swimmers with Indiana ties are expected to participate in the swim trials, which will run June 15-23. On Saturday, Indianapolis will attempt to break the world record for most fans attending a swimming event.
Officials with USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport, told IBJ they are confident that record will be achieved, although thousands of tickets are still available for each day of programming. Morning sessions include preliminary races, or heats, while evening sessions are for finals and semifinals.
Saturday’s heats include the women’s 100m butterfly and 400m freestyle, as well as the men’s 100m breaststroke and 400m freestyle. The Finals will include the women’s 100m butterfly semifinals, 400m freestyle finals for men and women, and the semifinals for the men’s 100m breaststroke.
Cody Miller, a two-time gold medalist for Team USA who also swam for IU, said at 32 years old, he understands he faces an uphill battle in securing a spot on the team. But he added that part of the allure to the trials is that it brings so many swimmers together.
“It’s like a big party, a big reunion and having those those fun memories and being able to see those people again, it kind of made all the years of grinding worth it,” he said. “And to swim in an NFL stadium—this is the coolest meet in history in my opinion, and I love it.”
Miller, who in 2016 became the first IU swimmer to make the Olympics swim team in 40 years, said he considers the trials to be the most special event the sport has to offer—even more so than the Olympics themselves.
“The pressure, the gauntlet that is being successful at this meet, it’s magic, and everyone that’s standing on deck can feel it, and you can see it,” he said. “And that doesn’t exist anywhere else, because of how coveted the spots that people are vying for on this team are. Even just the last couple of years, knowing that I get to be here to witness and be a part of this—take making a team or getting the best time … off the table—just to be a part of it, on the deck, it’s special.”
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