The elite of the United States swimming corps will return to Georgia Tech University’s McCauley Aquatic Center in December for the 2019 U.S. Winter National Swimming Championships.
Veterans of the circuit and teenage prospects alike will compete for national pride. Not to mention this year’s Nationals hold special significance with a chance to qualify for Olympic Trials. A little more than one year remains until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the Olympic Trials are set to take place from Friday, June 21 to Friday, June 28 of that year.
The U.S. Winter Nationals will be the last major event in 2019 where swimmers will have an opportunity to post a time meeting the Olympic Trials standard, per SwimSwam.com. Next year’s Summer Games are scheduled to begin on Friday, July 24, 2020.
U.S. Winter National Swimming Championship Records
World-record holder and five-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky, 21, was the star of the 2018 U.S. Winter Nationals and came away with three wins in the women’s 200 metres, 400 metres and 800 metres. Unsurprisingly, her times were enough to mean she’s already made the cut for the Olympic Trials and without doubt lead to her third Summer Games in Japan.
It’s been three years since the U.S. Winter Nationals were last held at the McCauley Aquatic Center. It was built for use during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Jacob Pebley, 25. He represented Team Elite at the 2018 U.S. Winter Nationals and won the 200 metres with a time of one minute and 49.33 seconds. It was his personal best and more than a second under the Olympic Trials cut of one minute and 50.79 seconds.
Simone Manuel won gold medals in the 100 metres and 4×100-metre relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She followed that up with victories in the 50 metres and 100 metres in North Carolina last year but finished a body’s length off Ledecky’s pace in the 200 metres.
Schedule & TV Streaming
This 2019 championships will take place over four days, from Wednesday, December 4 to Saturday, December 7. NBCSports.com provided live-stream coverage for last year’s swimming competition and could be expected to resume their broadcast in 2019.
Betting & Odds
You can bet on 2019 U.S. Winter National Swimming Championship at sportsbooks and online bookmakers in the UK and New Jersey, US: William Hill, BetAmerica, Ladbrokes, Betfair. Betting odds (winner outright) are normally available 3 weeks prior the event and can be compared at Oddschecker.
Past Championships
Ledecky dominated the 800 metres last year in a time of eight minutes and 14.40 seconds, setting a new record for the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina in the process. She did the same in the 200 metres (1:55:32) and 400 metres (4:00:35).
Where to Get Tickets
Ticket information for the 2019 U.S. Winter Nationals is yet to be released, but monitor the events page at USASwimmming.org for updates and announcements. Ticketmaster.com will also provide search options to purchase tickets when they become available.
More Information
The likelihood is that 2019 U.S. Winter Nationals will retain the long-course, 50-metre format used in last year’s competition as the build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics intensifies.
Photo by Mia Gracia Tabili
