Earache galore! The Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, was filled with fans cheering on their favorite swimmers as they attempted to secure their spot on the national team for the upcoming Olympics. With Gretchen Walsh setting a new world record in the very first session of the event, the cheering only grew louder, so much so that even Katie Ledecky had to get a grip on her nerves.

The seven-time Olympic gold medalist headed to Indiana with a bid to represent the country at the quadrennial event for the fourth time in a row. Understandably, the stakes were high, and the fans wanted to do their part. But their enthusiasm might have been a little too much for Ledecky’s liking!

Katie Ledecky subject to thunderous applause

After her brilliant 3:58.35 secured her a ticket to Paris, Katie appeared in a conference meeting with journalists to talk about what went down before the women’s 400m free event. “This morning was pretty loud for a prelims,” grinned the Olympian in a YouTube upload by SwimSwam, obviously flying on cloud 9 after her achievement. Taking her place on the starting blocks, the 2023 women’s 800m world champ said she thought the record-making 20,689 attendees would quiet down, only to realize how misplaced her assumption was.

“I thought that the noise had died down and then it got louder again and like I started shaking,” Ledecky was heard saying with a chuckle in the interview. The booming sound fogged her mind and even made her composure falter. “I went down for Take Your Mark and I was like relax Katy relax don’t false start don’t false start don’t false start,” Katie said on how she had to calm herself down. And yet, the experience did have something positive for the national sensation.

Being at the focal point for so many fans, said Ledecky was a pleasure. She mentioned that she “was blown away walking out there and seeing all the fans,” while hoping against all odds that such fanfare could help the sport grow. Considering how things went on the first day of the Olympic Trials, one can assuredly predict such a thing on the horizon, too.

A superb first day of the Team Trials

In the women’s 100m fly race, University of Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh broke Sarah Sjostrom‘s previous record from 2016 by an impressive 0.30 seconds to set a new world record (55.18 seconds). In the first prelims, Walsh went below the 56-second mark for the first time in her career in the long course, but the NCAA phenom went ahead to develop on that time further in the semis. Torri Huske, the only other American to match Walsh’s sub-56-second mark to date, finished the race in second place.

With 3:45.46 on the clock, Aaron Shackell won the final race of the men’s 400m free race. While the tournament doesn’t end yet, and the aspirants will get more chances to secure their spots in Team USA, it’s not likely that Walsh or Ledecky’s mesmerizing performances can be topped by their colleagues this time around.