Grothe vies for spot on Olympic swim team
Zane Grothe, a 2010 Boulder City High School graduate, remains in the running to be on the U.S. Olympic swimming team.
Grothe is competing in the Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, this week but has yet to make the finals. He is participating in the 200-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle and 1,500-meter freestyle events.
He did not make the finals in the 200-meter and 400-meter events, but he still has a chance to make the Olympic team in the 400-meter because no other man swam the minimum time of 3:46.78 to qualify for the Olympics. According to international rules, that time must be swum at a meet between March 1, 2019, and June 27, 2021, and he swam a 3:45.76 at the 2019 World Championships.
He came in 11th place in the preliminary heats for the 400-meter race with a time of 3:50.80.
Grothe tied for 13th place in the preliminary heats for the 200-meter race with a time of 1:47.63 and was a reserve for the final heat with a qualifying time of 1:47.26.
He is also competing in the 800-meter freestyle and 1,500-meter freestyle events. The 800-meter final is today, June 17. The preliminaries for the 1,500-meter are Saturday, June 19, and the final is Sunday, June 20.
The top eight finishers from the preliminary races make the final, and the top two of the finals make the Olympic team.
“This is the seventh time I’ve been on the national team, sixth time consecutively,” he said in 2020. “It’s always an honor to represent the United States and USA Swimming in this way. Making the Olympics has always been my biggest goal. It would be a dream come true to be able to represent the United States on the biggest stage.”
At age 29, Grothe is one of the oldest competitors.
“I believe I’ll be the oldest potential Olympian in all of my races,” he said. “I do take pride in the fact that I’m still competing at this level at this age.”
Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.
