Sutton 1 Race Away from Another Olympic Spot

Three days after earning a national team spot on the 400-meter freestyle, swimmer Chloe Sutton of the Mission Viejo Nadadores is one race away from securing another spot after qualifying Saturday for the final heat of the 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Sutton swam to a second-place finish in the fifth heat, falling one 200th of a second behind Gillian Ryan with a final time of 8:29.01, the fourth-fastest time overall out of the qualifying heats.

Prior to the race, coach Bill Rose gave Chloe Sutton a game plan not only to qualify, but also to conserve energy for the final race: Swim a negative split, finish faster than 8:30, and show some speed in the final 100 meters. Sutton followed all the instructions as she began the race at an easy pace.

Despite going head to head with Gillian Ryan throughout the race, Sutton stayed with her game plan instead of trying to outswim Ryan. Sutton went full speed toward the end of the race, recording a meet-leading 1:00.48 in the final 100 meters.

“She is very happy that she did exactly what's expected to do and didn't lose too much energy,” Rose said.

Sutton will swim the final heat Sunday in hopes of finishing in the top two to qualify for the Olympics. She will be facing formidable opponents, including Kate Ziegler, a world record holder in the 1500-meters, and Kathleen Ledecky, the 15-year old whom Sutton barely beat out for second place by less than nine-tenths of a second in the 400-meter qualifying final.

“They are fantastic,” Rose said about the competition. “You're talking about some of the best girls in the world. You're talking Kate Ziegler, who was number three in the world, and Ledecky who is the bright and shining star in the scene.”

You can catch the 800-meter freestyle final tomorrow during the evening session, which will be aired on NBC Sports at 3 p.m.