University of Minnesota Athletics
Becker Punches Ticket to Tokyo at Wave II of Olympic Trials
6/20/2021 8:34:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS - Sunday night's final session of Wave II of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials was a memorable one for Minnesota Gophers alum Bowe Becker, as the sprint freestyle star was finally able to punch his ticket to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics later this summer. Becker will join Team USA as a member of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
The Las Vegas, Nev. product's selection came following the conclusion of the trials Sunday night, when Team USA announced their final roster for the upcoming games.
"Bowe has prepared so well this year," said Gophers head coach Kelly Kremer. "He's believed in what he's doing and followed our plan. Saying I am proud of and happy for him doesn't cover it. He's an Olympian! That pretty much says it all."
A "double" occurs whenever a swimmer, who has already earned an automatic bid in an event, earns a second automatic bid in a second event. In order for Team USA to have the Olympic roster space available to bring a fifth swimmer for the relay, there would need to occur seven doubles throughout the trials.
By the end of Sunday's final, the U.S. had reached 10 total doubles, securing Becker his first ever spot on an Olympic roster and bringing his dreams into reality.
The announcement makes Becker the first Gopher to qualify for an Olympic squad since gold medal winner and Gophers legend David Plummer did so in 2016. He is also the 17th Gopher male to make an Olympic squad for any country, and the 11th since 2000.
Not to be outshone by the Olympic selection, Becker also competed in his second final event of the trials Sunday night as he took on the men's 50-meter free finals. There, Becker set his third straight personal best performance in the event as he touched fourth overall in a time of 21.78.
The Las Vegas, Nev. product's selection came following the conclusion of the trials Sunday night, when Team USA announced their final roster for the upcoming games.
"Bowe has prepared so well this year," said Gophers head coach Kelly Kremer. "He's believed in what he's doing and followed our plan. Saying I am proud of and happy for him doesn't cover it. He's an Olympian! That pretty much says it all."
Though the selection had not become a reality until the conclusion of Sunday's final session, it was actually a result of another race which had taken place three days prior, the men's 100m freestyle final. There, Becker touched the wall fifth overall in a personal best time of 48.22, just missing the automatic qualifying bid for both the individual and relay events. As a result, in order for Becker to join Team USA as a member of the relay team, there would need to occur a specific amount of "doubles" in the men's events at the 2021 trials.Bowe Becker, Olympian ✨
— Minnesota Swimming & Diving (@GopherSwimDive) June 21, 2021
Wow does that have a nice ring to it! Congrats Bowe, can't wait to see you repping the U.S. in Tokyo later this summer!! 😎#Gophers // #OlympiansMadeHere 〽️ pic.twitter.com/Oib1oJ1qNr
A "double" occurs whenever a swimmer, who has already earned an automatic bid in an event, earns a second automatic bid in a second event. In order for Team USA to have the Olympic roster space available to bring a fifth swimmer for the relay, there would need to occur seven doubles throughout the trials.
By the end of Sunday's final, the U.S. had reached 10 total doubles, securing Becker his first ever spot on an Olympic roster and bringing his dreams into reality.
The announcement makes Becker the first Gopher to qualify for an Olympic squad since gold medal winner and Gophers legend David Plummer did so in 2016. He is also the 17th Gopher male to make an Olympic squad for any country, and the 11th since 2000.
Not to be outshone by the Olympic selection, Becker also competed in his second final event of the trials Sunday night as he took on the men's 50-meter free finals. There, Becker set his third straight personal best performance in the event as he touched fourth overall in a time of 21.78.
The Tokyo Olympic games will be held from July 23 to August 8, while the swimming events will all take place from July 24 - Aug 1. All swimming events will be competed in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.It's a fourth place finish (21.78) for @bowe_becker as he rounds off his #SwimTrials21 meet!!! ✨#Gophers // #MINNdset 〽️ pic.twitter.com/qXD4k9DH23
— Minnesota Swimming & Diving (@GopherSwimDive) June 21, 2021
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