OMAHA, Neb. – Former UC Santa Barbara swimmer Jason Lezak qualified for his fourth Olympic Games on Friday evening after finishing sixth in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha. He will swim on the U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay at the London Olympic Games.
“It’s a great feeling because I’ve learned a lot, and hopefully I can be a team leader and help these guys swim fast,” Lezak said.
Lezak touched the wall in 48.88 seconds to earn his spot on the team. The Olympic gold medalist nearly missed out on his chance at the 2012 games when he finished ninth in the 100 free semifinals, one place out of the eight-man final, but Ryan Lochte scratched from the event, making room for the former Gaucho.
“He’s got two other events tonight, he said there was no way he could do it,” Lezak said. “Fortunately I could get in there and get the opportunity.”
Fellow UCSB alum Katy Freeman competed in the 200 breaststroke semifinal on Friday and finished 11th with a time of 2:27.91. She narrowly missed making her first Olympic Trials final, trailing the eighth-place finisher by just .70 seconds.
For complete U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials results, click here.
