U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - SWIMMING

June 22, 2024

Abbey Weitzeil

Erika Connolly

Anna Peplowski

Lucas Oil Stadium

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have Erika Connolly, Anna Peplowski, and Ms. Abbey Weitzeil.

Q. Abbey, how does it feel?

ABBEY WEITZEIL: Hi. I'm surprised I'm be not crying right now. I think I used up all my tears earlier in the week. It feels amazing. I'm honored to call myself a three-time Olympian. It's a dream, and I've still got work to do tomorrow, but I'm beyond words.

I've had such an emotional week watching people from my team, and I swear I was watching finals in the stands one night, and I was crying every race. I was so happy to see everyone make the team, so it's an emotional ride, and I'm beyond words for myself as well so I'm excited.

Q. Can you others offer the same comments?

ANNA PEPLOWSKI: I agree. It's been a roller coaster of a week, reaching the end of the week. It's been an amazing experience being alongside great people. It's awesome.

ERIKA CONNOLLY: I think for me this time is very special making it because it's been such an uphill battle. This past year has been very difficult. Dealing with the injury and coming back and finding my love of racing again, and being able to make the team is special.

Q. Abbey, talk about how big this year is with obviously planning a wedding and trying to make your third Olympic Team. What have been the struggles and what have been the joys of having that all kind of happen in a close proximity of time?

ABBEY WEITZEIL: I think this year is huge for me in such amazing ways, and I think planning a wedding has been kind of like a gateway for me. I love that kind of stuff. I love organizing and all of that. It's been something fun for me to do, and I've had a long time to do it so no stress on that. Preparing for this meet has been throwing everything I have into the pool every day. My 100 isn't something I was expecting for, wanting, so it did take me a day to reset, take a breath, appreciate what I have done, get myself on the team again and move on to my next race.

So I think throwing everything I have into this year emotionally, physically, and just riding out the summer for sure, and excited to be part of Team USA again.

Q. Erika, seems like you refound the lover of racing just at the right time. You had five 100 Freestyles in the course of -- not very long. Can you walk us through that and where you were at mentally and physically throughout those swim-offs, throughout the final, and then emotionally after it was all finished?

ERIKA CONNOLLY: Yeah, I think I was actually in a good place just coming into the meet. My faith has just given me such peace, especially about a month out. I just got this large sense of peace coming into the meet that no matter what happened, I knew I was going to be okay, and if that's God's will of my life, then it would be what's best.

As the meet went on, I obviously tied twice, and I had five opportunities to swim that 100 Freestyle. Looking back and being able to soak it in the past couple of days, it's been a blessing because I've spent a year frustrated with my races.

I just had 5 opportunities to remind myself of what I'm capable of.

Q. Abbey, who will bring the cowbell to Paris, and how much did Cate Campbell's comments resonate as motivation?

ABBEY WEITZEIL: We're all bringing the cowbell. Whenever comments are made about your country or your jobs, it's all competitive, and I think we all are competitive, our competitive side comes out, so we're all bringing the cowbell, extra loud!

Q. Anna, you and I have talked about when you found out you made the World Championship team you were eating Panda Express. What you were you doing when you found out you made the Olympic Team this time?

ANNA PEPLOWSKI: Wow, actually before I swam my coaches were joking around with me about things their kids do and how like one of the 4 year old kids cussed out one of my coaches, like her dad, and I was so beyond thinking about what they were trying to tell me, I was focused on my race. I wasn't eating Panda Express this time, but maybe that's good luck. Just going into the race, I was thinking about staying loose, trusting my training and everything and everybody that's got me to this point.

It was just a really special experience seeing 5th by my name compared to last year when I saw 7th by my name, so it was a huge improvement and it was awesome.

Q. Abbey, how tough is trying to make a third team when you are -- kinda compare from the past teams, obviously everybody is older this time around. Everything that you do is bit different, you are more of a leader on the squad now. How did you prepare differently maybe even mentally for this week?

ABBEY WEITZEIL: Yeah, I think Trials -- this is my fourth Trials. My very first Trials in 2012 I'm really young, coming to experience it, and look back to 2016, I was the girl with nothing to lose. I was the newbie out there tying to make her first Olympic Team, and then you go to '21, and it was a weird year for everyone, but I put a lot of pressure on myself to do what I was expected to do, to do what I had done before, and I came into this Trails with more of that same pressure, more pressure on myself, not from the outside world, put more pressure on myself, expecting the best. I think mentally I was ready to go.

Physically I was training so well, and I didn't see it in the pool. I haven't seen it in the pool yet, so it's a little frustrating, but -- finding a real spot in my favorite race. So approaching it as it comes, and it's not what I have wanted so far, but how do I turn that around.