Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Team USA’s Olympic Trials for swimming are happening this week, and you may have noticed one moment with a swimmer racing alone. If that doesn’t make much sense and you’re curious about why, we’re here to help.
Jake Mitchell’s spot on Team USA’s swim team for the Tokyo Olympics this summer isn’t official yet, but he did everything he could and increased his chances of qualifying at Olympic Trials on Tuesday in Omaha.
And that included the University of Michigan sophomore swimming the 400-meter freestyle by himself, making it very likely that he’ll compete this summer in Tokyo. Let’s break it down…