Michael Brinegar
It appears that Michael Brinegar will have to wait until June’s pool swimming Olympic Trials to have a shot at making the Paris Olympics.
The Columbus native finished 19th in the Open Water 10K on Sunday at the 2024 Aquatics World Championships in Doha, Qatar. The final qualifying spot went to a Polish swimmer who finished just behind Brinegar in 20th place.
The World Aquatics website posted the following explanation:
“As Oceania also had no competing men athletes at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships outside of Australia – which had already qualified the maximum number of two NOC quota positions for the Paris 2024 Games – the Oceania Continental Representation position was similarly allocated to the highest-placing competitor in the open water swimming 10km event for men in Doha whose country was not yet qualified for the Olympics (F.1). In this respect, Poland was reallocated this NOC quota spot.”
Brinegar still can qualify for the 10K Open Water event in Paris, but only if he also qualifies in the 800- or 1,500-meter events in June in Indianapolis. He made it in both of those events in 2021 and competed in the Tokyo Olympics.
On Sunday, Brinegar swam the 10K in 1 hour, 49 minutes, 18.80 seconds. He was the second American finisher.
Brinegar still is in Doha and is set to compete for the United States in the 4×1,250 mixed relay at 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
