Matt Grevers was presenting an award at USA Swimming’s annual awards gala, the Golden Goggles, with his Olympic teammate Nathan Adrian. The two Olympic gold medallists read from the teleprompter: "The 2024 US Olympic Trials are going to be held at the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts."
"This is incredible," Grevers told Adrian. "I just want to swim in a football stadium." Adrian thought his teammate was kidding about making a comeback and wondered if his friend or even he could possibly swim fast enough to qualify.
At 15, Grevers swam the 200m backstroke at the 2000 Olympic Trials in his first attempt to make the U.S. Olympic team at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis. As both of his parents were from the Netherlands, he had once spoken with Dutch swimming legend Pieter van den Hoogenband about representing the Netherlands at the Olympics. This would be an easier path to the Olympic Games for a backstroke specialist. Ultimately, he decided to represent the United States and competed at his second U.S. trials held in an outdoor venue in Long Beach, California, in 2004.
For the next 13 years, Grevers raced in four consecutive trials at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Temporary pools for warm-up and competition events were built on the arena floor, replacing the hardwood floors and placing them atop the Jet Ice makers. The indoor venue, which typically hosts basketball games, ice hockey games, professional wrestling events, concerts, and the annual shareholders' meeting of Omaha-based conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, was transformed into the largest temporary swimming venue in the USA from 2008 to 2021.
Grevers, a 2007 graduate of Northwestern University, was selected to the U.S. Olympic swimming teams in 2008 and again in 2012 after finishing in the top two in the backstroke events at the first two editions in Omaha. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Grevers won two gold medals and earned a silver medal in the 100m backstroke at the Water Cube in his first Olympic Games. At the London 2012 Olympic Games, he struck gold in the 100m backstroke and again in the 4x100m medley relay; he also earned a silver medal in the 400m freestyle relay.
Four years later, at the 2016 Trials in Omaha, Grevers missed qualifying for his third Olympic Games, finishing third in the 100m back. In 2021, he completed his fourth consecutive Trials in Omaha, finishing sixth in the 100m backstroke in what he thought would be his final effort to qualify for an Olympic-bound Team USA.
Meanwhile, USA Swimming sought a larger venue for the 2024 trials and established even faster qualifying times in many events. The seating capacity in Omaha was approximately 15,000 fans, but the prospective venue for the June 2024 trials in Indianapolis offered a capacity of between 30,000 and 35,000 fans. The idea of a first-ever U.S. Olympic swimming trial in an NFL stadium suddenly became a reality; indeed, it was an achievable goal for many dedicated athletes and something added to Grevers' "bucket list."
"I just happened to be in a situation where I could put a little more time on myself and feel selfish," said Grevers, who trained for about six months after a three-year retirement. "I was curious how fast I could go with almost no training, and it wasn't that fast. So, I had to start swimming a little more seriously, but it was fun. I added more intensity with the sprint training and went kind of fast. It is cool to know at age 39, my body still has it." Grevers set his sights on swimming even faster to achieve the 2024 Trials cut of 22.79.
His wife Annie and their three children, ages seven, four, and one, cheered him on at the meet, where he swam 22.50 to qualify in the 50m freestyle less than a month before the entry deadline. His qualifying time was his fastest since December 2015, and he entered the trials as the 35th seed. At the trials built for the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team, he would swim in a heat where all but one of his rivals was born after 2000; two were 20 years younger.
Walking on deck at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Olympic gold medallist marvelled at the set-up for the 9-day U.S. Olympic selection event: "It felt like a homecoming being in this environment; racing without any pressure is refreshing." With his parents among the 15,080 spectators, Grevers' morning preliminary time was 22.82, not among the top 16 swimmers to advance to the semifinals. Grevers time tied with a 17-year-old competing at his first Olympic trials for 47th across the 82 swimmers in his event.
Grevers took time to recognize the spectators' appreciation for his single race. "I am just here to have fun and swim as fast as I can. People are rooting for the old guys." He offered his admiration for Gabrielle Rose, who advanced to the semifinals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events at age 46, the oldest swimmer competing in the trials. "Gabby's cheer was one of the loudest of the meet. The love of the sport goes a long way,"
Grevers didn't close the door on his swimming career. Perhaps he will aim for his eighth Olympic Trials. "In four more years, maybe Nathan will come back and do it with me," said the Olympic champion.