Las Vegas swimmer upsets 7-time Olympic gold medalist

Claire Weinstein, who swims for the Sandpipers of Nevada, last week became the first American in nine years to defeat seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky in the 200-meter freestyle.

Weinstein, 16, rallied to beat Ledecky to win the national title June 28 at the U.S. Swimming Championships in Indianapolis. Weinstein finished in 1:55.26 to Ledecky’s 1:55.28.

“It feels amazing,” Weinstein told NBC Sports after the race. “I just wanted to make the (world championship) team again.”

Weinstein was one of six swimmers from the Sandpipers who participated in the national championships. Weinstein, Bella Sims, Katie Grimes and Macky Hodges helped the Sandpipers to a second-place women’s team finish at the event.

Weinstein, Sims and Grimes have qualified for the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, this month. Santiago Gutierrez, a male swimmer for the Sandpipers, also qualified for the world championships and will represent Mexico.

“We’re very grateful to have such hard-working kids on our team,” Sandpipers assistant coach Jake Des Roches said. “When we do go to championship meets like this, there’s something beyond your place at the line like a spot on international trips representing team United States.”

Luke Ellis and Dillon Wright participated on the men’s side, as did former Sandpiper and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Cody Miller.

Weinstein trailed Ledecky by less than three-tenths of a second on the final turn and rallied in the final 50 meters to edge her at the finish.

“That one is certainly a very special race,” Des Roches said. “It’s something that our team believes in is that if you have a lane, you have a chance. That was a good example of Claire’s hard work and effort paying off in a race.”

Weinstein was third in the 800 freestyle in 8:21.00. She will participate in the 200 freestyle and 4x200 freestyle relay at the world championships.

Sims, a silver medalist in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2020 Olympics, finished third behind Weinstein and Ledecky in the 200 freestyle and second to Ledecky in the 400 freestyle. Sims, 18, will participate in the 400 freestyle and 4x200 freestyle relay in Japan.

Grimes, 17, won the 400 IM (4:33.80) and finished second to Ledecky in the 1,500 freestyle (15:58.34). She will participate in the 400 IM, 1,500 freestyle and 10-kilometer open water race at the world championships. She won silver medals in the 400-meter medley and 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2022 world championships.

Weinstein finished second to Ledecky in the 200 freestyle at the 2022 U.S. world championship trials, which qualified Weinstein for the world championship last summer in Hungary.

Weinstein helped the U.S. win the gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2022 world championships with Ledecky, Sims and Leah Smith.

Weinstein was a part of the Sandpipers’ 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relay team with Hodges, Sims and Grimes that set national age group records with times of 3:13.15 and 6:52.66 at the Winter Junior Championships in December.

Former Sandpipers Ilya Kharun, representing Canada, and brothers Dylan and Brennan Gravley, representing the U.S., will also swim at the world championships.

After the world championships, the Sandpipers will prepare for the 2023-24 swim season in the fall. Des Roches said there will be a shift of focus for the swimmers who are beginning their journeys to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Thinking about the Olympics next year, it’s a really good sign to see the kids swimming so fast one year ahead of time,” he said.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.