MODESTO, Calif. — A Modesto native is heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games to compete in the Women's 4x100 freestyle relay.
Erika Connolly (née Brown) will compete alongside Gretchen Walsh, Simone Manuel and Abbey Weitzeil. She won't compete in an individual event.
"This past year and a half has been filled with disappointment and heartache, but God continued to provide such peace and joy through it all," Connolly wrote in an Instagram post.
The 25-year-old clinched her spot in the 4x100 freestyle relay by winning a swim-off against Catie DeLoof after the pair tied with a time of 53.86 in the finals. She finished with a time of 53.76 in the swim-off, beating DeLoof by 0.04 seconds to take the sixth spot in the relay.
It wasn't the only swim-off Connolly competed in during trials. She beat Anna Moesch in a swim-off to earn her spot in the 100-meter freestyle final.
Only 26 men and 26 women can make the pool team, according to USA Swimming.
Spots on the U.S. Olympic team are first reserved for those who get first place in each event and the top 4 in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle events for the relays, according to USA Swimming.
The sixth-place finishers in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle qualify for the team if spots remain after the second-place finishers in individual events make the team and fifth-place finishers in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle qualify for the team as relay-only swimmers.
She said in the lead-up to Team USA Trials that this would be her final time trying to qualify for the Olympics.
Other California swimmers heading to the Olympics include Luca Urlando from Sacramento in the 200-meter butterfly and Abbey Weitzeil from Santa Clarita in the 4x100 freestyle relay.
U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials were from June 15 to June 23 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Usually the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, the stadium was transformed with a temporary pool in the middle of the field.
Find the full list of the 2024 Olympic swim team HERE.
Watch more on ABC10 | Folsom native going to the Summer Olympics in Paris
