COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The TYR Pro Championships will take place at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center July 26 – 29 in Irvine, California.

More than 420 athletes from across the United States and Australia are slated to compete in this long-course meet. Though the World Aquatics Championships are occurring on the other side of the world, plenty of American talent will be on display at these championships, including 26 National Team members and 11 Olympians.

Ahead of the first finals session tonight, here are the stories to watch in Irvine:

• Getting back in the game: Though Olympian Blake Pieroni (Valparaiso, Ind./Indiana Swim Club) announced his retirement last August, he will return to national-level competition at this meet. Olympian Simone Manuel (Sugarland, Texas/Sun Devil Swimming) will also return to competition after forgoing last month’s Phillips 66 National Championships in Indianapolis.
• More opportunities for U.S. Olympic Team Trials cuts: Time and opportunities continue to wind down as athletes work to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming, to be held in Indianapolis in June 2024. 
• Fast 50s: There should be some exciting sprint races with freestyle specialist Olympian Erika (Brown) Connolly (Modesto, Calif./Tennessee Aquatics) and Manuel facing off in the women’s 50m freestyle. The trio of Olympian Michael Andrew (Encinitas, Calif./MA Swim Academy, David Curtiss (Yardley, Pa./Wolfpack Elite/NC State) and Olympian Brooks Curry (Atlanta, Ga./Dynamo Swim Club) should make for some strong racing on the men’s side.
• Picking up where they left off: Despite a disqualification in the women’s 400m individual medley preliminaries at the Phillips 66 National Championships, Olympian Emma Weyant (Sarasota, Fla./Sarasota Sharks/University of Florida) gets another crack at the podium in Irvine. Kaitlyn Dobler (Aloha, Ore./Trojan Swim Club), Kelly Pash (Carmel, Ind./Longhorn Aquatics) and Olympian Phoebe Bacon (Chevy Chase, Md./Nation’s Capital Swim Club/University of Wisconsin) all posted strong swims in Indianapolis and look to bring that momentum to Irvine.

All sessions will be streamed on www.usaswimming.org/watch. Prelims take place Thursday through Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. PT with finals at 5 p.m. PT for the Wednesday-Saturday sessions. 

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