Michael Brinegar likely is headed for Tokyo.
The 21-year-old Columbus resident and Indiana University redshirt sophomore all but punched his ticket to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Thursday night with a second-place finish in the 800-meter freestyle at swimming’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. The top two in each event normally make the Olympic team, although selections are not final until the end of the trials.
Brinegar was in third place, 85-hundreths of a second out of second place, with 100 meters remaining. But he used a furious finishing kick to move into second about 20 meters before the finish.
“He is a finisher. He’s a closer,” said Ray Looze, his college coach at IU. “He was a body length behind, and he had a huge finish. Michael just followed his plan.”
Bobby Finke won the race in 7 minutes, 48.22 seconds. Brinegar edged Ross Dant 7:49.94 to 7:50.66 for the second spot.
“It was really exciting,” said Brinegar’s mother Jennifer. “He does like to bring that last 50 home. It was a great race. The other guys in it are all really good. They’re good friends, so it’s a little bittersweet when you’re friends with them and their parents. I think those other guys in that 800 will be around in three years.”
Jennifer Brinegar is a former Olympian herself, having swam for the U.S. in the 1976 Games in Montreal.
“I’ve never really talked with him about the Olympics or having that as a goal,” Jennifer said. “When it’s an Olympic sport, that’s in the back of the mind of every swimmer. He’s very passionate about the sport and loves to compete and loves to win.”
Since the end of his college season at IU, Michael has been in southern California training with his club team, the Mission Viejo Nadadores, where he spent his final three years of high school and his sophomore year of college.
“He’s been training with (coach Mark) Schubert out in California, and he wasn’t in great shape, but within a week, according to his coach, he was swimming great sets and dominating every aspect of the workout,” Jennifer said. “So it does all come together.”
Looze credited Schubert with getting Michael ready for the trials.
“Coach Schubert did a great job with him last year, when he took the year off from college, so coach Schubert deserves a huge amount of credit,” Looze said.
Jennifer and her husband Jamie and Michael are staying at same place in Omaha that they stayed in 2016, when Michael first competed in the trials.
“He has done nothing but eat the whole time here,” Jennifer said. “He was really skinny. We couldn’t afford to have him stay in a hotel and have him eat five meals a day there, so we have him with us like we did five years ago.”
Michael will look to qualify for Tokyo in another event when he swims the 1,500 freestyle prelims Saturday morning and final Sunday night. Like he was in the 800 freestyle, he is the No. 4 seed in the 1,500.
“I worry about it a little bit because once you’ve made the team, sometimes you have a little bit of a letdown,” Jennifer said. “We’ll just have to see how he handles the 1,500 since that’s a better event for him. If he doesn’t make the 1,500, hopefully he’ll learn and in three years, get back and get focused.”
Looze was a little surprised to see Brinegar make it in the 800.
“It’s a huge upset in a good way for Michael Brinegar,” Looze said. “If you ask anybody if they thought he was going to make the 800 … I think Michael believed without question. He has a heart as big as the state of Indiana, and he has good genes, too. I’m so happy for him. The (1,500) is a better event for him, so we’re excited.”
