MISSOULA — Katharine Berkoff is back to attempt to qualify for the Olympics for the first time after narrowly missing out in her previous try.
The Missoula native will participate in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which will be held from June 15-23 in Indianapolis. The competition will take place in a 50-meter temporary pool at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
Berkoff, aged 23, will compete in the women’s 100-meter backstroke, 100 freestyle, and 50 free. She needs to finish in the top two in an event to qualify for the Paris Olympics this summer. Up to six swimmers qualify in the 100 free for relay purposes.
Katharine Berkoff, left, is congratulated by Regan Smith after winning the women’s 50-meter backstroke at U.S. nationals in Indianapolis June 29, 2023. On June 30, Berkoff took second in the 100 backstroke and Smith took first.
The 100 back is her specialty. She holds the No. 2 seed time at 58.01 seconds. The heats and semifinals are scheduled for June 17, and the finals will take place on June 18.
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She is seeded 14th in the 100 free (54.27) and 25th in the 50 free (25.26). The 100 free heats and semis are on June 18, with the finals scheduled for June 19. The 50 free heats and semis will take place on June 22, with the finals on June 23.
The preliminary heats can be streamed at 9 a.m. MT on Peacock. USA Network will televise the prelims again the same day prior to the semifinals and finals. NBC and Peacock will air the semis and finals starting at 6 p.m. MT.
She and Billings’ Liam Kerns are the Montana swimmers who have qualified for the Trials this year.
Berkoff faced disappointment when she missed out on the Tokyo Games in 2021, which had been postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic. At the age of 20, she finished fourth in the 100 back at the Trials that year.
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