INDIANAPOLIS — Former Tennessee swimmer Erika Connolly has qualified for a spot on Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics as a member of the 400-meter freestyle relay team.
Connolly competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won a silver medal in the 4x100 medley and a bronze medal in the 4x100 freestyle.
She said in the lead-up to Team USA Trials that this would be her final time trying to qualify for the Olympics.
”If I get to the point where I make the team, it will mean more because I’ve had to work through that," she told WBIR. "And I can kind of sign off with my best.”
In a celebratory Instagram post, Connolly thanked University of Tennessee swim coach Matt Kredich.
"Thank you [Matt Kredich] for believing in me even when I doubted, helping me find joy in racing again, and continuing to be there in the face of unimaginable pain. This one is for Ben," Connolly said.
Kredich's son died tragically after being hit by a car while walking on a sidewalk.