INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Aaron Shackell celebrated his Olympic dream by throwing his goggles and swim cap to the ground Saturday night.
Alex Shackell fully anticipated the move as she watched her brother competing from the warm-up pool just a short walk away. Their proud parents, meanwhile, were part of a record-breaking indoor swim meet crowd, taking it all in.
For the Shackells, Father’s Day weekend and the first day of the U.S. Olympic trials started perfectly.
Aaron Shackell became the first American to qualify for the Paris Games by winning his race with a time of 3 minutes, 45.46 seconds — just minutes after his sister qualified for the women’s 100 butterfly final on Sunday night.
“I think a lot of people get nervous when they look at 20,000 people in a stadium and I think for me, it makes me go fast,” Aaron Shackel said. “I’ve always dreamed of performing in a basketball arena, a football stadium and swimming, you know, hasn’t always had the opportunity to put on a show in front of 20,000. It’s everything to me.”