The appearance of Michael Phelps and the rise of Katie Ledecky (pictured above) are the chief storylines for Wednesday's Day 4 of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.Phelps has already established himself as a swimming legend, having won 18 Olympic gold medals over the course of the three previous Summer Games. With Phelps' career nearing an end, the 19-year-old Ledecky is seen as the future of U.S. swimming. She has a chance to distinguish herself as Phelps' successor as America's next great swimmer.The finals in three events will be held Wednesday evening: the women's 200 freestyle, the men's 200 butterfly and the women's 200 individual medley. All three have their elements of intrigue, as does the men's 100 freestyle semifinals, which also will be run Wednesday evening.Several questions need to be answered, and will provide specific things to look for Wednesday.Can Phelps still dominate'Michael Phelps is competing in his fifth Olympic trials. He is not the one-man wrecking crew he was in 2004, 2008 and 2012, but he still has a good shot at winning medals in Rio de Janeiro. His first chance to earn an Olympic berth comes on Wednesday in his best event, the 200-meter butterfly.But does he have the same laser focus he had in years past' Phelps turns 31 on Thursday and he is now a father.He had announced prior to the 2012 Olympics that he would retire after the London Games, but decided in 2014to returnfor another go at the Olympics, as noted by Cindy Boren of the Washington Post. He was banned by USA Swimming for six months in 2014 after a DUI incident, according to the Post.Will all that has happened to him in the past four years erode his competitive desire'Phelps did not compete in the 400 individual medley at these trials, after winning Olympic gold twice in that event. Presumably he is saving himself for the events in which he feels most comfortable, such as Wednesday's 200-meter butterfly, his signature event. He won the Olympic gold medal in that event in 2004 and 2008 and missed winning it again in 2012 by a fingernail.Phelps had the fastest time in Tuesday's 200-meter butterfly semifinals and will be the solid favorite to finish first in Wednesday's finals. Jack Conger, assumed to be Phelps' only real threat in this event, barely qualified for the final, posting the seventh-fastest time in the semifinals. However, Phelps' time and performance will be judged against his past performances in this event. He still holds the world record of1:51.51 set in 2009. You would not expect him to come close to that time this year, but the arc of his career will be measured by what he does in Omaha. A good race on Wednesday may mean more medals in Rio.Can Ledecky take the pressure'Katie Ledecky is viewed as America's next swimming superstar, an athlete capable of winning Olympic gold medals in the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle events in Rio. Debbie Meyer won gold in all three events in 1968, but no one has done it before or since, according to Swimming World.But Ledecky is just 19 years old, and the pressure of expectations could be a burden.She won the Olympic gold medal in the 800 four years ago as a 15-year-old, but 15-year-olds haven't learned what pressure is yet, and the expectations for 2016 have been building ever since.Ledecky qualified for the Olympics in the 400 freestyle on Monday with an impressive race, but that does little to relieve the pressure to qualify in Wednesday's 200 final. In fact, that may have ratcheted up the pressure to succeed as the goal of triple freestyle gold becomes more attainable. More to the point, the 200 looks to be Ledecky's toughest challenge of the three distances. Besides being the weakest of her three specialties, the 200-meter final features an outstanding field. A very good swimmer is not going to quailfy for the Olympics in this event.Ledecky is the favorite by virtue of her victory in the 200 freestyle in last year's World Championships and the fact that she had the fastest time in Tuesday's semifinals. However, Missy Franklin, the 2013 world champion in the 200 freestyle, andAllison Schmitt, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, are in this event as well, making things sticky for Ledecky. Although Ledecky only needs to finish in the top two to qualify for Rio, her chances for gold will be gauged by how she performs.Will DiRado displace Ledecky as darling of the trials'Maya DiRado is providing hints that she, not Ledecky, could emerge from these trials as the women's star.DiRado won the 400 individual medley in impressive style on Sunday, beating 2012 Olympic silver medalistElizabeth Beisel by more than three seconds. Suddenly DiRado has taken some of the attention from Franklin and Ledecky, and if DiRado can capture the women's 200 individual medley on Wednesday she could become the hot item. Part of her appeal is her story. DiRado finished fourth in the 200 and 400 medley in the 2012 Olympic trials, and was not considered Olympic material, so she continued her education, as describedby Pat Forde in a Yahoo.com article:She skipped second grade because it wasnt challenging enough. She was 13 when she went to high school, 15 when she got a perfect SAT math score and 17 when she entered Stanford. She got married at 22. Now 23, she has a high-powered job as a business analyst with McKinsey & Company in Atlanta waiting for her in September.And now here she is, already qualified for Rio in one event and looking to qualify in a second.DiRado probably rates as a slight favorite in the 200 medley final on Wednesday, because she had the best time in Tuesday's semifinals. However, she is by no means a shoo-in at this distance. She finished only fourth in this event at last year'sWorld Championships,and several swimmers can challenge her Wednesday.Caitlin Leverenz, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist who finished first at the trials four years ago, is one threat, and a challenge was also expected to come from Ella Eastin, another Stanford swimmer and a rising star. Eastin captured both the 200 and 400 medley NCAA crowns this year as a freshman, and she won the 200 in an American-record time of 1:51.56, according to Annie Grevers ofSwimming World magazine. However, Eastin had only the fifth-fastest time in Tuesday's semifinals, which may leave the 19-year-old Eastin hoping for a second-place finish.Semifinals that MatterThe final of the men's 100-meter freestyle is not until Thursday, but Wednesday's semifinals will begin to sort things out in a remarkably deep field of rising stars and veteran standouts.This may be the race in which 19-year-old Caeleb Dressel, the 2015 national champion at this distance, demonstrates that he will become the face of American swimming on the men's side. The comparison should be easy because Michael Phelps, the person Dressel would be replacing as the sport's male icon, is also scheduled to competein this event.Phelps is a long shot to win this event, and he may have entered with hopes of landing a spot on the American relay team. But the mere presence of Phelps and Ryan Lochte in this event heightens its appeal. Lochte suffered a groin injury on Sunday, according to Nathan Fenno ofthe Los Angeles Times, and the injury may limit his effectiveness in the 100 freestyle, if he swims that event at all. However, his stature will grow if he swims well in this event despite the injury.The contenders for the 100 should become apparent in the semifinals, Besides Dressel, 2012 Olympic champion Nathan Adrian as well asMichael Chadwick, Maxime Rooney, Jack Conger, Conor Dwyer and Matt Grevers have a shot at landing an Olympic berth in one of the glamour events of the Olympics.The final bit of intrigue in this event involves AnthonyErvin, who is 35 years old and trying to become the oldest American male since 1904 to swim an individual event at the Olympics, according to NBCSports.com, via sports-reference.com.
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