The final session of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on Sunday at CenturyLink Center drew 13,194 fans, bringing the "eight-day, 15-session total to a record 197,892," according to Beideck & Kaipust of the OMAHA WORLD-HERALD. Omaha drew "just more than" 167,000 in '12 and 160,000 in '08. The opening and final night sessions "were the only ones that did not exceed 14,000 fans." The top turnout was 14,502 fans on Saturday night, when Michael Phelps "swam his final race." A factor in setting a new attendance record is "all seven day sessions exceeding 10,000, and two going as high as 13,654 (Friday) and 13,117 (Monday)" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 7/4). USA Swimming Exec Dir Chuck Wielgus said that it appears the meet "again was a success" and the arena "provided the right setup and atmosphere for determining the Olympic team." In Omaha, Rich Kaipust noted it is "no secret that both sides have interest in partnering again" for '20, and because it is possible the meet "would have to start sooner than June 26 in the next Olympic cycle, the biggest sticking point might be a longer overlap with the College World Series." Wielgus said that the NGB "wants its relationship with the CWS and the NCAA to be positive." He added that his sense from overlaps in '12 and this year is that "there's not much of a conflict" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 7/4).
