Kennedy finishes 5th in 50 final

Madison Kennedy

OMAHA, Neb. – Making the U.S. Olympic team isn’t supposed to be easy. And it’s not. It can be heartbreaking. Despite turning in two of the fastest 50 meter freestyle times in her career at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Avon’s Madison Kennedy didn’t earn a spot on the Olympic team in the 50 free Monday night.

Kennedy, left, finished fifth in the 50 free with a time of 25.10 seconds, less than 0.60 of a second behind the winner Jessica Hardy. The second and final spot from the event on the U.S. team went to Kara Lynn Joyce in 24.73 seconds.

Kennedy, 24, swam a career-best time of 24.93 in the preliminary round. She had the second fastest time of her career with a 24.96 performance in the semifinals to earn a spot in the eight-woman final.

Kennedy came close in the 100 meter freestyle, too. In that event, she had two of her best times in her career at the trials. She had a personal best time of 54.45 seconds in the semifinals and swam a 54.83 in the finals, the second best time of her career in the 100 meters. She finished eighth in the 100 freestyle with the top six qualifying for the team.

Collinsville Press, June 30: Career-best efforts aren’t enough for Kennedy in 100 freestyle final