OMAHA, Neb. — The Tik Tok Generation is going to Tokyo. You could see the youth movement coming in American swimming, but not to this extent—and now it presents a tremendous challenge for leaders of the U.S. Olympic swim team.
Coach Greg Meehan heads an American women’s delegation that includes a whopping 10 teenagers among the 26 roster spots: one 15-year-old, two age 16, a 17-year-old from Alaska, two at 18 and four at 19. Most of those 10 have never gone away to college. Some have never left the country, been on the American international team or been on a major swimming trip without their parents.