Nathan Adrian, Cammile Adams and Josh Prenot have all scored wins at the US Olympic swimming trials to book their Rio Olympic tickets but have been pushed out of the spotlight by old foes Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
In an electrifying start on Thursday evening, Prenot chased down Kevin Cordes to win the men's 200m breaststroke in two minutes, 7.17 seconds, the second-fastest in the event and just 0.10 seconds off the mark of Japan's Akhiro Yamaguchi.
The night finished with Olympic champion Phelps and world champion and world record holder Lochte cruising to easy wins in their 200m medley semi-finals to have the swim world buzzing, setting up one more showdown between the longtime rivals in Friday's final.
While Phelps had already secured a spot on his fifth US Olympic squad and Lochte his fourth, Prenot's race represented his last chance for Rio.
Cordes, winner of the 100m breaststroke, went out at a blistering pace making the last turn 1.19 seconds under world-record pace.
But the 22-year-old could not hold on over the final 50 metres as Prenot beat him to the wall to qualify for his first Olympic team.
"This is my last race, my last chance to make the team," said Prenot. "I didn't feel like waiting another four years, so the pressure was on."
Adrian is also headed to Rio with a chance to defend the 100m freestyle gold he won at the London Olympics after blazing to victory in 47.72 in swimming's blue riband event.
He was followed to the wall by Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held and Anthony Ervin, the top four all qualifying for the relay team.
Adams, who was disqualified in the 200m butterfly heats and then reinstated, took advantage of her second chance clinching her Olympic berth in 2:06.80.
Abbey Weitzeil, bidding to make her first Olympic team, upstaged some of biggest names in US swimming, posting the fastest time of 53.57 in the semi-finals of the women's 100m free.
Katie Ledecky, battling Phelps for top billing at the trials and already securing Olympic spots in the 200m and 400m free, will try to add the 100m to her Rio card reaching Friday's final with the seventh-fastest effort of 54.04 ahead of Allison Schmitt, the 200m free gold medal winner at the 2012 Games.
