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Las Vegas’ Claire Weinstein Swims Past Katie Ledecky, Wins Title

Author Shawn Tempesta
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JUNE 28: Claire Weinstein reacts after winning the Women's 200 Meter Freestyle Final on day two of the Phillips 66 National Championships at Indiana University Natatorium on June 28, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

It has been an incredible run for Katie Ledecky. Seven Olympic gold medals for her swimming prowess and absolutely dominant in the 200-meter freestyle. She hadn’t lost to another American in nearly a decade. Until last Wednesday when 16 year old Claire Weinstein shocked the world at the U.S. Swimming Championships and beat Ledecky to take home the national title. She beat out Katie by the narrowest of margins: two one-hundredths of a second. 1:55.26 versus 1:55.28. An absolute nailbiter to the finish!

Who is Claire Weinstein?

The teenage swimming phenom has been making waves (so to speak) for a while now. A member of Las Vegas’ own Sandpipers Of Nevada competitive swim team, she is the first to beat the 7-time Olympian in the coveted 200-meter freestyle in nearly a decade.

She took home the national title in Indianapolis and is headed to Japan next for the World Aquatics Championships later this month. But she is no enemy of Ledecky. They are teammates on Team USA.

Weinstein, along with Katie and two others, won the gold medal at Worlds last year in the 4×200 freestyle. In a post-swim interview, Claire was just thrilled to make Team USA once again.

Before Las Vegas, Claire was living in upstate New York and getting attention for her talent even then, as an 8th grader. She was nearly half dolphin by the time she was 6! Definitely born with talent, and honing it daily with her hard work and effort.

She moved to Las Vegas in September 2021 and hasn’t looked back since. The group she is a part of, the Sandpipers Of Nevada, hone their craft at pools throughout the valley, from county owned to the Durango Hills YMCA. They’ve been an organization since 1968 and have had a lot of recent success getting national attention.

We wish Claire a ton of luck on representing the USA in the World Championship later this month! But she doesn’t need luck. She’s got the goods.

Shawn Tempesta is the co-host of Aimee+Shawn on 102.7 VGS in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is also an Emmy award nominated television host. As a content creator for 102.7 VGS, Shawn writes about current events, education, funny and trending stories.

10 Movies Based On Olympic Moments And Athletes

Many of the Olympic stories we know and love come from movies based on moments in Olympics history.

We take a look at ten movies based on Olympic athletes and their stories.

  • Cool Runnings (1993)

    This movie, starring John Candy, about Jamaican bobsledders who go for the gold even though they’ve never seen snow is a classic. Over the years, the movie has become a cult hit.

  • I, Tonya (2017)

    Margot Robbie stars as disgraced figure skater and Olympic hopeful Tonya Harding. Though Harding was the first American woman in history to complete a triple axel in competition, her legacy has since been defined by her association with the infamously botched attack on her fellow Olympic competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Allison Janney won an Oscar for playing her abusive mother.

  • Miracle (2004)

    A Disney classic starring Kurt Russell. A film is based on the triumph of the U.S. men’s hockey team over the Soviet team at the 1980 Olympics during the Cold War.

  • Blades of Glory (2007)

    Will Ferrell and Jon Heder star in a wacky film about figure skating. Fun fact: This is one of few major movies about the Games that didn’t secure rights to the Olympics name.

  • The Cutting Edge (1992)

    An early favorite for fans starring Moira Kelly and D.B. Sweeney about a spoiled figure skater and a sidelined hockey player who are paired to face off against Soviet competitors.

  • Eddie the Eagle (2016)

    Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton star in this movie inspired by the life of spirited British ski-jumper Michael “Eddie” Edwards.

  • Without Limits (1996)

    This was the movie about long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine. The movie stars Billy Crudup as Prefontaine.

  • Downhill Racer (1969)

    Robert Redford and Gene Hackman star in a sports drama about a skiing prodigy who joins the U.S. team to compete internationally. Sylvester Stallone made his film debut in this movie as an extra.

  • Chariots of Fire (1981)

    An Oscar winner for Best Picture, “Chariots of Fire” tells the true story of British athletes Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, from different faiths, who ran in the 1924 games.

  • Munich (2005)

    This Steven Spielberg thriller depicts the aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and Daniel Craig.

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