2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Swimming: August 6-13
- Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Barra Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro
- Prelims – 9:00 a.m/12:00 p.m PST/EST (1:00 p.m local), Finals – 6:00 p.m/9:00 p.m PST/EST (10:00 p.m local)
- SwimSwam previews
- Day 1 Schedule & Results
- Live Stream (NBC)
Last night, the Americans got back on the top of the medal stand thanks to a gold from Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle and a gold for the American men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team. With four finals tonight, the Americans are in an incredible position to add several more gold medals to their resume.
Things are going to start out with the women’s 200m freestyle semifinals where Katie Ledecky has been absolutely dominant. She led this morning with a 1:55.01 and doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down.
After the semifinals of the women’s 200m freestyle, there will be four consecutive finals in a row which will be the highlight of tonight’s competition.
The first final will be the men’s 200m freestyle where China’s Sun Yang will be attempting redemption for his loss in the 400m freestyle earlier in the meet. You can bet Kosuke Hagino and Conor Dwyer are going to be in the mix trying to take down the Chinese superstar and earn individual gold.
Things just get stronger for the Americans here on out as they have the top qualifier in each of the next three finals. Kathleen Baker has been rocking solid 58.8s to lead both the prelims and semifinals of the 100m backstroke. She’ll have Emily Seebohm to contend with but is right in the ballpark for a medal.
The men’s 100m backstroke has been a staple event for the Americans. They haven’t lost this event since the 1992 Olympic Games where Mark Tewksbury of Canada took out Jeff Rouse and David Berkoff.
Twenty-four years later and both Ryan Murphy and David Plummer are leading the charge. They went in seeded one and two, but will have to race against 2015 world champion Mitch Larkin of Australia if they want to pull off a stunner.
The heated grudge-match between Lilly King and Yulia Efimova will take place last night. The famous finger-wag by King as she disapproved of Efimova’s throwing up a number one sign after her race went viral last night. Now, plenty is at stake. King is the top seed, Efimova is the second seed. World record holder Ruta Meilutyte is in the hunt as well.
Following the four finals, Michael Phelps, Chad le Clos, and Laszlo Cseh will all race in the semifinals of the men’s 200m butterfly. Phelps infamously lost this race in 2012 and is looking to get the gold back in his hands by setting himself up for a strong final tomorrow.
The last event of the night will be the women’s 200m IM where we’re on world record watch. Katinka Hosszu broke the Olympic record this morning and has been on fire all week.
WOMEN’S 200m FREESTYLE SEMIFINALS
Start List: click here
Top Seed: 1:55.01 – Katie Ledecky – USA
World Record: 1:52.98 (2009) – Frederica Pellegrini – Italy
JR World Record: 1:56.12 – Shen Duo – China
Olympic Record: 1:53.61 (2012) – Allison Schmitt – USA
2012 Olympic Champion: 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt – USA
Katie Ledecky was beaten. No it wasn’t an international final, so her streak of never losing an individual event at an international final is still alive, but tomorrow night it might be in jeopardy.
In a head-to-head match up with Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, Ledecky finished second with a time of 1:54.81 to Sjostrom’s 1:54.65. Ledecky was ahead at the 100, but lost the race on the last 50 where Sjostrom edged out in front of her and Ledecky was unable to close the gap.
World record holder Frederica Pellegrini of Italy was third behind the two leaders with a time of 1:55.42, the only other swimmer to dip under 1:56 this evening.
Shen Duo of China put up a very strong 1:56.03 to take the fourth overall seed shead of Michelle Coleman of Sweden. Coleman was a 1:56.05 swimming in the same semifinal as Sjostrom and Ledecky.
American Missy Franklin failed to advance to the finals after finishing eighth in the first semifinal. Other notable swimmers to miss the final were Veronika Poova and Femke Heemskerk
TOP 8
- Sarah Sjostrom – Sweden – 1:54.65
- Katie Ledecky – USA – 1:54.81
- Frederica Pellegrini – Italy – 1:55.42
- Shen Duo – China – 1:56.03
- Michelle Coleman – Sweden – 1:56.05
- Emma McKeon – Australia – 1:56.29
- Charlotte Bonnet – France – 1:56.38
- Bronte Barratt – Australia – 1:56.63
MEN’S 200m FREESTYLE FINAL
Start List: click here
Top Seed: 1:44.63 – Sun Yang – China
World Record: 1:42.00 (2009) – Paul Biedermann – Germany
JR World Record: 1:47.10 – Maxime Rooney – USA
Olympic Record: 1:42.96 (2008) – Michael Phelps – USA
2012 Olympic Champion: 1:43.14 – Yannick Agnel – France
Chad le Clos took things out hard in the final of the men’s 200m freestyle, taking it out as fast as he could and just trying to hold on. At the 100-meter mark he was in first, splitting an incredible 50.36 at the halfway point.
Heading into the 150-wall both Sun Yang of China and Conor Dwyer of the United States began to creep up on him from the middle lanes, pushing the pace as le Clos tried to hold on.
With 50-meters to go it was all between Yang, Dwyer, and le Clos as the three inched out ahead of the rest of the field.
Yang managed to edge out in front of the early leader and didn’t let Dwyer pass him, ultimately winning his first Olympic gold of the meet with a 1:44.65. Le Clos’ strategy paid off for him in the end, handing him the silver medal with a 1:45.20 performance.
American Dwyer was third in 1:45.23. Defending world champion James Guy of Great Britain finished fourth in a time of 1:45.49, just shy of a podium finish.
- Sun Yang – China – 1:44.65
- Chad le Clos – South Africa – 1:45.20
- Conor Dwyer – USA – 1:45.23
- James Guy – Great Britain – 1:45.49
- Townley Haas – USA – 1:45.58
- Paul Biedermann – Germany – 1:45.84
- Kosuke Hagino – Japan – 1:45.90
- Aleksandr Krasnykh – Russia – 1:45.91
WOMEN’S 100m BACKSTROKE FINAL
Start List: click here
Top Seed: 58.84 – Kathleen Baker – USA
World Record: 58.12 (2009) – Gemma Spofforth – Britain
JR World Record: 59.37 – Minna Atherton – Australia
Olympic Record: 58.23 (2012)- Emily Seebohm – Australia
2012 Olympic Champion: 58.33 – Missy Franklin – USA
To anybody watching the race it appeared as though Australia’s Emily Seebohm had the race in the bag at the 50-meter mark, turning in first 0.48 seconds under world record pace.
Coming off that 50-wall the United States’ Kathleen Baker had an incredible turn in order to jet her into the lead. Keeping up with Baker was Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, who was just slightly behind her but consistently inching up.
While the battle for gold was on between Hosszu and Baker, things heated up for bronze throughout the rest of the pool. Canada’s Kylie Masse and China’s Fu Yuanhui both managed to pass Seebohm and put on a fight for a medal.
With 10-meters to go, Hosszu passed Baker in order to get her hand on the wall first and earn her second gold of the games with a 58.45. Baker held on for the silver, clocking in at 58.75.
Touching in for bronze just one one-hundredth behind Baker was Masse and Yuanhui. Masse broke the Canadian national record en route to a shared bronze medal.
Defending world champion Emily Seebohm faded to seventh, finishing with a time of 59.19.
- Katinka Hosszu – Hungary – 58.45
- Kathleen Baker – USA- 58.75
- 3 Kylie Masse – Canada – 58.76 TIE FOR BRONZE
- 3 Fu Yuanhui – China – 58.76 TIE FOR BRONZE
- Mie Nielsen – Denmark – 58.80
- Olivia Smoliga – USA – 58.85
- Emily Seebohm – Australia – 59.19
- Madison Wilson – Australia – 59.23
MEN’S 100m BACKSTROKE FINAL
Start List: click here
Top Seed: 52.49 – Ryan Murphy – USA
World Record: 51.94 (2009) – Aaron Peirsol – USA
JR World Record: 53.65 – Kliment Kolesnikov – Russia
Olympic Record: 52.16 (2012) – Matt Grevers – USA
2012 Olympic Champion: 52.16 – Matt Grevers – USA
The streak of American dominance in the men’s 100m backstroke continued tonight, as an American man topped the podium for the sixth consecutive Olympics in a row dating all the way back to 1996.
Ryan Murphy put a scare on the world record, just missing it by three one-hundredths of a second in order to smash the Olympic record and claim his first Olympic gold.
Murphy rocked an incredible 51.97 to make him only the second man in the history of swimming besides Aaron Peirsol to break the 52-second barrier.
That time for Murphy was the fastest textile swim ever in this event and the second fastest performance all time.
China’s Xu Jiayu managed to clock in a very impressive 52.31 to take down David Plummer of the United States and spoil the 1-2 finish for the American men. Xu’s silver medal makes it the first time since the 2004 Olympics that the Americans wouldn’t finish 1-2 in the 100 back.
Plummer did manage to finish third in 52.40. Defending world champion Mitch Larkin of Australia was fourth in 52.43.
- Ryan Murphy – USA – 51.97 (OR)
- Xu Jiayu – China – 52.31
- David Plummer – USA – 52.40
- Mitchell Larkin – Australia – 52.43
- Camille Lacourt – France – 52.70
- Evgeny Rylov – Russia – 52.74
- Ryosuke Irie – Japan – 53.42
- Robert Glinta– 53.50
WOMEN’S 100m BREASTSTROKE FINAL
Start List: click here
Top Seed: 1:05.70 – Lilly King – USA
World Record: 1:04.35 – Ruta Meilutyte – Lithuania
JR World Record: 1:05.39 – Ruta Meilutyte – Lithuania
Olympic Record: 1:05.17 (2008) – Leisel Jones – Australia
2012 Olympic Champion: 1:05.47 – Ruta Meilutyte – Lithuania
Lilly King of the United States made an absolute statement in the 100m breaststroke, backing up her talk about Yulia Efimova earlier in the heats by taking home the gold in a sub 1:05-performance.
King was out fast, and with 25-meters to go Efimova of Russia was charging. Stroke for stroke, with 15-meters to go King switched to another gear, refusing to let Efimova, who had recently failed two doping tests, take her down at the end.
With a huge surge and absolute resilience, King claimed the gold medal with a 1:04.93. Efimova managed to hold on for the silver medal in a time of 1:05.50.
American Katie Meili was passed by Efimova on the final 50, but still managed to get on the podium. Meili was a 1:05.69 finishing just 0.19 seconds shy of Efimova’s time.
Fourth was Shi Jinglin of China followed by Rachel Nicol of Canada in a 1:06.68.
- Lilly King – USA – 1:04.93 OR
- Yulia Efimova – Russia – 1:05.50
- Katie Meili – USA – 1:05.69
- Shi Jinglin – China – 1:06.37
- Rachel Nicol – Canada – 1:06.68
- Hrafnhildur Luthersdottir – Iceland- 1:07.18
- Ruta Meilutyte – Lithuania- 1:07.32
- Alia Atkinson – Jamaica – 1:08.10
MEN’S 200m BUTTERFLY SEMIFINALS
Start List: click here
Top Seed: 1:54.73 – Tamas Kenderesi – Hungary
World Record: 1:51.51 (2009)- Michael Phelps – USA
JR World Record: 1:55.92 – Andrew Seliskar – USA
Olympic Record: 1:52.03 (2008) – Michael Phelps – USA
2012 Olympic Champion: 1:52.96 – Chad le Clos – South Africa
In their first head-to-head matchup since the Olympic final in London 2012 where Chad le Clos took down Michael Phelps, Phelps beat le Clos, although he didn’t win the semifinal.
Tamas Kenderesi, the 19-year-old from Hungary who took the top seed this morning in the 200m fly, was back at it again, claiming the win in the second semifinal with a solid 1:53.96 performance.
Phelps led the entire race and was only passed by Kenderesi in the last 25-meters of the swim. He still managed to finish second with a 1:54.12 which was good for second overall. Third in the final was le Clos who trailed Phelps the entire swim. Le Clos just came off a silver medal performance in the 200m freestyle but still managed a 1:55.19 for fourth overall.
Laszlo Cseh, also of Hungary, was third overall with his winning time of 1:55.18 from the first semifinal.
Originally thought to be a three man race between le Clos, Phelps and Cseh, Kenderesi is making a case that he’s in the mix for a medal as well.
TOP 8
- Tamas Kenderesi – Hungary – 1:53.96
- Michael Phelps – USA – 1:54.12
- Laszlo Cseh – Hungary – 1:55.18
- Chad le Clos – South Africa – 1:55.19
- Daiya Seto – Japan – 1:55.28
- Masato Sakai – Japan – 1:55.32
- Viktor Bromer – Denmark – 1:55.59
- Louis Croenen – Belgium- 1:56.03
WOMEN’S 200m IM SEMIFINALS
Start List: click here
Top Seed: 2:07.45– Katinka Hosszu – Hungary
World Record: 2:06.12 (2015) – Katinka Hosszu – Hungary
JR World Record: 2:10.76 – Imai Runa – Japan
Olympic Record: 2:07.45 (2016) – Katinka Hosszu – Hungary
2012 Olympic Champion: 2:07.57 – Ye Shiwen – China
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor of Great Britain threw down an amazing swim in the first of the two semifinals tonight with a 1:07.57 to come within striking distance of the Olympic record that Katinka Hosszu swam this morning.
Maya DiRado of the United States finished second behind O’Connor to take third overall in 2:08.91. Faster than DiRado was Hosszu.
Hosszu was fresh off winning her second gold medal of these games with a 100m backstroke upset, and although she wasn’t entirely fresh she still won the second semifinal in 2:08.13. That gave her the second fastest overall time and puts her in contention to win a third gold tomorrow.
Defending Olympic champion Ye Shiwen of China was third in the first semifinal with a 2:09.33. She’ll be going into the championship final fifth overall.
Melanie Margalis was the second American to make the final with a time of 2:10.10.
TOP 8
- Siobhan-Marie O’Connor – Great Britain – 2:07.57
- Katinka Hosszu – Hungary – 2:08.13
- Maya Dirado – USA – 2:08.91
- Ye Shiwen – China – 2:09.33
- Melanie Margalis – USA – 2:10.10
- Alicia Coutts – Australia – 2:10.35
- Sydney Pickrem – Canada – 2:10.57
- Viktoriia Andreeva – Russia – 2:10.87
Lilly king made a irregular turn!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Snt8uO1CQ1I
i am the only who finds strange only USA can perform very well in this games?
how they can make their best marks in june ad in august be in a better form? can the pick of a form last 2 months? maybe they have something extra that is not detected and known outside?
how could phelps or lochte swim so many different races, one after another without time to rest and still manage to make the best time of their lives? when the other countries struggles to swim more than two (without counting relays)?
how can people drop 3 seconds of their lifetime bests that were made in june in the top of their form?
… Read more »
No jetlag against big jetlag badly managed?
USA is not the only team to peak, the other one is Canada (no jetlag) and I think the 3rd most performant is probably Great Britain (only 3 hours of jetlag, i.e almost nothing). Jetlag affects athletes differently, and that’s why Horton or Yanf would be almost no impact while other Australians/Chinese would be.
But I’m also impressed by Baker swimming 0.6s faster than trials for example, knowing that she had no space for calculations in those trials, she had to be close to her best.
Note that they didn’t peak at Kazan at all (behind Australia for olympics events if I remember well):
Big jetlag, very early selections.
Canada was not in the mix in Kazan either.
The USA is one of the only countries that has its trials really close to the games. So, the athletes do a double-taper, or extended taper. This also allows the emotion of the trials to carry straight through to the Olympic training camp and the games. When you do it that way, most swimmers to swim well at trials are likely to also be “on” for the games.
Other countries, like Australia, do their selection many months in advance, which requires an entirely new training cycle, and the emotional high of trials is lost by then as well.
Indeed, a new training cycle also means a possible unsuccessful training cycle, while when there is no time for new training, there’s no time for bad surprises to happen.
Actually, USA selects an real level, Australia make bets on a potentiel value 6 months later. It still not explains some really massive PBs.
do not forget the fact that our swimmers are the heaviest of all. the girls are huge and they look like they drive a truck and most of the guys look like they have been blown.
evidence.
I actually think the most impressive swim from last night was from LeClos in the 200free. How many people on earth do you think can go out in 23.3 in the 200free and still finish the race in 1:45.2, I’m sure we all thought he was going to bomb out in 1:47…
If someone teaches him how to swim the event, we could see a 1:43 next year.
Catching up on last night the Aussies are really cracking under the pressure both Seebhom and Larkin going out way too quick then fading badly.
The shock on Katinka’s face she really didn’t think she would win that surprised with Nielsen being 5th Canada are having superb Olympics ain’t they wow
Brilliant swim from SOC 🙂 new British record should be well amongst the mix tomorrow
Poor James Guy this really hasn’t gone to plan 4th and 6th I really don’t know where it went wrong for him I didn’t think the European champs would be an indicator of what was to come in Rio but clearly it was 🙁 hopefully he can but his all into… Read more »
Cannot get over the length of Sun Yang’s FINGERNAILS … This dude is sporting like a 2 inch long claws… Every bit helps heh ?
What’s next ? “Sun Yang-ina “
I’m curious as to what everyone thinks the USA 4x200relay should look like in finals tomorrow. I Says it should be the top 4 from trials
For the men’s it shouldn’t matter!!!!
What is your TOP3 for 200 fly after semis? Has Kenderesi guts to pull big upset tomorrow?
It’s one thing to hate on and downvote any comment related to sun yang or efimova as they were caught in the past. But how can there be so much hate on the Iron Lady when not being caught (yet or whatever). She is tested like crazy, as Phelps has been and Ledecky is. Innocent until proven guilty I say! No tampered tests or lost like certain Russians either. Im sure this will get downvoted by some stubborn individuals but how about not jumping to conclusions on fast swimmers… If she gets popped then go nuts, but give the currently clean champion some respect
She hasn’t even been linked to PEDs in any way, and there isn’t a history of Hungarians testing positive. For those complaining that she looks too muscular need to take a look at the US women’s gymnastics team for a better idea of what a muscular female physique without steroids looks like. Their backs are all very muscular and a few of them have visible 6 packs under their leotards. Hosszu is 123 pounds, she just happens to be very lean and as a result her muscles appear more defined. At some point we need to stop ridiculing female athletes for the bodies that allow them to excel in their sport, if that physique leads to optimal performance then who… Read more »
The 400 IM time she posted also wasn’t that unbelievable when you consider her improvements in the 200, she likely would have been quite a bit faster last summer if the 400 IM was on the first day of competition rather than the last. I think swim fans are simply more willing to criticize foreign swimmers when even Dara Torres wasn’t catching this kind of grief when excelling at 41.
That’s great you want to give her the benefit of the doubt but I am going to exercise my right to draw my own conclusions.
You have every right to believe what you wish, but when the mob mentality occurs on these discussions it absolutely blows my mind how ignorant and biased people are being… If there ever was a safe place to have coherent discussions and interactions between swim fans, I would think it would be here
It’s normal to be doubtful. Every nations competing has a history of doping athletes, not only eastern europe. USA has a huge story with doping (Lewis, Flo-Jo, Gatlin, Montgomery, Armstrong), Germany of course in swimming, Spain, Belgium, Italy, France or Netherlands in cycling, followed by all minor cycling countries actually. I’m pretty sure that 80% of gold medallists in swimming between 70 and 2000s were doped.
BUT, the performance itself can’t be a proof of anything, careless about the name of the swimmer (Hosszu, Ledecky, Shiwen…)