2024 Paris Olympics: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

• Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
  • Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
• La Défense Arena — Paris, France
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Full Swimming Schedule
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Pick ’em Contest
• How To Watch
• Entry Lists
• Live Results
• Prelims Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2
• Finals Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2

Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet

It is a very short session both in number of events and by time, as there are just three events on the schedule, and we have an expected end time of just over an hour.

In order the three events are

• Women’s 400 IM
• Women’s 100 Backstroke
• Men’s 800 Free

The event previews for each are linked, so if you are killing time waiting for this morning’s session to start, please feel free to peruse them and let us know your thoughts, especially if you like my use of song titles as sub-headings.

The morning kicks off with two heats of the Women’s 400 IM. With only 16 entrants, don’t expect Summer McIntosh, the world record holder in the event and recent silver medalist in the 400 free, to push the pace this morning. Seed over seven seconds faster than the next best; look for the Canadian to execute a smooth and controlled prelims swim. Katie Grimes, also a teenager, is the 2nd seed and while she too should be safely into the final tomorrow night, she has much less of a margin to play with. Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko withdrew from the 100 breast semis last night in preparation for this event, where she is the 5th seed. After McIntosh and Grimes, any of the 14 other swimmers could realistically make the final.

One of the most highly anticipated events of the entire program follows the IM as the women’s 100 backstroke takes center stage. Four of the five fastest swimmers ever are in the field, as is the current world record holder and two former record holders. The USA’s Regan Smith tops the field, fresh off her world record performance of 57.13 at the US Olympic Trials. Swimming next to her in the prelims will be Canada’s Kylie Masse, who was the first swimmer to set the World Record after the supersuit era and is the defending silver medalist in the event.

One heat before Smith, but in the same lane is the former World Record holder and the defending Olympic gold medalist in both backstroke, Kaylee McKeown. The Australian, like Smith and Masse, has yet to make an appearance at these Games.

The other swimmer in serious contention to medal is American Katharine Berkoff. Berkoff joined the elite sub-58 club at the US Olympic Trials and enters her first Olympics as the third seed.

After the speed of the 100 back, we slow things down time-wise, but not in intensity, as we conclude with the men’s 800 Free.

Much like in the 100 back the 8oo free looks to be a showdown between the USA and Australia. Sam Short enters as the top seed with an entry time of 7:37.76. Behind him, American Bobby Finke, the defending Olympic Champion, lurks as the 2nd seed. However, the two won’t be battling each other alone as Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, the World Record holder in SCM, is the third seed.

WOMEN’S 400 Individual Medley — Prelims

• World Record: 4:24.38 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024) 
• World Junior Record: 4:24.38 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024) 
• Olympic Record: 4:26.36 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2016)
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Yui Ohashi, JPN – 4:32.08
• 2021 Time to Advance to Finals: 4:37.37

Top 8

1. Emma Weyant (USA) – 4:36.27
2. Katie Grimes (USA) – 4:37.24
3. Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 4:37.35
4. Freya Colbert (GBR) – 4:37.62
5. Mio Narita (JPN) – 4:37.84
6. Ella Ramsay (AUS) – 4:39.04
7. Ellen Walshe (IRE) – 4:39.97
8. Katie Shanahan (GBR) – 4:40.40

Katie Grimes led out the field at the 100 mark, hitting the wall in 1:00.85, opening close to a two second lead as Ella Jansesn of Canada was next to touch a 1:02.71. Grimes would remain in front of the field through the backstroke and early meters of the breaststroke but it was 2024 World Champion Freya Colbert and 2021 Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant who surged on the 3rd 100 to pass Grimes.

Weyant, who had a great NCAA championship, placing 2nd in the 500 free and 400 IM, took charge in the last 100, splitting the only sub 31.00 last 50. Coming home in 30.74, Weyant took the heat win in 4:36.27, not too far off her 4:35.56 from the finals of the Olympic Trials. Grimes, who was 3rd at the 300, would come home in 31.29 to pass Colbert and nab second in 4:27.24, .42 ahead of Colbert.

Entering heat 2, Summer McIntosh, who won silver in the 400 Free on night one, knew that she was seeded more than 7 seconds ahead of the second seed. She just needed to swim a controlled swim to move on. McIntosh lead from start to finish, opening up in 59.99. She looked calm and smooth throughout the race, but Australia’s Ella Ramsay made things interesting. The Olympic debutant was within striking distance of the Canadian at the 200, and by the end of the breaststroke, she was just .24 behind.

The freestyle leg saw McIntosh open up the lead again, but the pressure came from fellow 17-year-old Mio Narita, who surged from 5th to 2nd in the last lengths, passing Ramsay and nearly running down McIntosh but falling just short by .49 as the Canadian touched in 4:37.35 to the Japanese swimmers 4:37.84.

Israel’s Gorbenko finished 10th in a time of 4:41.64, after having set a personal best and national record of 4:34.87 this past June on the Mare Nostrum tour

WOMEN’S 100 Backstroke—Prelims

• World Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 57.57 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
• Olympic Record: 57.47 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2021)
• 2021 Winning Time: 57.47 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS
• 2021 Time to Advance to Semis: 1:00.04

Top 16

1. Katharine Berkoff (USA) – 57.99
2. Regan Smith (USA) – 58.45
3. Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 58.48
4. Kyle Masse (CAN) – 59.06
5. Emma Terebo (FRA) – 59.10
6. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 59.31
7. Iona Anderson (AUS) – 59.37
8. Carmen Weiler Sastre (ESP) –  59.57
9. Roos Vanotterdjik (BEL) – 59.68
10. Kira Toussaint (NED) – 59.84
11. Wan Letian (CHN) – 59.87
12. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 1:00.06
13. Maaike de Waard (NED) – 1:00.12
14. Wang Xueer (CHN) – 1:00.15
15. Louise Hansson (SWE) – 1:00.26
16. Danielle Hill (IRE) – 1:00.40

It’ll be an American leading the pack into the semifinals tonight, but perhaps not the one you were expecting. The third seed, Katharine Berkoff, who qualified for her Olympics this past June, kept up where she left off from Indy at the US Trials, as she posted her 3rd fastest swim ever and her 3rd time under the magical sub-58 barrier.

Known both in yards and in meters as one with speed, Berkoff attacked the race, flipping at the halfway point in 28.14 and charging home with the fastest closing split of the entire field of 29.85 to stop the clock in 57.99. French record holder Emma Terebo, was 2nd for the entire race and gave the crowd something to cheer about as she stopped the clock in 59.10 to safely put herself into position to move on.

Heat 4 saw the former world record holder and defending Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown take to the water for the first time this week. McKeown was out in 28.37, leading out compatriot Iona Anderson, who was not too far back in 2nd with a split of 28.51. McKeown appeared to let up just a little in the closing meters as she touched in 58.48, perhaps conserving energy for tonight. Anderson would remain in second, touching in 59.37 despite Spain’s Carmen Weiler Sastre making a charge in the last 50, moving up from 5th to 3rd, hitting the wall in 59.57.

We’ll have to wait til tomorrow to see Smith and McKeown in the same heat, as Smith took the win in heat 5 in a time of 58.45 but will be drawn into the 1st semifinal as McKeown will be in the 2nd. Smith was 2nd at the 50 as Kylie Masse, the 2021 silver medalist, was out fast in 28.13. Smith would join Berkoff with the only other sub-30 in the last 50, closed on and past Masse, splitting 29.94 to win the heat. Masse would remain in 2nd, coming home in 30.93, with Beryl Gastaldello dropping a 30.47 last split to touch 3rd in 59.31.

Men’s 800 Freestyle —Prelims

• World Record: 7:32.12 — Zhang Lin, CHN (2009)
• World Junior Record: 7:43.37 — Lorenzo Galossi, ITA (2022)
• Olympic Record: 7:41.28 — Mykhailo Romanchuk, UKR (2021)
• 2021 Winning Time: 7:41.87 – Bobby Finke, USA
• 2021 Time to Advance to Finals: 7:47.73

Top 8

1. Daniel Wiffen (IRE) – 7:41.53
2. Ahmed Jaouadi (TUN) – 7:42.07
3. Gregorio Paltinieri (ITA) – 7:42.48
4. Elijah Winnington (AUS) – 7:42.86
5. Bobby Finke (USA) – 7:43.00
6. Sven Schwatz (GER) – 7:43.67
7. Luca de Tullio (ITA) – 7:44.07
8. David Aubry (FRA) – 7:44.59

It certainly won’t be the final that anyone predicated as 2023 World Silver medalist Sam Short of Australia placed 9th in the heats, and reigning Olympic bronze medalist Mykhailo Romanchuk finished 17th.

Leading the charge into tomorrow night’s final will be SCM World Record holder Daniel Wiffen. The Irishman, who was just 14th in Tokyo (7:51.65), earned the top spot by bidding his time of the first 300, sitting behind the Aussie duo of Short and Elijah Winnington. Winnington was out fast a the 200 mark, flipping in 1:50.89 compared to Wiffen’s 1:52.67, but the Irishman reeled the pair in passing Short by the 350 mark and overtaking Winnington a 100 later.

Wiffen would hold on to the lead, winning in 7:41.53, with Winnington coming in 2nd not too far back at 7:42.86. For Winnington, the time stands as a new PB, as he limbo-ed under his previous best of 7:42.95 from the Doha Worlds.  Short started to struggle in the backhalf of the race, hitting 29 highs and one 30.0 split as he came home 5.30 seconds behind the leader in 7:46.83. Short pulled out of the 1500 at Aussie Trials due to illness and has not looked at his best this week either. While placing 3rd in the heat, the results of the previous heats were just too fast, and Short finds himself on the outside looking in. The USA’s Luke Whitlock and German’s Florian Wellbrock were in a cross pool battle for 4th, but the veteran got the better of the youngster, out-touching him 7:47.91 to 7:49.26, but like Short, were unable to advance as the previous heat produced faster times.

American Bobby Finke, the #2 seed, led his heat at the 200 mark, 1:53.68, albeit close to three seconds behind Winnington. Whereas Wiffen passed his competition and left them behind. Finke, Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, and Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaoudi traded the lead back and forth over the course of the race. With a 50 remaining, the veteran Italian has eeked out a lead of a second on Finke and 1.2 on Jaoudi, but it wasn’t enough to claim victory in the heat as he was “Finked” and had to settle for 2nd in a time of 7:42.48. It wasn’t Finke, however, who claimed victory, but Jaoudi, who surged home in 26.98 (28.64 for Paltrinieri and 28.04 for Finke) to take the heat win in 7:42.07.

The time stands as a massive new personal best for the Tunisian, who trains in France. Before this morning, he had a best of just 7.45.31. Jaoudi joins a strong tradition of Tunisian distance freestylers, joining with Ahmed Hafanoui and Ous Mellouli as one of the top 20 fastest performers in history. Mellouli is the #2 performer with his 7:35.27 from the 2009 Worlds, and Hafnaoui, who is absent from these Games, is ranked #3 with his gold medal performance last summer of 7:37.00. Jaoudi’s 7:42.07 slots him into 20th. Only Germany can claim as many swimmers amongst the top 20, with Lukas Martens ranked 11th.

Swimming outside of the circle-seeded heats, the #24 seed and home favorite David Aubry appeared to turn back the clock and swim like it was 2019 again. At the 2021 Olympics, Aubry finished 29th in a time of 8:00.16 but entered with a PB of 7:42.08 from the 2019 Worlds. This morning, the 27-year-old Frenchman slowly built his way through the race, moving up from 4th at the 400 (3:54.57) to first at the 650, ultimately winning in 7:44.59. In looking at his splits, Aubry was 29 highs for much of the early portion of the race but then started dropping 29 lows and 28 highs as he approached the finish. In fact, Aubry negative split the 400 by a wide margin, taking it out in 3:54.57 and coming home in 3:50.02.

Friendly PSA to all out there: make sure that your smoke detectors are functional because some outside smoke was sighted in the Arena. Lane 8’s David Aubry jumped into the lead of heat 2 at the 650-meter mark and wouldn’t let go, winning in 7:44.59 in front of a home crowd.

— SwimSwam Live (@SwimSwamLive) July 29, 2024

Aubry, who won bronze in this event back at the 2019 Gwangju Worlds, has had a bit of a renaissance in preparation for these games, having returned to a world podium for the first time in Doha, where he won bronze in the 1500.

In 2021, it took a 7:47.73 to advance to the finals, but today, it was much faster as Aubry’s 7:44.59 was 8th. In fact the top 11 this morning would have made the final in Tokyo.