2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
- Full aquatics schedule
- SwimSwam Event Previews
- Entry Lists
- Live Results
- Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet
Australia’s Emma McKeon entered these Tokyo Olympic Games as the Australian and Oceanic record holder in this women’s 100m fly and the 27-year-old busted out the swim of her life to better those marks in this final.
Getting to the wall in a super quick 55.72, McKeon captured the bronze medal behind Zhang Yufei of China and Maggie MacNeil of Canada who touched in 55.64 and 55.59 for silver and gold, respectively.
As for McKeon, her time here scores a new lifetime best, surpassing the 55.82 she registered in the heats. Prior to Tokyo, McKeon had earned a new personal best of 55.93, her first time ever under 56 seconds.
In Monday’s final, McKeon, who trains at Griffith University, pushed herself to an opening 50m of 26.16 while she closed in 29.56 to post the faster Australian time in history.
This bronze is a redemption of sorts for McKeon, as the Aussie missed out on a medal in this event at the 2016 edition of the Games. In Rio, she produced a time of 57.05 for 6th despite having notched the 2nd fastest time in the semi-final there of 56.18.
Cementing herself into swimming history with the bronze, McKeon’s time here tonight of 55.72 checks in as the 9th fastest performance in history.
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 55.48 (2016)
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 55.53 (2017)
- Maggie MacNeil (CAN) – 55.59 (2021)
- Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 55.62 (2020)
- Zhang Yufei (CHN) / Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 55.64 (2015/2021)
- Torri Huske (USA) – 55.66 (2021)
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 55.68 (2016)
- Emma McKeon (AUS) – 55.72 (2021)
- Zhang Yufei (CHN) 55.73 (2021)