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Tokyo Bronze Medalist Li Bingjie Misses Paris 2024 400 Freestyle Final

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

Top 8

  1. Katie Ledecky (USA) – 4:02.19
  2. Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 4:02.46
  3. Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 4:02.55
  4. Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 4:02.65
  5. Jamie Perkins (AUS) – 4:03.30
  6. Paige Madden (USA) – 4:03.34
  7. Maria Fernanda Costa (BRA) – 4:03.47
  8. Isabel Gose (GER) – 4:03.83

The first major miss of the 2024 Olympic Games is upon us, as China’s Li Bingjie placed ninth in the prelims of the women’s 400 freestyle. Li was the Tokyo bronze medalist in the event, as well as the Asian record holder and ninth-fastest performer of all-time.

Li’s miss is a testament of how fast the women’s 400 free has gotten internationally. She posted a time of 4:03.96, which would have beaten out Tang Muhan‘s 4:04.07 that got her eighth in Tokyo prelims. This year, the last person to make finals was Germany’s Isabel Gose, who went 4:03.83. Li’s prelims time would have also made finals comfortably at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 World Championships.

At the Tokyo games, Li was one of the fastest performers in prelims. She went a time of 4:01.57 to finish second, and then went 4:01.08 to set her best time at break the Asian record.

Li still has the 200 free, 800 free, and 1500 free left to swim in this meet. She was a 2023 World Championships silver medalist in the latter two events, and will be favored to medal in both races during Paris as well.

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Miss M
3 months ago

Surprised by this for Li Bingjie – it was very fast.

Reinforces Pallister’s decision to drop this one. She would have had to go lights out this morning to make finals… the fatigue would have to be a factor later in the meet with the 800/1500. Bonus that Perkins swam brilliantly too.

Smiling Steve
3 months ago

The WORLD AQUATICS site shows 10 swimmers qualifying for the final, not 8.

Diehard
3 months ago

American Kieran missed too and he was bronze in Tokyo too

SJS
3 months ago

Wow.

Didn’t expect LB to medal in the 4free, but this may be a sign of what’s to come in the 8free.

CHINADA
Reply to  SJS
3 months ago

Let’s hope it’s all downhill!

TomDeanBoxall
Reply to  SJS
3 months ago

On a more optimistic side of things, maybe she’s just really honed in on that 8 and 15 FR instead.

Plus, I think she just moreso misjudged the pace – if she swum a 4:07 I’d be worried, but a 4:03 would’ve made finals any other year.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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