SWIMMING: 2020 Olympic Games – Day Five Recap, July 29

USA Swimming Event Medal Count at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
USA	6	7	8	21

 

Team USA Athlete Medal Count at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Athlete	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Katie Ledecky	1	2	0	3
Caeleb Dressel	2	0	0	2
Allison Schmitt*	0	1	1	2
Regan Smith	0	1	1	2
Hali Flickinger	0	0	2	2
Zach Apple	1	0	0	1
Bowe Becker	1	0	0	1
Brooks Curry*	1	0	0	1
Bobby Finke	1	0	0	1
Lydia Jacoby	1	0	0	1
Blake Pieroni	1	0	0	1
Chase Kalisz	1	0	0	1
Brooke Forde*	0	1	0	1
Jay Litherland	0	1	0	1
Paige Madden	0	1	0	1
Katie McLaughlin	0	1	0	1
Bella Sims*	0	1	0	1
Erica Sullivan	0	1	0	1
Alex Walsh	0	1	0	1
Emma Weyant	0	1	0	1
Erika Brown	0	0	1	1
Catie DeLoof*	0	0	1	1
Kate Douglass	0	0	1	1
Natalie Hinds	0	0	1	1
Lilly King	0	0	1	1
Simone Manuel	0	0	1	1
Ryan Murphy	0	0	1	1
Kieran Smith	0	0	1	1
Olivia Smoliga*	0	0	1	1
Abbey Weitzeil	0	0	1	1

*Includes medal(s) from prelim swims in relay event(s)

 

Men’s 800m Freestyle – Final

Gold – Bobby Finke (Clearwater, Fla./Saint Petersburg Aquatics/University of Florida), 7:41.87*

Silver – Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA), 7:42.11

Bronze – Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR), 7:42.33

 

*New American record

 

Race Notes

• Finke wins the inaugural men’s 800m freestyle in Olympic competition.
• Finke leaves Tokyo with the two fastest times in American history – going 7:41.87 in the final and 7:42.72 in prelims.
• Finke is now the only male to break the 7:43 and 7:42 marks in U.S. history.
• Finke went 54.98 in the last 100 meters and 26.39 in the final 50 meters.
• First earns his first Olympic medal at his Olympic Games debut.

 

Quotes

Bobby Finke: “I noticed when I was like 10 meters off (the final flip turn) that I was catching a little bit of ground and that is the only motivation I needed to try and pass and get my hand on the wall.”

 

Bobby Finke: “I saw [Paltrinieri] throughout the whole beginning and maybe like the first [part of the] second half of the race. I didn’t see him on the last wall or the 50 before that. I was thinking about him being there and just trying to get my hand on the wall.”

 

Bobby Finke: “I’m just super grateful for my family, my coaches back at home training me for switching into another gear on the last wall. Hats off to all of them and all of their hard work they have put in for me.”

 

Men's 200m Breaststroke – Final

Gold – Izaac Stubblety-Cook (AUS), 2:06.38*

Silver – Arno Kamminga (NED), 2:07.01

Bronze – Matti Mattsson (FIN), 2:07.13

5. Nic Fink (Morristown, N.J./Athens Bulldog Swim Club), 2:07.93
*Olympic record

Race Notes

• Fink becomes the 33^rd swimmer to represent the U.S. in the final of the men’s 200m breaststroke at the Olympic Games.
• Second time in Fink’s career going 2:07 in the event.

 

Quotes

Nic Fink: “It was a good race, I tried to take it out with those guys and I kind of started maybe up-tempoing a little too early. It was a good race, and those guys were really moving, but I can’t be too upset with my performance, especially with my second-fastest time ever. It is what it is – Team USA is doing so well and I’m just happy to be a part of it. “

 

Women’s 100m Freestyle – Semifinal

1. Emma McKeon (AUS), 52.32

7. Abbey Weitzeil (Santa Clarita, Calif./California Aquatics), 52.99

13. Erika Brown (Modesto, Calif./Tennessee Aquatics), 53.58

 

Race Notes

• Weitzeil swims a lifetime best and breaks :53 for the first time in her career.
• Brown made the semifinal by winning a swim-off in prelims against China’s Qingfeng Wu.
• Spots one through seven, where Weitzeil finished, were separated by less than .6 seconds.
• Spots eight through 13, where Brown finished, were separated by less than half a second.

 

Quotes

Abbey Weitzeil: “I’m pretty happy to go a best time there. I finally broke the 53-second barrier, which gives me a lot of confidence knowing that I’m in a good spot right now. I really just wanted to get in the final for Team USA and I’m really excited to give it a shot.”

 

Abbey Weitzeil: “I don’t think the lane [that I will have in the final] really matters to me – I have a lane. Quote, ‘if you have a lane, you have a shot,’ and I’m just going to go out there and do my best and see what happens.”

 

Men’s 200m Backstroke – Semifinal

1. Evgeny Rylov (ROC), 1:54.45

3. Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Fla./California Aquatics/Bolles), 1:55.38

6. Bryce Mefford (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Sierra Marlins Swim Team/Cal), 1:56.37

 

Race Notes

• Murphy vying for a repeat gold after finishing first in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
• Murphy and Mefford train together at Cal-Berkeley. Should they both medal, they would become the third pair of U.S. training teammates to medal in the same individual event in Tokyo so far, joining Athens Bulldog Swim Club teammates Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland (400m I.M.) and University of Virginia teammates Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh (200m I.M.)

 

Quotes

Ryan Murphy: “It helps a lot [having Cal teammates in Tokyo]. We were able to go through training camp and kind of keep the same training group that we have on a day-to-day basis. Having that level of comfortability, having our coach as head coach [in Tokyo] – Teri McKeever is here on the women’s side too, so just seeing familiar faces on the deck just helps us come in and feel a sense of normalcy every day.”

 

Ryan Murphy: “Bryce [Mefford] is an awesome dude, he keeps it super light, so it’s really nice to have him in there. To get back to feeling comfortable, I think that is the challenge of going to a meet like the Olympics. You’ve got to stay doing what you’re doing and having Bryce in there helps me do that.”

 

Ryan Murphy: “I probably feel a little more comfortable in my 200 stroke right now compared to my 100. It’s nice to kind of get into that rhythm, you kind of build into it a little more than the 100 so I like that a little bit more.”

 

Bryce Mefford: “Hopefully [finals] will go great. I’m excited for it – to be there with my USA teammate and Cal teammate, Ryan Murphy, and however it comes out, I’m just happy to be in the final.”

 

Bryce Mefford: “There’s a ton of great backstrokers out there, including our guys. We’re going to just go out there and fight for it and however it comes out, it comes out – hopefully with USA on top.”

 

Women's 200m Butterfly – Final
Gold – Zhang Yufei (CHN), 2:03.86*

Silver – Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Riptide), 2:05.30

Bronze – Hali Flickinger (Spring Grove, Pa./Sun Devil Swimming), 2:05.65
*Olympic record

Race Notes

• Sixth event at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 where the U.S. has had two individuals win medals.
• Second medal for Flickinger (along with her 400m I.M. bronze) and Smith (along with her 100m backstroke bronze) at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
• Smith and Flickinger set new personal bests.
• China’s Zhang Yufei swims the fastest time in 12 years and set an Olympic record

Quotes

Regan Smith: “It was a great race, I was really pleased with my prelim and semi swim, but I knew that I still had some stuff to clean up and do better, and I think I did just that and I’m super psyched.”

 

Regan Smith: “I was super surprised, that’s my best time by over a second. 2:05 is really, really good and I’m just so happy about it, so yeah, I was very shocked and very happy.”

 

Regan Smith: “I’m super, super pleased with my swim and I’m proud of Hali as well – being next to her is super fun. At the same time, I was just trying to stay in my lane and not worry about anyone else. But yes, silver in the 200 fly - I never thought I would make it to the Olympics in the 200 fly - so I’m psyched.”

 

Hali Flickinger: “I was able to stand up and swim for our country and there is nothing better than that. We’re coming home with a medal, both silver and bronze, so that is exciting.”

 

Men’s 100m Freestyle – Final
Gold – Caeleb Dressel (Green Cove Springs, Fla./Gator Swim Club), 47.02*

Silver – Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 47.08

Bronze – Kliment Kolesnikov (ROC), 47.44
*Olympic record

 

Race Notes

• Dressel wins the fourth (first individual) Olympic gold of his career. His gold gives him two gold medals in Tokyo after his performance as part of the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
• Dressel’s gold is the 31^st U.S. medal (14^th U.S. gold) in the event’s Olympic history.
• Just the second U.S. gold in the event since 1992; first since Nathan Adrian in 2012.

 

Quote

Caeleb Dressel: “I wasn’t worried about anything, I mean, during the race there is only so much you can do. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I stuck to my race plan, so if it got me first, okay. If it got me second, okay. I wouldn’t change a thing different about that race, that is what I had in that moment, and I executed it.”

 

Caeleb Dressel: “It means a lot; I knew that weight [of getting his first individual Olympic medal in Tokyo] was on my shoulders. I have won relay medals but never individual, so it was really special. It’s so fun going with Kyle [Chalmers], I feel like it’s really fun to watch me and Kyle go head-to-head. I think internationally, I think we’re 2-2 now – I think I tied it up. He got me in ‘16, he beat me at Pan Pacs, he didn’t compete at worlds, ‘19 I beat him and then right there, we’re 2-2. Even game. . . I got nothing but respect for him. I mean, in ‘16 I found out who he was really quick, and then it is so fun going back with him. He congratulated me on the wedding, he checks in with me every now and then to see how training is going, he is just a great guy.”

 

Caeleb Dressel: “It is different (winning an individual medal compared to a relay), and I know that. I didn’t want to admit it, but now that I did it, I can admit it. It’s a lot different, you can’t rely on anyone else – it's just you and the water. There’s no one there to bail you out, it’s tough.”

 

Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Semifinal

1. Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2:19.33

3. Annie Lazor (Beverly Hills, Mich./Mission Viejo Nadadores), 2:21.94

5. Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club), 2:22.27

 

Race Notes

• Lazor and King train together at Indiana Swim Club. Lazor currently is the second-fastest American in the event’s history, followed by King, who is third.
• The two are scheduled to swim next to each other in lanes two (King) and three (Lazor) in tomorrow’s final.
• Only once before have two U.S. women medaled in the event at the same Olympiad (2000 – Kristy Kowal, who won silver and Amanda Beard, who won bronze)

 

Quotes

Lilly King: “It’s awesome [to make the final with Lazor], definitely very comfortable, we’ll see if we’re next to each other. If we are, that would be fantastic, not sure yet though. It’s going to be awesome, this is what we have been training for the whole time we’ve been training together, so I’m really excited.”

 

Annie Lazor: “It doesn’t get better than this. I think every swimmer dreams of going to the Olympics, so for this to finally happen to me, it’s incredible. I certainly wouldn’t be here if not for my experiences at Auburn. I love my Auburn family and I’m so grateful for them.”

 

Men’s 200m Individual Medley – Semifinal

1. Wang Shun (CHN), 1:56.22

4. Michael Andrew (Encinitas, Calif./MA Swim Academy), 1:57.08

12. Chase Kalisz (Bel Air, Md./Athens Bulldog Swim Club), 1:58.03

 

Race Notes

• Andrew searching for first Olympic medal after finishing fourth in the 100m breaststroke.
• Andrew was under the world-record split going into the final 50 meters.

Quotes

Michael Andrew: “The last 20 meters, I died, and I think the rest of the guys made up all their ground in that last 20. I don’t know, it felt like a hard race, I don’t know if it’s the quick turnaround from the heats to the morning, but I’m really looking forward to having a full day to recover and rest and get ready for the final, I think that will make a huge difference in the preparation and in the legs.”

 

Michael Andrew: “The biggest thing right now is that my fly and breast are pretty strong, but my back and free are my weakest. I need to be at least a low 29 seconds in the back, and I have to do it while saving my legs for the free. It’s a really tough balance that you kind of can’t go fast in the back and save your legs, but you can’t afford not to for the free, so it’s a weird give-and-take. It’s going to come down to surviving through the grit.”

 

Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay – Final

Gold – China, 7:40.33*

Silver – USA, 7:40.73

     Allison Schmitt (Canton, Mich./Sun Devil Swimming)

     Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala./University of Virginia)

     Katie McLaughlin (Dana Point, Calif./California Aquatics/North Bay)

     Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Nation’s Capital/Alto Swim Club)

Bronze – Australia, 7:41.29
*World record

 

Race Notes

• All three medal-winning teams broke the previous world record time,
• Schmitt split a 1:56.34, Madden split a 1:55.25, McLaughlin split a 1:55.38 and Ledecky split a 1:53.76.
• Medal gives Schmitt the 10^th of her career, making her one the sixth female swimmers to ever record 10 or more Olympic medals.
• Medal gives Ledecky the ninth of her career, moving her into a tie for seventh on the all-time list of Olympic female swimmers.
• First Olympic medals for Madden and McLaughlin.
• Bella Sims (Henderson, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada) and Brooke Forde (Louisville, Ky./Lakeside Swim Team) earn medals via their prelim swims in the event – the first of their careers.

 

Quotes

Katie Ledecky: “I just saw how close we were, and I knew I could give it my all and get us into that position.”

 

Katie McLaughlin: “I think, just going in, we wanted to give our best. We all started the race together, not really having expectations of who would be where, but just getting in there and really doing our best and leaning on each other and supporting each other was our goal through the race.”

 

Allison Schmitt: “We came in as a team and we’re going to leave as a team. Media does a wonderful job of telling us that we should be disappointed in a silver medal, Katie [Ledecky] should be disappointed in her silver medal, but we’re proud of where we are, and we’re excited to finish this meet off strong and cheer on Katie for the rest of her races and the rest of Team USA who has races that are left.”

 

Allison Schmitt: “It’s [my] fourth Olympics. Getting to the Olympics is hard, winning an Olympic medal is even harder. To have this type of medal with these three other girls, I can’t even put it into words. I know, for the world, this past year has been extremely hard, and to be here, to be diving in for an Olympic final and then coming back and bringing that silver medal back to the U.S., it is something I’ll never take for granted.”