Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 5 Finals Live Recap – SwimSwam

2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games

Thursday morning’s session, which consists of Day 5’s finals and semifinals, will produce five new Olympic champions.

The morning will begin with the first-ever final of the men’s 800 freestyle, a new Olympic event this year. (The International Olympic Committee added three events to the lineup for the 2020 Olympic Games: the women’s 1500 free, the men’s 800 free, and the mixed 4×100 medley relay.) Ukraine’s Mykhailo Romanchuk took over 1.2 seconds off the Ukraine national record in prelims and established the first Olympic Record of 7:41.28. He will be chased on either side, in lanes 5 and 3, by Germany’s Florian Wellbrock (7:41.77) and USA’s Bobby Finke (7:42.72). The fastest time coming into this event belonged to 2019 World Champion Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy. He swam 7:47.73 in prelims and qualified eighth for the final.

The men’s 200 breast final should be a tight race, with the first and eighth qualifiers only separated by 1.4 seconds. Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook (2:07.35) led the semifinalists with a 2:07.38. He owns the second-fastest time in history, 2:06.28, from the Australian Olympic Trials this year. 2016 bronze medalist Anton Chupkov of the Russian Olympic Committee broke the World Record winning this event at 2019 World Championships in 2:06.12. He qualified seventh for the final. Arno Kamminga (NED), James Wilby (GBR), Nic Fink (USA), and Ryuya Mura (JPN) also have their eye on the gold.

China’s Zhang Yufei is heavily favored in the women’s 200 butterfly final. She was the top seed coming into the meet and improved her time in the semis, going 2:04.89 to crack the top-10 list of all-time performers. Americans Hali Flickinger and Regan Smith will be in lanes 5 and 6, while Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas will race in lane 3.

The last individual race of the morning, and by far the most anticipated, is the men’s 100 freestyle. The star-studded final will feature international sprint icons Kliment Kolesnikov (ROC), who broke the Olympic Record in the semis with 47.11; Caeleb Dressel (USA), the third-fastest performer of all time; defending Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers (AUS); and the current World Junior Record-holder, David Popovici (ROU).

The morning will conclude with the final of the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay. Australia’s depth in the 200 freestyle is unmatched, and the only question seems to be by how much they will lower their own World Record.

For a full preview of this morning’s session (or tonight’s, for those of us in the Western Hemisphere), click here.

Men’s 800 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: Zhang Lin (CHN) – 7:32.12 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) – 7:41.28 (2021)
• World Junior Record: Mack Horton (AUS) – 7:45.67 (2013)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: N/A
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 800 Freestyle

1. GOLD: Bobby Finke (USA) – 7:41.87
2. SILVER: Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 7:42.11
3. BRONZE: Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) – 7:42.33
4. Florian Wellbrock (GER) – 7:42.68
5. Jack McLoughlin (AUS) – 7:45.00
6. Serhii Frolov (UKR) – 7:45.11
7. Felix Auboeck (AUT) – 7:49.14
8. Guilherme Costa (BRA) – 7:53.31

Reigning World Champion Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy took it out quickly from lane 8, turning at 55.15 ahead of Australia’s Jack McLoughlin and USA’s Bobby Finke at the 100. He was a full body up with 1:52.86 at the 200. Behind him were Florian Wellbrock and Mykhailo Romanchuk. At the 300, the field began to close the distance but it was still Paltrinieri, followed by Wellbrock and Romanchuk 2:51.47.

At the 600, it was still Romanchuk followed by Wellbrock and Romanchuk, but the middle of the pool turned on the jets over the last 100. At the 750 it was Wellbrock, Paltrinieri and Romanchuk.

With 25 meters left, Bobby Finke made his move. He powered past the field, coming from 5th place to take it home in 26.39 and win the gold medal with 7:41.87. Finke lowered his own American Record, set in prelims with 7:42.72, and moved to #13 all-time.

ALL-TIME PERFORMERS

Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Final

• World Record: Anton Chupkov (RUS) – 2:06.12 (2019)
• Olympic Record: Ippei Watanabe (JPN) – 2:07.22 (2016)
• World Junior Record: Qin Haiyan (CHN) – 2:07.35 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Dmitriy Balandin (KAZ) – 2:07.46
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 200 Breaststroke

1. GOLD: Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) – 2:06.38
2. SILVER: Arno Kamminga (NED) – 2:07.01
3. BRONZE: Matti Mattson (FIN) – 2:07.13
4. Anton Chupkov (ROC) – 2:07.24
5. Nic Fink (USA) – 2:07.93
6. James Wilby (GBR) – 2:08.19
7. Ryuya Mura (JPN) – 2:08.42
8. Erik Persson (SWE) – 2:08.88

Arno Kamminga of Netherlands set the pace early on, turning under World Record pace at the 50 wall in 28.14. James Wilby of Great Britain was in second place, ahead of Matti Mattson from Finland. Kamminga was still under WR pace at the 100 with 1:00.09. Mattson moved past Wilby into second place. Also under WR pace, he turned at 1:00.85.

At the 150 wall, Zac Stubblety-Cook of Australia moved into the top three, passing Wilby and closing the gap with the leaders.

Stubblety-Cook powered home to earn the gold medal and a 2:06.38 Olympic Record. Kamminga touched second in 2:07.01. Mattson’s 2:07.13 third-place finish lowered his Finnish record by 1.1 seconds.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinals

1. Emma McKeon (AUS), 52.32
2. Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 52.40
3. Cate Campbell (AUS), 52.71
4. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 52.82
5. Penny Oleksiak (CAN), 52.86
6. Femke Heemskerk (NED), 52.93
7. Abbey Weitzeil (USA), 52.99
8. Anna Hopkin (GBR), 53.11

Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong led from start to finish in semifinal 1, establishing a new Asian Record with her winning time of 52.40. Cate Campbell was right behind her the entire way. She stopped the clock in 52.71 for second. France’s Marie Wattel was in second place at the 50 wall but fell to fifth at the touch. Both Penny Oleksiak of Canada (52.97) and Femke Heemskerk of Netherlands (52.93) passed on the second 50.

Australia’s Emma McKeon, who set the Olympic Record with 52.13 in heats, won the second semifinal with 52.32 to lead the qualifiers for the final. Great Britain’s Anna Hopkin flipped in second place ahead of USA’s Abbey Weitzeil at the halfway mark, but Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom passed by Hopkin and Weitzeil on the back half to finish second with 52.82. Weizeil touched out Hopkin, 52.99 to 53.11, for third.

Men’s 200 Backstroke – Semifinals

• World Record: Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 1:51.92 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Tyler Clary (USA) – 1:53.41 (2012)
• World Junior Record: Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) – 1:55.14 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Ryan Murphy (USA) – 1:53.62
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 200 Backstroke

1. Evgeny Rylov (ROC), 1:54.45
2. Luke Greenbank (GBR), 1:54.98
3. Ryan Murphy (USA), 1:55.38
4. Adam Telegdy (HUN), 1:56.19
5. Nicolas Garcia Saiz (ESP), 1:56.35
6. Bryce Mefford (USA), 1:56.37
7. Radoslaw Kawecki (POL), 1:56.68
8. Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:56.69

Reigning World Champion Evgeny Rylov of the Russian Olympic Committee, who won gold in the 100 back here in Tokyo, scored a wire-to-wire victory in the first semifinal of the men’s 200 back. France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, who had scratched in to the semis, was in second place at the 100 wall from out in lane 8. Hungary’s Adam Telegdy moved into second place at the 150 and held on to touch second behind Rylov at the finish. Rylov went 1:54.45, while Telegdy was 1:56.19. Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki (1:56.68) and Japan’s Ryosuke Irie (1:56.69) touched 3rd and 4th.

Great Britain’s Luke Greenbank, who had led the heats into semis, took it out early and flipped ahead of Keita Sunama of Japan and USA’s Ryan Murphy at the 50. Green led at the 100, with Murphy and Spain’s Nicolas Garcia Saiz trailing. Murphy’s American teammate Bryce Mefford moved into third place at the 150 wall. At the touch it was Greenbank (1:54.98), Murphy (1:55.38), Garcia (1:56.35), and Mefford (1:56.37).

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Final

• World Record: Liu Zige (CHN) – 2:01.81 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Jiao Liuyang (CHN) – 2:04.06 (2012)
• World Junior Record: Suzuka Hasegawa (JPN) – 2:06.29 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP) – 2:04.85
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Women’s 200 Butterfly

1. GOLD: Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 2:03.86 OR
2. SILVER: Regan Smith (USA) – 2:05.30
3. BRONZE: Hali Flickinger (USA) – 2:05.65
4. Boglarka Kapas (HUN) – 2:06.53
5. Svetlana Chimrova (ROC) – 2:07.70
6. Yu Liyan (CHN) – 2:07.85
7. Alys Thomas (GBR) – 2:07.90
8. Brianna Throssell (AUS) – 2:09.48

China’s Zhang Yufei dominated the women’s 200 butterfly in heats and semis, where she was the fastest qualifier for the next round, first with 2:07.50, then with 2:04.89. In the final, she was untouchable, leading by a body length with running times of 26.92, 58.29, and 1:31.03 at the 50/100/150 walls. She brought it home in 32.8 to take down the Olympic Record with 2:03.86.

American’s Regan Smith and Hali Flickinger traded leads but remained in second and third place behind Zhang throughout the race. Flickinger had led Smith in the silver medal race, but Smith came home with the fastest final 50 in the field, 32.10. She slipped past Flickinger and earned the silver with 2:05.30. Flickinger settled for the bronze with 2:05.65.

This marks the second podium finish for each of the three medalists. Earlier this week, Zhang earned a silver in the 100 fly. Smith and Flickinger both won bronze medals – in the 100 back and 400 IM, respectively.

Men’s 100 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: Cesar Cielo (BRA) – 46.91 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Eamon Sullivan (AUS) – 47.05 (2008)
• World Junior Record: David Popovici (ROU) – 47.30 (2021)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 47.58
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 100 Freestyle

1. GOLD: Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 47.02 OR
2. SILVER: Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 47.08
3. BRONZE: Kliment Kolesnikov (ROC) – 47.44
4. Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 47.72
5. Hwang Sunwoo (KOR) – 47.82
6. Alessandro Miressi (ITA) – 47.86
7. David Popovici (ROU) – 48.04
8. Nandor Nemeth (HUN) – 48.10

As expected, USA’s Caeleb Dressel used his explosive start to get out in front of the field off the block. He had a clear advantage when he took his first stroke, and he flipped .10 ahead of second-place Kliment Kolesnikov of Russia, at the 50. Dressel knew that Kolesnikov and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Kyle Chalmers of Australia would close hard. He managed to get his hand to the wall just ahead of Chalmers, who came home .26 faster over the second half.

The splits of the top three finishers:

• Dressel 22.39/24.63
• Chalmers 22.71/24.37
• Kolesnikov 22.49/24.95

Dressel notched his second-fastest 100 free time and took down Eamon Sullivan’s super-suit-era Olympic Record by .03.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Semifinals

• World Record: Rikke Moller Pedersen (DEN) – 2:19.11 (2013)
• Olympic Record: Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) – 2:19.16 (2021)
• World Junior Record: Viktoriya Zeynep Gunes (TUR) – 2:19.64 (2015)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Rie Kaneto (JPN) – 2:20.30
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Women’s 200 Breaststroke

1. Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2:19.33
2. Evgeniia Chikunova (ROC), 2:20.57
3. Annie Lazor (USA), 2:21.94
4. Kaylene Corbett (RSA), 2:22.08
5. Lilly King (USA), 2:22.27
6. Abbie Wood (GBR), 2:22.35
7. Molly Renshaw (GBR), 2:22.70
8. Fanny Lecluyse (BEL), 2:23.73

Great Britain’s Molly Renshaw held the lead through 150 meters in the first semifinal. USA’s Molly King held onto second place from beginning to end, while South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett moved past China’s Yu Jingyao, who was 3rd at the 100 to challenge King and Renshaw over the second half. Corbett moved from third to first (2:22.08) in the heat over the final 50 meters. King passed Renshaw to touch second with 2:22.27. Canada’s Kelsey Wog was disqualified.

100 breast silver medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa led from start to finish in the second semi. After having broken the Olympic Record in prelims with the second-fastest time in history, Schoenmaker seemed to take an extra stroke coming into the 200 wall and clocked a 2:19.33. Otherwise, she looked on pace to break the World Record of 2:19.11 set by Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen in 2013.

Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova (2:20.57) held the second position from start to finish. Great Britain’s Abbie Wood was in third place through 150 meters but USA’s Annie Lazor, who moved from 6th at the 100 to 4th at the 150, slipped past Wood to touch third with 2:21.94. Wood stopped the clock at 2:22.35.

Men’s 200 Individual Medley – Semifinals

• World Record: Ryan Lochte (USA) – 1:54.00 (2011)
• Olympic Record: Michael Phelps (USA) – 1:54.23 (2008)
• World Junior Record: Hubert Kos (HUN) – 1:56.99 (2021)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Michael Phelps (USA) – 1:54.66
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 200 Individual Medley

1. Wang Shun (CHN), 1:56.22
2. Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:56.69
3. Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:56.86
4. Michael Andrew (USA), 1:57.08
5. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI), 1:57.38
6. Kosuke Hagino (JPN), 1:57.47
7. Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 1:57.55
8. Laszlo Cseh (HUN), 1:57.64

Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay – Final

• World Record: Australia (Titmus, Wilson, Throssell, McKeon) – 7:41.50 (2019)
• Olympic Record: USA (Franklin, Vollmer, Vreeland, Schmitt) – 7:42.92 (2012)
• World Junior Record: Canada (Sanchez, Oleksiak, Smith, Ruck) – 7:51.47 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: USA (Schmitt, Smith, DiRado, Ledecky) – 7:43.03
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay

1. China, 7:40.33 WR
2. United States, 7:40.73
3. Australia, 7:41.29
4. Canada, 7:43.77
5. Russian Olympic Committee, 7:52.15
6. Germany, 7:53.89
7. Hungary, 7:56.62
8. France, 7:58.15