Only time will tell if Franklin’s fade will continue or if her underwhelming Rio Olympics are merely prelude to a Tokyo 2020 redemption tour – the sort of plotline that would have NBC execs licking their chops.
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The American pulled away from the rest of the field nearly immediately after the gun and eventually clocked the 13th fastest time in history.
American Michael Phelps shared the silver in a three-way tie in the 100-meter butterfly, making more history at the Rio Olympics.
Phelps will be doing double duty Thursday night.
The United States have now won gold in four of the five Olympics in which the event has been on the schedule. “We were smiling the whole time – before, during and after – and knew we could get the job done”.
Chen has applied to the International Olympic Committee to have her B sample tested and to get a hearing on the matter, Xinhua said, citing the swimming association, which promised in a statement to “take this matter seriously”.
Speaking to the BBC after the swim, Carlin was eager to show her gratitude to her family watching from the crowd. “But I’d like to have those extra seven, eight minutes in between”. The 100 fly could be Phelps’ second Quad, as he’s chasing a fourth straight title in the 200 individual medley in the evening session. “I was just hoping to make the final”.
In one way, Katie Ledecky is morphing, right here in front of an global audience, into a everyone-knows-who-she-is star, the premier female freestyle swimmer not just of these Olympics, but of all-time. In fact, she set a new Olympic record of 8:12.86 in the women’s 800 freestyle preliminary heats.
“It’s good consistency, I guess”, she said nonchalantly.
Swimming has been on every day since the start of the Olympics, with medal events happening at just about every turn.
Her closest rival, Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas, was almost seven seconds slower in 8:19.43 with Britain’s Jazz Carlin third in 8:19.67.
Andriy Hovorov of Ukraine was the fastest qualifier in the men’s 50 free at 21.72. They had a viewing party at the Williston Area Recreation Center, which opened two years ago. Ledecky won the same three events here in Rio.
Adrian dug deep to try to equal such great American watermen as Duke Kahanamoku and Johnny Weissmuller as two-time winners of the featured 100 freestyle.
Here she is winning the heat. She already has won the 100 back, along with the 200 and 400 individual medleys. The bronze went to Canada’s Hilary Caldwell.
Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas took bronze.
Defending champion Missy Franklin advanced to the semifinals with the 11th-fastest time of 2:09.36.
In the relay, Schmitt captured gold in what was likely the final race of her career.
Teenager Katie Ledecky said Thursday she is not thinking about the prospect of joining a select group of athletes to have won four gold medals in the same edition of the Olympic Games.
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Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, a two-time Olympic champion in the 200 back, qualified ninth.
