2024 Olympics: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

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• Prelims Live Recaps: Day 1
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Day 1 Finals Heat Sheet

Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay Lineups 

Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay Lineups 

It’s time for the first night of finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. We’ve got four medal rounds on tap: the men’s and women’s 400 freestyle, and the men’s and women’s 4×100 freestyle relay final. In addition, there are two semifinals on the schedule with the women’s 100 butterfly starting the session and the men’s 100 breaststroke wrapping up the session’s individual events.

Day 1 Finals Schedule

• Women’s 100 butterfly semifinals — top seed: Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 56.50
• Men’s 400 freestyle final — top seed: Lukas Märtens (GER) – 3:44.13
• Women’s 400 freestyle final — top seed: Katie Ledecky (USA) – 4:02.19
• Men’s 100 breaststroke semifinals — top seed: Caspar Corbeau (NED) – 59.04
• Women’s 4×100 freestyle relay final — top seed: Australia – 3:31.57
• Men’s 4×100 freestyle relay final — top seed: China – 3:11.62

The men’s 400 freestyle is the first final of the Games. Lukas Märtens turned heads earlier this season with a 3:40.33, coming just .26 seconds away from Paul Biedermann‘s super-suited world record. Swimming in the same heat, Märtens and Elijah Winnington flipped at the 200-meter mark under that world record pace. They fell off on the back half, but Märtens held on to post the top time of the morning in 3:44.13. Four other swimmers broke 3:45 in the heats: Guilherme Costa (3:44.23), Fei Liwei (3:44.60), Winnington (3:44.60), and Sam Short (3:44.88), promising a fast Olympic final where only Winnington returns from the Tokyo field.

Then it’s time for the women’s 400 freestyle final, where we’ll see a rematch of the top four from the 2023 World Championships. It’s Katie Ledecky who leads Ariarne Titmus, Erika Fairweather, and Summer McIntosh into the final. Ledecky swam 4:02.19; the others were also in the 4:02 range as everyone kept their cards close to their chests for the final. Titmus, the world record holder, has not lost this race internationally since 2019 and is the heavy favorite for the win. Meanwhile, both McIntosh and Fairweather are aiming for their first Olympic medals.

It’s all about Australia in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay. The world record holders in this event, they are the only nation that’s been faster than 3:31 in this event. Still, they can’t afford any mistakes as the United States has a strong quartet as well. Emma McKeon and Sarah Sjöström were the highlight of this event in the morning, both putting up sub-52 splits. McKeon posted a 51.94, the best she’s looked in years, and Sjöström clocked 51.99 on Sweden’s relay.

China swam the fastest prelims time of the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay (3:11.62), powered by world record holder Pan Zhanle‘s 46.98 anchor leg. The top four–China, Australia, Great Britain, and the United States–are separated by less than a second after prelims, foreshadowing the chaos to come in this race. On paper, the United States is the team to beat but China, Great Britain, Australia, and Italy are all strong candidates for a podium finish as well. As always, the relay lineup and order will be crucial.

WOMEN’S 100-Meter BUTTERFLY – Semifinals

• World Record: 55.18 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 56.43 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
• Olympic Record: 55.48 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2016)
• 2021 Winning Time: 55.59 – Maggie MacNeil, CAN
• 2021 Time to Advance to Semis: 57.19

Advancing to Finals: 

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA), 55.38 OR
2. Torri Huske (USA), 56.00
3. Zhang Yufei (CHN), 56.15
4. Angelina Kohler (GER)/Maggie MacNeil (CAN), 56.55
5. —
6. Emma McKeon (AUS), 56.74
7. Mizuki Hirai (JPN), 56.80
8. Louise Hansson (SWE), 56.93

Gretchen Walsh brought the crowd to their feet in the very first heat of the session. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Walsh broke the 100 butterfly world record in the semifinals. In this semifinal she put together another record-breaking performance, taking down Sarah Sjostrom‘s Olympic record in this event by a tenth. Walsh was out under her world record pace, turning at 25.29. She brought it home in 30.09, touching in 55.38 for a new Olympic record and the third-fastest swim of her career.

The second semifinal saw the top four swimmers from Tokyo reconvene. Torri Huske, who was fourth at those Games, led the race from start to finish. She turned in 25.69, four-tenths off Walsh’s pace from the first semifinal. Huske held on against the defending champion Maggie MacNeil, Zhang Yufei, and Emma McKeon to grab the win in the second semifinal. With her 56.00, the Americans take the top two seeds heading into the final.

Zhang moves through in third, while MacNeil tied with Angelina Koehler from the first semifinal in 56.00.

It took sub-57 seconds to make the Olympic final in this event, well under the 57.19 it took in Tokyo.

MEN’S 400-Meter FREESTYLE – Final

• World Record:  3:40.07 — Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
• World Junior Record: 3:44.31 — Petar Mitsin, BUL (2023)
• Olympic Record: 3:40.14 — Sun Yang, CHN (2012)
• 2021 Winning Time: 3:43.36 – Ahmed Hafnaoui, TUN
• 2021 Bronze Medal Winning Time: 3:43.94

Final: 

1. GOLD: Lukas Märtens (GER), 3:41.78
2. SILVER: Elijah Winnington (AUS), 3:42.28
3. BRONZE: Kim Woo-Min (KOR), 3:42.50
4. Sam Short (AUS), 3:42.64
5. Guilherme Costa (BRA), 3:42.76
6. Fei Liwei (CHN), 3:44.24
7. Oliver Klemet (GER), 3:46.59
8. Aaron Shackell (USA), 3:47.00

This race was all about Lukas Märtens. He stamped his authority on the race from the beginning, setting the pace early and flipping at the first 100 meters in 52.01. The German became the first German to win gold in this event since 1988. After the opening 100 meters, he kept consistent with 28-point splits for the entire race. Though he was off his 3:40.33 lifetime best from earlier this season, he still claimed gold in 3:41.78. Märtens has been so consistent in this race for the last two years, medalling at each Worlds but hadn’t managed to claim gold until here at the Games.

Both Märtens and Kim Woo-Min, the 2024 world champion, were well under world record pace at the 200-meter mark. The Australian duo of Elijah Winnington and Sam Short began to push on the third 100 as Kim, Winnington, and Short all turned at 3:14. Kim had held second for the majority of the race, but was unable to hold off Winnington’s late charge. Winnington tore home in 27.33 on the final 50 and moved up from 4th at the final turn to take silver in 3:42.28. Winnington was 7th in this event in Tokyo.

Kim held on to take bronze in 3:42.50, withstanding Short’s 27.83 final 50. Short, the 2023 world champion, just missed the medals in 3:42.64, .14 seconds behind Kim.

Guilherme Costa was visibly emotional after his 5th-place finish. He swam 3:42.76, setting a new Americas record.

WOMEN’S 400-Meter FREESTYLE – Final

• World Record:  3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2023)
• World Junior Record: 3:56.08 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
• Olympic Record: 3:56.46 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2016)
• 2021 Winning Time: 3:56.69 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS
• 2021 Bronze Medal Winning Time: 4:01.80

Final: 

1. GOLD: Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 3:57.49
2. SILVER: Summer McIntosh (CAN), 3:58.37
3. BRONZE: Katie Ledecky (USA), 4:00.86
4. Erika Fairweather (NZL), 4:01.12
5. Isabel Gose (GER), 4:02.14
6. Paige Madden (USA), 4:02.26
7. M.F Costa (BRA), 4:03.53
8. Jamie Perkins (AUS), 4:04.96

Like Märtens in the men’s 400 freestyle final, Ariarne Titmus did not wait to take control of the women’s 400 freestyle final. She split 56.92 on the first 100 meters, with 17-year-old Summer McIntosh running second and Erika Fairweather in third. McIntosh got within .35 seconds of Titmus at the halfway point as the two turned in 1:56.97 and 1:57.27.36.

Titmus extended her lead with a 59.95 third 100, creating a .82 second gap to McIntosh, who was the only one within the realm of challenging her at that point in the race. Titmus outsplit McIntosh again on the final 100 and clocked a 3:57.49 to defend her Olympic title in this event and keep her winning streak alive.

After missing the medals in Fukuoka, McIntosh bounced back with a 3:58.37 for silver and claimed her first individual Olympic medal. She and Titmus were the only two swimmers sub-4:00. Both Ledecky and Fairweather have been under that barrier multiple times but neither cleared it in this final. After turning 4th at the 100, Ledecky moved into 3rd place at the 250m mark and stayed there, never really able to mount a challenge to take on Titmus or McIntosh. Fairweather finished 4th in 4:01.12.

Isabel Gose set a German record of 4:02.14 for 5th, catching Paige Madden on the final 50 meters. Madden made the final turn in 4th but ended up 6th in 4:02.26, .12 seconds behind Gose.

MEN’S 100-Meter BREASTSTROKE – Semifinals

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2019)
• World Junior Record:  59.01 – Nicolo Martinenghi, ITA (2017)
• Olympic Record: 57.13 – Adam Peaty, GBR  (2016)
• 2021 Winning Time: 57.37 – Adam Peaty, GBR
• 2021 Time to Advance to Semis: 59.18

Advancing to Finals: 

1. Adam Peaty (GBR), 58.86
2. Qin Haiyang (CHN), 58.93
3. Arno Kamminga (NED), 59.12
4. Nic Fink (USA), 59.16
5. Caspar Corbeau (NED), 59.24
6. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 59.28
7. Lucas Matzerath (GER), 59.31
8. Melvin Imoudu (GER)/Ludovico Viberti (ITA), 59.38*

*Swim-off required

The time to advance to finals is still slower than it was in Tokyo, but we’ve gotten our first sub-59s of the Games in the men’s 100 breaststroke. Adam Peaty got the ball rolling in the first semifinal, clocking a 58.86. That time held up over the second semifinal as the fastest time, so Peaty will have lane four as he goes for his three-peat in the event during tomorrow’s finals session.

Nic Fink took second in the first semifinal, clocking a 59.16 that moves him through to the final in 4th and improving on the 59.66 he swam in prelims.

Qin Haiyang, the 2023 world champion, won the second semifinal in 58.93, joining Peaty under the 59-second mark. He’s the man most capable of disrupting Peaty’s Olympic winning streak in this event, and the two will be swimming right next to each other in the final. Comparing the two semifinal swims, Peaty was out faster, splitting 26.90 on the first 50 meters. Qin opened in 27.12 but closed the gap to Peaty with a 31.81 closing split.

Arno Kamminga and Caspar Corbeau touched second and third in the second semifinal, guaranteeing that there will be two Dutch swimmers in the final.

There may also be two Germans, but we’ll need to wait a little longer to know for sure. That’s because we’ve got a swim-off for the final, as Melvin Imoudo and Ludovico Viberti tied for 8th in 59.38. Details about the swim-off are forthcoming.

WOMEN’S 4×100-Meter FREESTYLE RELAY – Final

• World Record: 3:27.96 – Australia (M. O’Callaghan, S. Jack, M. Harris, E. McKeon), 2023 
• World Junior Record: 3:36.19 – Canada (T. Ruck, P. Oleksiak, R. Smith, K. Sanchez), 2017
• Olympic Record: 3:29.69 – Australia (B. Campbell, C. Campbell, M. Harris, E. McKeon), 2021
• 2021 Winning Time: 3:29.69 – Australia (B. Campbell, C. Campbell, M. Harris, E. McKeon)
• 2021 Bronze Medal Winning Time: 3:32.81

Final: 

1. GOLD: Australia (O’Callaghan, Jack, McKeon, Harris), 3:28.92 OR
2. SILVER: USA (Douglass, G. Walsh, Huske, Manuel), 3:30.20
3. BRONZE: China (Yang, Cheng, Zhang, Wu), 3:30.30
4. Canada, 3:32.99
5. Sweden, 3:33.79
6. France, 3:34.99
7. Great Britain, 3:35.25
8. Italy, 3:36.51

The Australian women went to work in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay. Mollie O’Callaghan took over the lead early, posting the fastest lead-off at 52.24. China was in 2nd place at the first exchange after Yang Junxuan opened in 52.48, getting the better of Sjostrom (52.53), and Kate Douglass (52.98).

The Australian women didn’t trail in this race, as Shayna Jack (52.35), Emma McKeon (52.39), and Meg Harris (51.94) followed O’Callaghan, giving the Australians the gold medal in an Olympic record time of 3:28.92. That was a huge swim from Harris, matching the split that McKeon put up on the prelims relay.

The Americans were still running 4th at the halfway point after a 52.55 from G. Walsh, but Huske moved them into 2nd place with a 52.06, an incredible split for her. Both she and G. Walsh swam the 100 butterfly semifinals earlier in this session, where they took the top two times for the final. Simone Manuel anchored the Americans with a 52.61, stopping the clock at 3:30.20 for a silver medal in an Americas record time. That’s the first time the U.S. has been sub-3:31 in this relay.

China was just a tenth behind the United States, swimming an Asian record of 3:30.20 for the bronze medal. After Yang’s Chinese record lead-off, Cheng Yujie split 52.76, Zhang split 52.75, and Wu Qingfeng anchored in 52.31.

MEN’S 4×100-Meter FREESTYLE RELAY – Final

• World Record: 3:08.24 — United States: M. Phelps, G. Weber-Gale, C. Jones, J. Lezak (2008)
• World Junior Record: 3:15.49 — United States: D. Diehl, M. Williamson, H. Williams, J. Zhao (2023)
• Olympic Record: 3:08.24 — United States: M. Phelps, G. Weber-Gale, C. Jones, J. Lezak (2008)
• 2021 Winning Time: 3:08.97 — United States: C. Dressel, B. Pieroni, B. Becker, Z. Apple
• 2021 Bronze Medal Winning Time: 3:10.22

Final: 

1. GOLD: United States (Alexy, Guiliano, Armstrong, Dressel), 3:09.28
2. SILVER: Australia (Cartwright, Southam, Taylor, Chalmers), 3:10.35
3. BRONZE: Italy (Miressi, Ceccon, Conte, Frigo), 3:10.70
4. China, 3:11.28
5. Great Britain, 3:11.61
6. Canada, 3:12.18
7. Germany, 3:12.29
8. Hungary, 3:13.11

Pan Zhanle got the party started in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay final. He anchored the relay in prelims, but the Chinese coaches moved him onto the lead-off for the final. There, he fired off a 46.92, moving one ahead of David Popovici for most sub-47 swims. It’s the 5th fastest swim in history.

The Americans were second after the first exchange, with Jack Alexy swimming 47.67 to get ahead of Hungary’s Nandor Nemeth (47.76) and Matt Richards (47.83). Chris Guiliano dove in for the Americans on the second leg and grabbed the lead with a 47.33 split. Hunter Armstrong extended their lead with a huge 46.75 split, and Caeleb Dressel anchored in 47.53, bringing the Americans their first gold medal of the meet with an overall time of 3:09.28.

Australia started the relay in 6th place with a 48.03 from Jack Cartwright, but they made their way through the field after that. Flynn Southam moved them into 5th (48.00), Kai Taylor swam 47.73 to put them in 4th place and Kyle Chalmers completely took over after that, splitting a 46.59 to put them onto the podium with the silver medal in 3:10.35. That’s the 8th fastest 100 free relay split of all-time.

Italy rounded out the podium in 3:10.70. They, like Australia, were in the back half of the race after the first 100 meters with Alessandro Miressi swimming 48.04. Thomas Ceccon (47.44), Paolo Bonin Conte (48.16), and Manuel Frigo (47.06) combined with Miressi to earn bronze, returning to the podium after a silver in Tokyo.