2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
- Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
- La Défense Arena — Paris, France
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Full Swimming Schedule
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Pick ’em Contest
- How To Watch
- Entry Lists
- Live Results
- Prelims Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
- Finals Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
Through the first seven days of swimming at the Paris Olympics, coach Bob Bowman‘s international swimmers have combined for more gold medals (five) than all of Team USA (four).
French star Leon Marchand won his fourth Olympic title of the meet on Friday, breaking his fourth Olympic record in the men’s 200 IM at 1:54.06 — just a blink off Ryan Lochte‘s world record (1:54.00). The 22-year-old Marchand had already picked up wins in the 400 IM (4:02.95), 200 butterfly (1:51.21), and 200 breast (2:05.85).
Marchand’s former Arizona State teammate, Hubert Kos, also captured an individual Olympic crown in the men’s 200 backstroke with a winning time of 1:54.26. The 21-year-old Hungarian transferred to Texas along with Marchand, following Bowman to Austin after they won the Sun Devils’ first-ever NCAA swim title in late March.
Meanwhile, the Americans have won just four gold medals so far courtesy of the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay (Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, and Caeleb Dressel), Torri Huske in the women’s 100 butterfly (55.59), Katie Ledecky in the women’s 1500 free (15:30.02), and Kate Douglass in the women’s 200 breaststroke (2:19.24).
The 59-year-old Bowman is coaching with the French this summer in part because they don’t care if he also coaches swimmers from other countries — unlike Team USA.
“It just makes it so much better for everyone for me to coach with the French, because the French have no stipulations about me coaching other nationalities and it’s a little different with the USA team, which I certainly respect,” Bowman said at last weekend’s Pro Swim Series stop in San Antonio. “So it just makes sense for everybody because then I can coach everybody I’m coaching now.”
There are only seven gold medal opportunities remaining in the pool. Saturday could be a big day for the Americans: Ledecky is expected to bring home her fourth consecutive Olympic title in the 800 free, the U.S. mixed 4×100 medley relay are probably the favorites, and Douglass has a shot in the 200 IM against Canadian star Summer McIntosh.
The last time the U.S. finished with a gold medal count in the single digits was back at the Seoul 1988 Olympics, when it won eight. If the Americans can’t hit that mark this year, it would represent their lowest gold medal total since the Melbourne 1956 Olympics (two).
The U.S. won 11 golds at Tokyo 2021, 16 at Rio 2016, 16 at London 2012, 12 at Beijing 2008, 12 at Athens 2004, 14 at Sydney 2000, 13 at Atlanta 1996, 11 at Barcelona 1992, eight at Seoul 1988, 21 at Los Angeles 1984, 13 at Montreal 1976, 17 at Munich 1972, 21 at 1968 Mexico City, 13 at Tokyo 1964, and nine at Rome 1960. The Moscow 1980 edition of the Olympics was famously boycotted by the Americans.
SWIMMING MEDAL TABLE – THROUGH DAY 7
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Australia | 7 | 5 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | United States | 4 | 11 | 6 | 21 |
| 3 | France | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Canada | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Italy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Great Britain | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | China | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
|
8
|
Hungary | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
|
10
|
Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Romania | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 13 | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
14
|
Greece | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Japan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
|
16
|
Hong Kong | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
|
18
|
South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
For US swimming’s sake, the Bowman worship needs to stop.
He’s done extremely well with extremely few -mostly middle distance stroke/IM specialists, and Marchand is an exception, not the rule.
Kalisz, Litherland and even Regan Smith have not done as well as they would have liked.
US swimming would be better served looking at lessons from the 50 free men’s podium, Sarah Sjoestrom, Popovici’s coach, Boxall, Bohl and others, (even Jack Baeurle) rather than fixating solely on Bowman.
Aussie kicking American butt love it
Bohly is entering retirement phase and boxall having a break post olympics if that makes anyone feel better….swings and roundabouts
Raleigh retiring too. Looks like Leah Neale has already moved to Rackley.
The last time a US man qualified for the 50-100-200 free was in 1988. Coincidence?! 🤨
But Biondi won two golds and a silver in those three events so no there’s no coincidence.
Two golds and 1 bronze in those three events for Biondi. After, let’s do not compare every long range sprinter to Matt Biondi, it is too rude to do that because Biondi is one of the greatest freestyle sprinters ever.
It’s a down year in a shortened Olympic cycle. The 80s numbers are weird because of boycotts, but after a fully attended games in ‘88, we díd better in the 90s. We’ll do better again. LA’28 will be lit if the rift with WADA doesn’t derail things. And I could be wrong, but hasn’t USA Swimming cut back on opportunities for the junior national team? That was seen as a reason for the dominance in ‘12 and ‘16. This will get straightened out. We’ve had years where the US was down some at world champs and then turned it on at the Olympics. It’s not been a great meet for the US. We don’t have the stories that make us… Read more »
And what does it mean you’ll “be ready in 4 years”. Those future games are a different championship. A one of its own. That has nothing to do with what is happening here. And what’s taking place here (in Paris) is a disaster (men).
No one is going to say when referring to the total lack of gold in Paris that its ok bcoz you won like 20 in LA. There’s no mixing and matching here. OMG, what a sugarcoating comment…
I’m just saying the sky isn’t falling, the world isn’t coming to an end, etc. Yeah, this isn’t our meet. It doesn’t mean the end of American swimming. I’ve seen meets where Australia were amazing and then four years later they merely good again. If you want to focus on this meet and the lack of American gold by the men, go ahead. I’m going to choose not to do that. I’ve been around too long. I’ve seen different cycles and storylines. US swimming has never depended on one coach or philosophy of training. If this leads to a change in organizational leadership at USA Swimming, I’m ok with that. But I’m not worried about the future of US Swimming… Read more »
“Sean wants you. I want your brother!!”
I understood that reference!
Ok, but look at the bright side: This is USA’s best Olympics compared to Russia in 40 years.
🧐
Republic of Bowmandia > United States of America