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.
Guaranteed that MP is seeing the US performance and beginning to script his comeback on home soil in 4 years.
Yes, MP will make a comeback to USA Swimming; as part of new management team like Jerry Colangelo and Coach K did with USA Basketball.
I wish there was a betting line on it in Vegas. He built is career on firsts, and has mentioned previously he’d only come back to win on home soil. He has (had) basically done everything in swimming, except for “oldest male” to win.
After seeing Léon swim faster than he ever did in the 200im, MP’s whole narrative about having the fastest PB of the current field pretty much faded away
Since 1960, the lowest gold medal total for USA Swimming at the Summer Olympics is 8 gold medals/31 events contested at the Seoul 1988 Olympics. As a footnote, the W 4 x 200 FR-R was not contested at the Summer Olympics until 1996.
I have never once tried to flex on a foreigner by bringing up how many Olympic gold medals the US won at the last Olympics. I just want to see fast swimming (except by the Chinese). I have no issue with Bob coaching the best talents to the best times (again though, as long as they aren’t Chinese).
I’ve always seen Bob as the no-nonsense leader who will always go up to bat for his swimmers while also keeping his swimmers’ discipline in check. I truly believe if he didn’t love swimming then he would’ve become a military officer. People with Bob’s personality will always inevitably clash with someone above or below him. If USA Swimming’s brass wants Bob to go Team USA full time, then they better give him the incentive to do so.
Now an article on the medal count based on country of training. At least Australia would get to keep theirs, France and Canada would take a huge hit among others.
Bowman is a sell out. He should be ashamed coaching for France.
Schubert has been coaching the Chinese folks. Other coaches have helped other foreign teams.
The world rankings over the last year or so show the picture that is playing out here. From that info it was clear the men were going to have a rough go of it. The women not so much but not the excitement generated from the NCAA’S.
World swimming has evolved so that USA is not always #1. Expectations become disappointments but trying to find blame is not productive.
Pride goes before the fall. Some are aware that there’s always been a strain of… call it spite? Jealousy? Aimed at Bob from Team USA brass. Is he the easiest person to get along with? Debatable. But he’s a genius in our sport and you have to decide if your personal feeling are worth the result. Welp, this is the result.
Just wait you all! If your upset now because Bowman coaches other athletes, and their success came from a school where there was scholarship, and he was paid to win for said school. Soon…the NCAA will make it so that their a limited roster availability (23 men – 35 women, but unlimited scholarships)! This means that all college coaches, who are already only paid to win, will recruit whoever they want, to make sure that they get better and continue to win! So don’t be mad a bowman because he built these swimmers correctly, but maybe be mad at the system. (Side note: bowman is an excellent person hence why these athletes, USA or International, want to swim for him)