The French Swimming Federation has released detailed statistics on all the swimming finals at the Paris Olympics, and in this article, we will analyze the women’s 100-meter fly final.
In a race like the 50 freestyle, every detail is crucial: reaction time, the choice of underwater distance, dolphin kicks, the (non) breathing, the stroke count, and the finish. EVERYTHING must be executed perfectly, as any detail can mean losing or gaining precious hundredths of a second.
During the women’s 50 freestyle in Paris, world record holder Sarah Sjostrom dominated the race, grabbing the lead early and maintaining it throughout the race. There were multiple position changes in the trailing group, largely due to the differences between the swimming and underwater.
Key points to note include:
- The excellent underwater of Gretchen Walsh, who was in first place up to 25 meters
- Sjostrom’s lead extending throughout the race
- The final push from Meg Harris, who gained hundredths of a second even on the Swede
- The gap between Sjostrom and the other finalists, compared to the close times among the remaining seven swimmers
Let’s analyze the race meter-by-meter
We will break down the analysis into two parts, focusing on key moments. The first part examines the start and underwater “non-swimming” phases. In the second, we’ll focus on the swimming portions, including the finish.
NON-SWIMMING PHASES
Start and underwater phase
| Rank at Start | Swimmer | Reaction Time (s) | Speed Exiting Underwater |
| 1 | Sarah Sjostrom | 0.61 | 3.10 |
| 2 | Zhang Yufei | 0.65 | 2.93 |
| 3 | Wu Qingfeng | 0.66 | 3.07 |
| 4 | Katarzyna Wasick | 0.67 | 3.21 |
| 5 | Neza Klancar | 0.68 | 2.79 |
| 6 | Meg Harris | 0.68 | 2.99 |
| 7 | Shayna Jack | 0.71 | 3.08 |
| 8 | Gretchen Walsh | 0.75 | 3.02 |
- The fastest off the blocks was none other than the future Olympic champion in this event, Sarah Sjostrom, with a reaction time of 0.61s, beating the others by at least four crucial hundredths of a second.
- However, Sjostrom noted that she dove too deep and opted for a shorter underwater, resurfacing at 12.4 meters, which was more of a “climb” to the surface compared to the others.
- Even though Gretchen Walsh had the slowest reaction time, her underwater was excellent, allowing her to position herself well for the remainder of the race. Her performance was consistently excellent over the last 25 meters, positioning her among the favorites for the podium in the upcoming Olympics.
- Zhang Yufei and Shayna Jack also managed very fast underwaters with minimal time difference.
- Katarzyna Wasick had the fastest start, reaching a speed of 3.21 m/s at the exit, but her acceleration faded after 10 meters.
15-Meter Standings
| Rank | Swimmer | Time |
| 1 | Gretchen Walsh | 5.88 |
| 2 | Sarah Sjostrom | +0.12 |
| 3 | Zhang Yufei | +0.30 |
| 4 | Shayna Jack | +0.31 |
| 5 | Katarzyna Wasick | +0.33 |
| 6 | Neza Klancar | +0.37 |
| 7 | Meg Harris | +0.39 |
| 8 | Wu Qingfeng | +0.43 |
- The only ones to surface at the 15 meter-mark were Gretchen Walsh and Neza Klancar.
- The first, thanks to the speed reached underwater, faster than the opponents swimming above the water, takes the lead in the race.
- The second, however, is not as efficient as the American and loses almost 0.4 seconds to her
THE SWIMMING PHASES
| Swimmer | Stroke Rate 50m Free (strokes/min) | Efficiency (m/stroke cycle) |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Sjostrom | 61.8 | 1.92m |
| Gretchen Walsh | 53.8 | 2.14m |
| Cameron McEvoy | 63.1 | 2.08m |
| Swimmer | Stroke Rate 50m Free (strokes/min) | Stroke Rate 100m Free (strokes/min) |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Sjostrom | 61.8 | 51.6 |
| Gretchen Walsh | 53.8 | 47.5 |
- Gretchen Walsh‘s stroke is very efficient despite her lower stroke rate. The American moves 2.14m per stroke cycle, a distance greater than all the men’s 50m freestyle finalists except Kristian Gkolomeev (2.17m/stroke).
- Her efficiency is also superior to most of the female 100m freestyle finalists (average 2.12m/stroke).
- It’s interesting to note how Walsh’s stroke rate in the 50 free is close to Sarah Sjostrom’s rate in the 100m distance.
25-Meter Standings
| Rank | Swimmer | Time | Speed 15-25m (m/s) |
| 1 | Gretchen Walsh | 10.98 | 1.96 |
| 1 | Sarah Sjostrom | +0.00 | 2.01 |
| 3 | Shayna Jack | +0.16 | 2.02 |
| 4 | Zhang Yufei | +0.22 | 1.99 |
| 4 | Katarzyna Wasick | +0.22 | 2.00 |
| 4 | Meg Harris | +0.22 | 2.03 |
| 7 | Neza Klancar | +0.30 | 1.99 |
| 8 | Wu Qingfeng | +0.34 | 2.00 |
- In the first 25 meters, Walsh is still in the lead, but is closely followed by Sjostrom. In the first 10m swum, the American loses a lot of time: she is the slowest among the finalists with a speed of 1.96m/s.
- The swimmer who quickly gains centimeters (and hundredths) during the first couple of strokes is Meg Harris, who is the fastest in this segment with a speed of 2.03m/s.
- The American is the only one who can boast of having been ahead of Sjostrom for at least 20m, after which the Swedish swimmer’s lead only increases.
Final Phase
45-Meter Standings
| Rank | Swimmer | Time | Speed 25-45m (m/s) |
| 1 | Sarah Sjostrom | 21.28 | 1.94 |
| 2 | Meg Harris | +0.34 | 1.92 |
| 3 | Gretchen Walsh | +0.43 | 1.86 |
| 4 | Zhang Yufei | +0.49 | 1.89 |
| 5 | Katarzyna Wasick | +0.57 | 1.88 |
| 6 | Neza Klancar | +0.60 | 1.89 |
| 7 | Shayna Jack | +0.66 | 1.85 |
| 8 | Wu Qingfeng | +0.68 | 1.88 |
- From 25 to 45 meters, Sjostrom is on a different level, gaining over three-tenths on Harris, who progresses to second place.
- Walsh falls behind again, being one of the slowest swimmers alongside Shayna Jack.
- Zhang Yufei also gains speed, closing in on the podium.
Final Results
- Sarah Sjostrom 23.71
- Meg Harris 23.97
- Zhang Yufei 24.20
- Gretchen Walsh 24.21
- Katarzyna Wasick 24.33
- Neza Klancar 24.35
- Wu Qingfeng 24.37
- Shayna Jack 24.39
Conclusion
As noted by her coach Antonio Lutula, Sjostrom is the swimmer who maintains a consistent speed throughout the 50 more than anyone else. Her base speed, aided by her high stroke frequency, is already superior to that of the other finalists. What stands out is how she maintains her pace in the final meters compared to the others. Despite a less-than-perfect start, the Swedish swimmer was able to compensate for the mistake by keeping a high frequency, especially in the last 20 meters. This highlights both Sjostrom’s extraordinary level in the 50 freestyle and her ability to not dwell on that particular issue.
Sjostrom’s pace in the 50 is not the only consistency she displays. It is also important to observe the consistency of her results in this event, where she performs well at any time of the year, always arriving ready for the right occasions, and with enough of an advantage to allow for minor errors.
I’m glad Dirty Jack got last. She takes away from the greatest of Arne and Mol
I’m glad sarah won gold and meg won silver, both under 24 seconds 💙💛🥇💚💛🥈
The article says that Gretchen has great efficiency despite her lower rate. I would argue that she has great efficiency because of her lower rate.
Obviously lower rate equals shower times for a given DPS. The goal for decades has been to increase either rate or DPS while maintaining the other one or to improve both.
Lots of talk about Walsh which I kind of get, not much talk of Harris though who was brilliant and “only” 0.26 behind Sarah.
Authorial bias? IMHO, nobody talks enough about Meg Harris! She’s an unsung star.
It is kinda weird that Walsh’s stats are shown on all the tables even though she came in fourth.
Just grab more water at a faster rate than your competitors why didn’t I think of that?
It’s like Bobby Finke in the 1500, he simply just swam faster. So simple.
An old club teammate of mine used to say “Just pull more water more fastly” guess he was right
The x-axis on that line graph is diabolical