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)
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Tonight’s swimming action at the 2024 Olympic Games may have been the most electric yet, with Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom winning the women’s 100m free after entering the event at the 11th hour, followed by a double gold performance in the 200m fly and 200m breast from the host nation’s Leon Marchand.
Capping off the evening, however, was the men’s 100m freestyle, which saw China’s Pan Zhanle rip a new World Record and Olympic Record time of 46.40 to earn the gold.
19-year-old Pan started off his Paris campaign on night 1 with a stellar split of 46.92 as lead-off on the Chinese men’s 4x100m free relay which ultimately finished 4th.
He then dipped in the individual 200m free, placing 22nd and well out of the semi-finals with a time of 1:47.60, well off his season-best of 1:45.68.
Flash forward to night 5 of these Games and Pan was unmatched in the 1free, beating the star-studded field by remarkably more than a second.
Australia’s Kyle Chalmers scored silver, his 3rd consecutive medal in this event, in 47.48 while Romanian 200m free Olympic champion David Popovici bagged bronze in 47.49.
Entering the 2024 Olympic Games, China had never before earned a medal in the men’s 100m freestyle, let alone gold. Pan has erased that historical fact en route to topping the podium and giving China its first swimming gold in Paris.
Quick Hits
- Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey captured her 2nd bronze of these Games, producing a time of 52.33 to place 3rd in the women’s 100m breast behind winner Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden (52.16) and Torri Huske of the United States (52.33).
- China’s Yang Junxuan produced a new national record in the 100m free as lead-off of the women’s 4x100m free relay on night 1 (52.48) but placed 6th in tonight’s individual event in 52.82.
- Reigning Olympic gold medalist Zhang Yufei of China snared the 3rd seed in the women’s 200m fly for tomorrow night’s final, producing a mark of 2:06.90.
- Li Bingjie of China was among tonight’s women’s 1500m free final, producing a time of 16:01.03 to wind up 5th.
- A pair of Asian swimmers are headed to tomorrow night’s main event of the women’s 200m breast. China’s 2012 IM double Olympic champion Ye Shiwen, now 28, hit 2:23.13 as the 5th seed. 33-year-old Satomi Suzuki sneaked in as the 8th-seeded swimmer in 2:23.54.
- Despite a trio of Asian men contesting the 200m breast final this evening, none made it onto the podium. The top finisher was China’s World Junior Record holder Dong Zhihao (2:08.46) who finished 4th, followed by Yu Hanaguruma of Japan (2:08.79) and Ippei Watanabe of Japan (2:08.83).
Continental & National Records Through Day 5
- Yang Junxuan (CHN) – national record in women’s 100m free (52.48)
- Chinese Women’s 4x100m free relay – national record & Asian record (3:30.30)
- Gan Ching Hwee (SGP) – national record in women’s 1500m free (16:10.13)
- Kayla Sanchez (PHI) – national record in women’s 100m free (53.67)
- Pan Zhanle (CHN) – national record & Asian record & world record in 100m free (46.40)
Asian Swimming Medal Table Through Day 5
| RANK | NATION | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
| 1 | China | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | Japan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Greatest swim in history
He’ll break 46 in Singapore
We’ll have a normal pool there
Pan Zhanle would had most likely faced the same immense psychological pressure as all his teammates who many have kinda choked under pressure. Being stressed out about getting criticised by the critics when they win and also if they lose. It’s a lot of pressure for the young chap.
To be able to not psyche himself out under such immense pressure, is a real mark of a fighter.
I particularly enjoyed watching that race as I never seen anything like it. It’s amazing and definitely historical. I congratulate Pan for breaking his own record. đź‘Ť
I just want to see a 45, hopefully Pan (or David? Or anyone else) can do it within the next couple years. Let’s see Pan do it from flying start this week
With the Chinese sports medicine history of doping, one can’t help but think that something’s up with Pan’s swim. As a fan, I’m in awe of the 46.40, but there will always be a part of me that will suspect doping. That swim was too good, too perfect, in comparison to his other swims.
But the Americans were very disappointing. Both had times that could’ve earned them a silver and bronze in the race. I can’t remember the American swimmers having a worse Olympics, and I’ve been an avid fan since 1956.
American swimmers seem to get taken down over the last 25 meters of their close races. Tori Huske might be the lone exception. The pool is… Read more »
Definitely the best session. Sjostrom winning with Mollie off the podium is the highlight of this meet or any meet.
Nice strategy in a pool like this. What could possibly go wrong?
Marchand needed tonight as ultra enduring legend instead of the legend associated with 2024.
The semifinals were terrific also, with McIntosh and Regan clearly racing each other along with Douglass and Smith. Toward tomorrow Douglass needs at least a two foot lead inside the red. Otherwise she is in jeopardy of a lazy glide agonizing defeat. Tatiana has so many more ways to frantically adjust stroke rate and touch.
What a terrible comment about Mollie. She won the 200 free with that strategy btw. Very happy for Sarah but no need to demean others.
kyle chalmers is the guy who did walked away from Zhanle’s greeting without saying anything. POS!
I think it was too loud for Chalmers to hear him but Pan misunderstood what it meant
Good for Kyle. Shirley Babashoff of the US also showed gumption to question the performances of the East German women at the Olympics in 1976 and she was dubbed “surly Shirley” but we now know she was right to speak up. I commend Kyle for exerting that same energy.
You are an idiot if you believe Kyle deliberately ignored him.
Pan went 1:49 in the 2free, didn’t he? I thought 1:47.6 was Guiliano’s time…