Paris, 2024 Asia Recap Day 3: Xu Jiayu & Ryan Murphy Shake Hands Post-Race

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
• Finals Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Day three of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games transpired from La Défense Arena with the men’s 100m backstroke among tonight’s medal-contending events.

When the dust settled it was reigning world record holder Thomas Ceccon of Italy who got to the wall first in a time of 52.00. China’s Xu Jiayu was next in 52.32 while American Ryan Murphy touched in 52.39 for the bronze.

For 28-year-old Xu, tonight’s performance marked his 2nd silver in this event, pairing with his runner-up status behind Murphy at the 2016 Games in Rio.

The pair have been battling one another for nearly a decade, a competitive camaraderie symbolized by Murphy’s shaking of Xu’s hands after tonight’s race.

With the general American rhetoric heading into the Games over Chinese doping accusations, it was, on the surface level, a bit surprising to see the two greet each other positively.

But it’s important to note that Xu was not among the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the banned substance TMZ before the Tokyo Games 3 years ago. At those Games, Murphy conveyed his stance on an uneven playing field, saying at the time, “It is a huge mental drain on me to go throughout the year that I’m swimming in a race that’s probably not clean, and that is what it is.”

Xu has become somewhat of a character. He travels around with a stuffed duck, dressed as a tourist with a big camera around its neck.

Xu Jiayu and his duck have arrived in the village pic.twitter.com/BfmM9h4JGw

— em (@jidantamago) July 25, 2024

So far, the anticipated protest of Chinese swimmers have not really been evident, and there hasn’t been any registered negative reaction from fans in the stadium. While Chinese swimmers have said that they have felt additional pressure after the news of the 23 positive doping tests, the conversations have been limited to the press dais to this point of the meet.

That’s probably in part due to the fact that the Chinese have not had as good of a meet as they did at last year’s World Championships. After three days, they have 2 silver and 2 bronze medals; that total could include three gold medals if things had broken more cleanly for them.

But Xu’s swim was a good one, and a positive note for China, perhaps the first non-disappointment swim for them.

After his swim, he told Chinese media that Chinese swimmers have always been doubted and that they have grown up in a “cruel environment” as a result of that. But Xu said that the best way for the team to fight back is to “speak with results.”

Quick Hits

• In her Olympic debut, Japanese 17-year-old Mio Narita placed 6th in the women’s 400m IM in a time of 4:38.83.
• The men’s 200m free saw Japan’s Katsuhiro Matsumoto put up a time of 1:46.26 to place 8th in tonight’s final.
• China’s Tang Qianting earned silver in the women’s 100m breaststroke in 1:05.54, despite entering these Games ranked #1 in the world.
• Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong followed up her 200m free silver from Tokyo with a bronze this evening, hitting 1:54.55 behind Aussies Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus
• Newly minted Chinese 100m freestyle national record holder Yang Junxuan placed 5th in the 200m free final.

Continental & National Records Through Day 3

• 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)

Asian Swimming Medal Table Through Day 2