2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
- Full aquatics schedule
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- Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheets
Switzerland’s Roman Mityukov opened up the session swimming 100 free heats and closed it with a leg on a national-record 4×200 free relay.
That combo is far from easy. Mityukov’s 100 free heat went off about 7:17 PM local time. His 4×200 free relay heat started at 7:58, leaving just over 40 minutes in between his two swims.
In the 100 free, the 20-year-old Mityukov (who turns 21 next week) snuck into the semifinals in 15th place. It took a 48.43, just two-tenths off of Mityukov’s own national record from the European Championships.
And in the 4×200 free relay, Mityukov split 1:45.84 on the anchor leg, easily the fastest of his relay. That team also made the final, going 7:06.59 to shatter a national record by four and a half seconds. The previous mark of 7:11.15 was set at Euros back in May.
Time will tell if Mityukov chooses to once again swim the double in tomorrow morning’s finals session. For what it’s worth, his 100 free semifinal would go off about 10:35 AM local time, and with medal ceremonies built in, he’d actually get significantly more rest than prelims, with his 4×200 free relay final not scheduled until 12:26 PM local time.
But for his grit this morning, Mityukov joins our growing list of prelims all-stars.
Tokyo 2020 Prelims All-Stars
- Day 1: Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN) – Men’s 400 freestyle
- Day 2 Tamsin Cook (AUS) – Women’s 400 freestyle
- Day 3: Tomoe Hvas (NOR) – Men’s 200 butterfly
- Day 4: Roman Mityukov (SUI) – Men’s 100 free / Men’s 4×200 free relay
Good pick, this young man is very tough and fast. I‘m sure that he will be a great 200 freestyler in the future as well.
Thanks Jared for choosing Roman for this honor. I was with Mel Stewart at world champs in Perth 1991, and have lived in Switzerland for 25 years now. I was active as a coach and club president for over 20 years in Switzerland, and have watched the slow but steady progression of Swiss swimming over the years.
There is an incredibly talented group of swimmers from CH taking part in Tokyo, and I am really proud to see them grow and reach goals that were even unattainable five years ago. Toni, Noe and Roman are leading a whole new generation, but hats off to Maria for her incredible progression at her age and to Lisa for making an incredible breakthrough… Read more »