Watch China Break Women’s 4×200 Free Relay WR: Day 5 Finals Race Videos

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
• SwimSwam Event Previews
• Entry Lists
• Live Results
• Day 5 Finals Live Recap

Note: the Olympic television rights market is fragmented. We’ve tried to track down as many as we can, but if you find some for your country that aren’t listed, let us know and we’ll add them.

Thursday marked the 5th finals session of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where China, the United States, and Australia finished below the women’s 4×200 free relay World Record. China led the field and won gold with a time of 7:40.33, more than a second faster than the previous record.

The first men’s 800 free Olympic final in history was won by USA’s Bobby Finke, and he won the race on the last 50 meters.

We compiled race videos from around the world below

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: Zhang Lin (CHN) – 7:32.12 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) – 7:41.28 (2021)
• World Junior Record: Mack Horton (AUS) – 7:45.67 (2013)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: N/A
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 800 Freestyle

1. GOLD: Bobby Finke (USA) – 7:41.87
2. SILVER: Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 7:42.11
3. BRONZE: Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) – 7:42.33

Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri went out hard, earning the lead at the 100 meter mark out in lane 1 and painting it  through the 5oo meter mark. USA’s Bobby Finke was in 5th with 150 meters to go and 4th place with 50 meters to go. Finke charged down the pool and passed the field during the last 20 meters of the race to win gold.

NBC

Eurosport

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: Anton Chupkov (RUS) – 2:06.12 (2019)
• Olympic Record: Ippei Watanabe (JPN) – 2:07.22 (2016)
• World Junior Record: Qin Haiyan (CHN) – 2:07.35 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Dmitriy Balandin (KAZ) – 2:07.46
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 200 Breaststroke

1. GOLD: Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) – 2:06.38
2. SILVER: Arno Kamminga (NED) – 2:07.01
3. BRONZE: Matti Mattson (FIN) – 2:07.13

At least four swimmers were ahead of World Record pace off the first turn with Arno Kamminga leading the pack. He turned 2 seconds ahead of World Record pace at the halfway mark, still in 1st. But it was Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook who outswam everyone on the last lap to win gold and break the Olympic Record. Kamminga turned to him afterward to gave him a hug, a pat on the head, and a fist bump. In 3rd, Matti Mattson broke the Finnish National Record.

NBC

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 51.71 (2017)
• Olympic Record: Emma McKeon (AUS) – 52.13 (2021)
• World Junior Record: Penny Oleksiak (CAN) – 52.70 (2016)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Simone Manuel (USA) / Penny Oleksiak (CAN) – 52.70
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Women’s 100 Freestyle

1. Emma McKeon (AUS), 52.32
2. Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 52.40
3. Cate Campbell (AUS), 52.71
4. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 52.82
5. Penny Oleksiak (CAN), 52.86
6. Femke Heemskerk (NED), 52.93
7. Abbey Weitzeil (USA), 52.99
8. Anna Hopkin (GBR), 53.11

In the second semifinal, Emma McKeon took 1st place a half a second ahead of World Record holder Sarah Sjostrom who finished in 2nd place. USA’s Abbey Weitzel dropped a lifetime best time to place 3rd in the heat and 7th overall to make the final.

NBC

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 1:51.92 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Tyler Clary (USA) – 1:53.41 (2012)
• World Junior Record: Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) – 1:55.14 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Ryan Murphy (USA) – 1:53.62
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 200 Backstroke

1. Evgeny Rylov (ROC), 1:54.45
2. Luke Greenbank (GBR), 1:54.98
3. Ryan Murphy (USA), 1:55.38
4. Adam Telegdy (HUN), 1:56.19
5. Nicolas Garcia Saiz (ESP), 1:56.35
6. Bryce Mefford (USA), 1:56.37
7. Radoslaw Kawecki (POL), 1:56.68
8. Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:56.69

Luke Greenbank led the field in the second semifinal for the entire race and Ryan Murphy remained comfortably within the top 3. At the 150 meter mark, USA’s Bryce Mefford surpassed Nicolas Garcia Saiz of Spain for 3rd and they battled it out. on the last 50 where Garcia ultimately took 3rd from lane one.

NBC

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: Liu Zige (CHN) – 2:01.81 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Jiao Liuyang (CHN) – 2:04.06 (2012)
• World Junior Record: Suzuka Hasegawa (JPN) – 2:06.29 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP) – 2:04.85
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Women’s 200 Butterfly

1. GOLD: Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 2:03.86 OR
2. SILVER: Regan Smith (USA) – 2:05.30
3. BRONZE: Hali Flickinger (USA) – 2:05.65

China’s Zhang Yufei made it a race for silver in the 200 fly as she turned with a 1.2 second lead at the 50-meter-mark. She never lost her speed and pressed into the last lap, as she was chased by Americans Hali Flickinger and Regan Smith. Flickinger had a solid lead for most of the race, looking to take 2nd place until her teammate Smith passed her within the last 20 meters. Yufei broke the Olympic Record by .20.

NBC

Eurosport

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: Cesar Cielo (BRA) – 46.91 (2009)
• Olympic Record: Eamon Sullivan (AUS) – 47.05 (2008)
• World Junior Record: David Popovici (ROU) – 47.30 (2021)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 47.58
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 100 Freestyle

1. GOLD: Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 47.02 OR
2. SILVER: Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 47.08
3. BRONZE: Kliment Kolesnikov (ROC) – 47.44

Caeleb Dressel‘s powerful start gave him an early lead but Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov and Australia’s Kyle Chalmers chased him down, with Chalmers coming within .06. of Dressel at the finish. Dressel fended off Chalmers to win gold and break the Olympic Record set in 2008. Dressel’s post-race celebration looked different from the energetic, water-slapping reactions we saw at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He sat on the landline, teary-eyed and in awe, pointing two “number one” fingers in the air.

NBC

Eurosport

BBC

CBC

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Rikke Moller Pedersen (DEN) – 2:19.11 (2013)
• Olympic Record: Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) – 2:19.16 (2021)
• World Junior Record: Viktoriya Zeynep Gunes (TUR) – 2:19.64 (2015)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Rie Kaneto (JPN) – 2:20.30
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Women’s 200 Breaststroke

1. Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2:19.33
2. Evgeniia Chikunova (ROC), 2:20.57
3. Annie Lazor (USA), 2:21.94
4. Kaylene Corbett (RSA), 2:22.08
5. Lilly King (USA), 2:22.27
6. Abbie Wood (GBR), 2:22.35
7. Molly Renshaw (GBR), 2:22.70
8. Fanny Lecluyse (BEL), 2:23.73

Tatjana Schoenmaker and 16-year-old Evgeniia Chikunova topped the 200 breast semifinals. Schoenmaker was out in front fast with  Chikunova within about half a second of her through the 100-meter mark. Annie Lazor had a good finish here where she passed Abbie Wood on the last 30 meters.

NBC

Heat 2

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Ryan Lochte (USA) – 1:54.00 (2011)
• Olympic Record: Michael Phelps (USA) – 1:54.23 (2008)
• World Junior Record: Hubert Kos (HUN) – 1:56.99 (2021)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: Michael Phelps (USA) – 1:54.66
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 200 Individual Medley

1. Wang Shun (CHN), 1:56.22
2. Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:56.69
3. Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:56.86
4. Michael Andrew (USA), 1:57.08
5. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI), 1:57.38
6. Kosuke Hagino (JPN), 1:57.47
7. Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 1:57.55
8. Laszlo Cseh (HUN), 1:57.64

While Michael Andrew took out the race like he normally does, way ahead of the field on the first two-thirds of the race. Wang Shun and Duncan Scott devoured hs lead on the freestyle leg. We saw a very different Daiya Seto than we have seen so far at this meet. He surprised fans when he missed both the 400 IM final and 200 fly final, but he is 3rd going into the 200 IM final tomorrow.

NBC

WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: Australia (Titmus, Wilson, Throssell, McKeon) – 7:41.50 (2019)
• Olympic Record: USA (Franklin, Vollmer, Vreeland, Schmitt) – 7:42.92 (2012)
• World Junior Record: Canada (Sanchez, Oleksiak, Smith, Ruck) – 7:51.47 (2017)
• 2016 Olympic Champion: USA (Schmitt, Smith, DiRado, Ledecky) – 7:43.03
• SwimSwam Event Preview – Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay

1. GOLD: China, 7:40.33 WR
2. SILVER: United States, 7:40.73
3. BRONZE: Australia, 7:41.29

China’s relay of Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan, Zhang Yufei, and Li Bingjie crushed Australia’s World Record in this event by more than a second, setting the pace so fast that both silver medalist Team USA and Team Australia also finished under the previous World Record time. USA’s Katie Ledecky ran down Australia with a blistering 1:53.76 anchor split.

NBC

Eurosport

CBC