WATCH: McKeon Lowers Olympic Record, Dressel Pops 21.32 In 50 Free Heats

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)
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The seventh and final preliminary session of the swimming competition in Tokyo had a little bit of everything, with the men’s and women’s 50 freestyles, 400 medley relays, and the men’s mile.

Highlighting the session were the 50s, where Australian Emma McKeon and American Caeleb Dressel continued their phenomenal performances at the meet by claiming the top seeds heading into Saturday morning’s semis.

• Full Day 7 prelims recap

McKeon set a new Olympic Record in the women’s splash n’ dash, clocking 24.02 to erase 2012 gold medalist Ranomi Kromowidjojo‘s nine-year-old mark of 24.05.

Watch the race video below, courtesy of NBC Sports on YouTube (restricted to U.S. viewers).

McKeon qualified first by one tenth of a second, with defending champion Pernille Blume of Denmark sitting second in 24.12.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Emma McKeon (AUS) – 24.02
2. Pernille Blume (DEN) – 24.12
3. Cate Campbell (AUS) – 24.15
4. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 24.26
5. Kasia Wasick (POL) – 24.31
6. Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 24.36
7. Abbey Weitzeil (USA) – 24.37
8. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) – 24.41
9. Arina Surkova (ROC) – 24.52
10. Wu Qingfeng (CHN) – 24.55
11. Simone Manuel (USA) / Emma Chelius (RSA) – 24.65
12. —
13. Melanie Henique (FRA) – 24.69
14. Julie Kepp Jensen (DEN) – 24.70
15. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 24.75*
16. Femke Heemskerk (NED) – 24.77
17. Fanny Teijonsalo (FIN) – 24.79

*Haughey scratched the semis with a hip injury

In the men’s 50 free, Dressel narrowly missed the 13-year-old Olympic Record of 21.30 set by Cesar Cielo in 2008, clocking 21.32.

Watch the race below:

Dressel heads into the semis more than three tenths clear of France’s Florent Manaudou, the 2012 Olympic champion and 2016 silver medalist.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 21.32
2. Florent Manaudou (FRA) – 21.65
3. Kristian Gkolomeev (GRE) – 21.66
4. Bruno Fratus (BRA) – 21.67
5. Vladyslav Bukhov (UKR) – 21.73
6. Thom de Boer (NED) – 21.75
7. Jesse Puts (NED) – 21.84
8. Brent Hayden (CAN) – 21.85
9. Lorenzo Zazzeri (ITA) – 21.86
10. Kliment Kolesnikov (ROC) – 21.88
11. Michael Andrew (USA) – 21.89
12. Vladimir Morozov (ROC) – 21.92
13. Ben Proud (GBR) – 21.93
14. Alberto Mestre (VEN) – 21.96
15. Maxime Grousset (FRA) / Pawel Juraszek (POL) – 21.97
16. —