Olympic champion and 2015 gold medallist in Kazan, Florent Manaudou (FRA) was the fourth fastest swimmer in the heats of the men’s 50m free, the initial event of the sixth preliminary session at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio. The French star clocked 21.72, behind a trio formed by Andrii Govorov (UKR, 21.49), 2015 world vice-champion Nathan Adrian (USA, 21.61) and the fifth of the London 2012 final, US Anthony Ervin (21.63).
Other notable qualifiers include Vladimir Morozov (RUS, sixth), world silver medallist in 2013, and Bruno Fratus (BRA), third in Kazan 2015 and fourth at the 2012 Olympics. In the list of non-qualified athletes, we can find Fred Bousquet (FRA, 25th), second at the 2009 Worlds in Rome, and George Bovell (TRI, 27th), bronze medallist in Barcelona 2013 and seventh in the Olympic final four years ago.
In the longest event of the women’s programme, the 800m free, Katie Ledecky (USA) swam comfortably for a new Olympic record of 8:12.86 – improving the previous mark of 8:14.10 from Rebecca Adlington (GBR) in Beijing 2008 – and will predictably compete “alone” in this evening final for the revalidation of the Olympic title. Ledecky is also the 2013 and 2015 world champion and owns the WR in this event in 8:06.68. Moreover, she will most probably win her third individual title here in Rio, after the 200m and 400m crowns.
The Kazan 2015 bronze medallist Jazz Carlin (GBR), was also third in the heats, in 8:19.67, while Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas is slightly better in 8:19.43. Lotte Friis (DEN), world champion in 2009 and silver medallist in 2011 and 2013, is for now fifth (8:22.54), while Mireia Belmonte (ESP), the runner-up in London 2012, was the last qualifier in 8:25.55. The surprise of the day came with the 9th place of Lauren Boyle (NZL), who will miss the final after being third at the 2013 Worlds, second in 2015 and fourth at the 2012 Olympics.
In the men’s 100m butterfly, all the medal favourites managed to qualify for the semis. The fastest (51.41) of the heats was Singapore’s prodigy Joseph Schooling, bronze medallist at the 2015 Worlds, followed by Laszlo Cseh (HUN, 51.52), second best in Barcelona 2013 and Kazan 2015. Michael Phelps (USA), the reigning Olympic champion, world record holder and 2007, 2009 and 2011 world championships winner, touched the wall in fourth (51.60), while Chad Le Clos (RSA), two-time world champion in 2013 and 2015, is seventh (51.75). Finally, Konrad Czerniak, silver medallist in Shanghai 2011 and third in Barcelona 2013 was the 10th best qualifier in 51.81.
Concluding the preliminaries’ session, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) confirmed her excellent shape here in Rio, getting the fastest time in the women’s 200m backstroke. The Magyar star clocked 2:06.09 and topped a group where 2012 Olympic champion Missy Franklin (USA) was only 11th (2:09.36), 2015 world champion Emily Seebohm (AUS) concluded in 10th (2:09.00) and seven-time Olympic medallist Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) was the ninth best, in 2:08.91.