Pan Zhanle (CHN) set a World Record in the 100m freestyle and Katie Ledecky (USA) won yet another gold medal in the 1500m freestyle, while Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) won her first ever 100m freestyle title in a truly historic night for the sport of swimming.

Women’s 100m freestyle - Sarah Sjostrom finally wins the individual 100m freestyle

Seven years after setting the world record in the 100m freestyle, Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden finally got the one accomplishment she had yet to achieve - an individual 100m freestyle gold.

After bronze in Rio 2016, and four silver medals at the World Championships from 2013 - 2022, Sjostrom almost dropped the event entirely from her program.

Sjostrom, age 30, won the 100m freestyle gold medal at 52.16 for the second gold of her career in her fifth trip to the Games after winning the 100m butterfly at Rio 2016.

"I didn't think I would swim the 100 free,” Sjostrom said. “After the freestyle relay the first day, I told my coach straight away, 'I don't think the 100 free is for me. No, I want to do the 50. I will rest until the 50'.

"He was like, 'No way. You need to go out there and see what you can do, no matter the outcome'. The staff made my mind (up to race in the 100m).

"I didn't know exactly what I could do, and I definitely didn't know what everyone else could do. I am proud of myself that I tried this."

Early on, it appeared that Torri Huske of the United States was going to be the spoiler. Already a winner in the 100m butterfly from Sunday, Huske was leading at the 50m mark from lane one at 25.06. With clean water, Huske was looking like Simone Manuel at the 2019 Worlds when she won from the same lane in Gwangju.

With the likes of Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, China, and Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan charging, it was anybody’s race across the eight lanes as it was too close to call.

As they came crashing to the wall, neither Huske nor Haughey nor O’Callaghan’s block had the one light - it was Sjostrom’s.

"I have no more words. This is unbelievable,” Sjostrom said.

"My reaction said everything. I didn't know where I was when I finished. It took a few seconds before I saw that I won."

It is the fifth career Olympic medal for Sjostrom as she is a heavy favorite to win the 50m freestyle on Sunday night later in the week.

Huske, coached by Greg Meehan, won the silver medal at 52.29 for her third medal of the Games in Paris after gold in the 100m butterfly and silver in the 4x100m freestyle.

"As proud as I am of my 100m (butterfly gold), I'm equally proud of my 200m free.

"I think after the semis, everyone was so close it was really anyone's game. I love to race and I think the competition brought out the best in me. And I think I represented my country well.

“It’s crazy, she’s been so dominant for so long,” Huske said of Sjostrom. “It’s inspiring, it’s amazing. I don’t really know what else to say about that except she’s just the sweetest person.

Haughey, coached by Tom Rushton, won bronze at 52.33, matching her bronze from Monday’s 200m freestyle for her fourth career Olympic medal.

“I have no idea how I split the race because I didn’t have time to talk to my coach after the race,” Haughey said. “I think I did a good job, I knew it would not be easy. I knew that in the last 10m it would be very very competitive and I just put my head down. It’s not a gold but I am still happy with it.”

Neither of the last two World champions made the podium as O’Callaghan (52.34) and Marrit Steenbergen (52.83) of the Netherlands finished fourth and seventh, respectively.

Australia’s Shayna Jack (52.72) was hardly a factor in the race, finishing fifth ahead of China’s Yang Junxuan (52.82) and United States’s Gretchen Walsh (53.04).

Men’s 200m butterfly - Leon Marchand two for two, takes down the fastest to ever do it

France’s favourite swimmer Leon Marchand won his second gold medal of the Paris Olympics in the 200m butterfly on Wednesday night at the La Defense Arena. Swimming alongside the world record holder and defending champion Kristof Milak of Hungary, Marchand stayed on Milak’s hips throughout the race.

Milak pressed the pace early, turning at 52.86 at 100 meters and 1:21.52 at 150m with Marchand at 53.46 and 1:22.24. As Marchand turned on the final wall and stayed underwater, the La Defense Arena crowd came to its feet and willed its champion to the finish.

Milak, who took a break from the sport in 2023 after setting the world record at the 2022 World Championships in front of a similar home crowd to this one at the Duna Arena in Budapest, fought for all he was worth on the last 50m, but he couldn’t hold off Marchand, who closed in 28.97 to win gold at 1:51.21.

“I was trying to get energy from the whole crowd. They were amazing to me and really pushing me,” Marchand said.

“I wasn’t ignoring (the noise), I was really trying to listen to what was happening,” Marchand said. “On the last 50m, I was coming on Kristof Milak and I could hear the whole pool going crazy. I think that’s why I was able to win that race to really use that energy from the crowd.”

Milak won the silver at 1:51.75.

For Marchand, he had about two hours until his next final - the 200m breaststroke.

Canada won its first Olympic medal in men’s swimming since 2012 with a bronze from Ilya Kharun (1:52.80). Kharun was in third at every single turn as the 19-year-old briefly shared a training pool with Marchand this past school year at Arizona State.

“During the meet, we only spoke a little bit,” Kharun said of Marchand. “Before getting our medals, he told me he was very proud of me. I’m proud of him as well. Everything he accomplishes is so crazy. It’s so great to call him my friend and teammate.”

Poland’s Krzysztof Chmielewski, who was the 2022 World Juniors champ in this event, finished fourth at 1:53.90 ahead of Switzerland’s Noe Ponti (1:54.14) and Austria’s Martin Espernberger (1:54.17).

Kregor Zirk, who was Estonia’s first male swimmer to make an Olympic final, finished seventh at 1:54.55 ahead of Italy’s Alberto Razzetti (1:54.85).

Women’s 1500m freestyle - Katie Ledecky emphatic in victory

It wasn’t a question of if Katie Ledecky would win the 1500m freestyle gold medal, but by how much. On Wednesday night in Paris, the 27-year-old American won her first gold medal of the 2024 Games for her eighth career gold in her fourth trip to the Olympics. Ledecky is the fifth woman to win at least eight gold medals at the Olympics.

Ledecky, coached by Anthony Nesty at the University of Florida, won the third swimming gold medal for the United States at these Olympics at 15:30.02. It is the eighth fastest swim of all-time, and it adds to her 1500m gold from the event’s debut in Tokyo 2020.

“I was just happy with the time and happy with how it felt,” Ledecky said. “Any gold medal is not easy to win. I’m just trying to appreciate it and the moment. I didn’t mean to celebrate that much but it comes out. The happiness and the joy, it just comes out.”

Ledecky indicated this may not be her last Olympics with Los Angeles 2028.

“I’ve been consistent over these last few months in saying I would love to compete in LA,” Ledecky said. “That could change but you never know. I take it year by year at this point. I haven’t thought about beyond this week. I don’t feel like I am close to being finished in the sport. Just seeing the kind of support the French athletes are getting here - I think all the U.S. athletes are thinking how cool that could be in Los Angeles having that. It would be amazing being able to compete there.”

The silver went the way of France’s Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (15:40.35), who won France’s third medal of the Games. Kirpichnikova, age 24 and coached by Philippe Lucas, moved up to fourth on the all-time list as she won her first career Olympic medal, leading the race for second at all 30 walls.

“It’s incredible. Everyone was screaming when I finished second,” Kirpichnikova said. “I still can’t imagine it. I don’t believe that I am second.”

Germany’s Isabel Gose and Italy’s Simona Quadarella were in a race for the bronze medal throughout the race, unable to bridge the gap to Kirpichnikova. Quadarella, the two-time World champion from 2019 and 2024, had been going back and forth with her rival Gose through the entirety of the race, mirroring their battle in the 800m at the Worlds in Doha this year.

By 1400m, Gose started to pull away and split 1:00.29 on the final 100m to win her first Olympic medal at age 22. Gose, coached by Bernd Berkhahn in Magdeburg, swam a lifetime best in 15:41.16 to win bronze ahead of Quadarella (15:44.05).

It is the second straight bronze for Germany after Sarah Wellbrock won bronze in Tokyo 2020.

China’s Li Bingjie (16:01.03), Australia’s Moesha Johnson (16:02.70), Brazil’s Beatriz Dizotti (16:02.86) and Germany’s Leonie Martens (16:12.57) also competed in the Olympic final.

Men’s 200m breaststroke - Leon: The Professional, Marchand does the double

In one of the most impressive feats in Olympic swimming history, Leon Marchand of France claimed his second individual gold medal on the night in two of the hardest races in the sport, winning the 200m breaststroke gold medal at 2:05.85.

Marchand joined the short list of swimmers to win three individual gold medals at a single Olympics that now includes 13 athletes. He is also the first swimmer to win two individual gold medals in the same night.

It was truly a historic double for Marchand, who will also go for gold in the 200m IM that begins tomorrow in the heats session.

“I knew it was possible for me to do, but just finish, not win them,” Marchand said of the double. “I never knew that - that’s why I was swimming today. I was trying to get that surprise for me. I think (coach) Bob (Bowman) told me before the 400m IM we could do it because I was in good shape in fly and breast during that race. I had two hours in between - I’ve done more difficult in the NCAA season so I was really happy to do that and I enjoyed every minute of that.”

Marchand, coached by Bob Bowman, was out under world record pace through 150 meters as he swam the second fastest time ever.

Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook won the silver at 2:06.79 as he could not successfully defend his gold medal from Tokyo 2020. It looked for a moment at 145 meters that Stubblety-Cook was building towards his patented big finish but Marchand was prepared for it as the Frenchman split 32.73 to Stubblety-Cook’s 32.49.

Stubblety-Cook, coached by Vince Raleigh at Chandler, won Australia’s first of two silver medals on the night.

 

“It was awesome (to swim next to Leon),” Stubblety-Cook said. “Watching him walk out was the most exciting part of that whole race. Watching him soak up the moment and have his moment was awesome. It’s great for the sport of swimming and it’s great to see the better part of 15,000 people chanting one person’s name and watching swimming. It’s awesome.”

The bronze went to Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands (2:07.90) for his first career medal at age 23. Corbeau, who went to college at the University of Texas in the United States for coach Eddie Reese and has recently been swimming with coach Mark Faber in Amsterdam, had been a rising star in the world of breaststroke the last few years having grown up in the United States. As he turned third at the 150m mark, he was in a position for a medal, and held off the likes of China’s Dong Zhihao (2:08.46) on the final 50 meters to win the first medal in the pool for the Netherlands at these Olympics.

"Awesome, surreal, happy with the result,” Corbeau said of winning bronze. “When I touched the wall, I saw the usual suspects, people who usually touch before me, but to be able to see a third place on the scoreboard is really special and I'm really happy to do that at the side of the best of the world."

Dong finished fourth and had the fastest last 50m of the finalists, coming home in 32.30 but it was not enough for the 19-year-old to catch Corbeau for the bronze.

Japan’s Yu Hanaguruma (2:08.79) and Ippei Watanabe (2:08.83) finished fifth and sixth, respectively after sitting third and second, respectively, in the world rankings coming into this meet.

Josh Matheny (2:09.52) of the United States and Joshua Yong (2:11.44) of Australia also swam in the Olympic final.

Men’s 100m freestyle - Pan Zhanle conquers the world with fastest time ever

In a truly historic night of swimming with five individual finals, China’s Pan Zhanle saved the first world record of the week for last with a world record in the 100m freestyle (46.40), lowering the mark he set earlier this year at the World Aquatics Championships of 46.80.

Pan, age 19, is the first Chinese gold medalist in this event since it debuted in Athens 1896 and he is the first Asian man to win a medal in this event since Japan’s Hiroshi Suzuki won silver in Helsinki 1952.

"I tried my best to get the best result,” Pan said. “I was very surprised in the end that I broke the world record and I think it was a magical moment."

The race was expected to be tight amongst all eight finalists as six of the eight finalists had won medals in this event at the World Championships in the last two years alone. But Pan, coached by Zheng Kunliang in Shanghai, dominated from the start, turning at 22.28 at the 50m and finishing in 24.12.

Australia’s Kyle Chalmers (47.48) made his third straight podium with a silver medal at 47.48. Chalmers, age 26, is the third man ever to make three straight podiums in the event after Duke Kahanamoku (1912, 1920, 1924) and Alexander Popov (1992, 1996, 2000).

Chalmers, coached by Ash Delaney at St. Andrews, turned eighth at the 50m and came back at 24.45.

“In Rio, I was so young and naive and I didn’t know what it meant to be an Olympic athlete or be a gold medalist,” Chalmers said. “I had to work so hard for that five years through to Tokyo and go through shoulder surgeries and heart surgeries and overcome mental health challenges and family breakups and so many things that everyone in life has to go through.

“We as athletes are humans and then cast into the spotlight and have to perform and push everything aside in that moment but for me I reflect on Tokyo as my greatest performance in my swimming career to be able to stand up and swim the personal best time in the Olympic final after having shoulder surgery in December 2020 and not be able to swim properly until March, it was so special.

“To be able to put in three more years of extremely hard work, it doesn’t get easier. As I get older, it’s harder to recover and get back up every single day. You sacrifice so much to be here and be in that race and I am proud of myself to be able to deliver another great performance and get on the podium again tonight with two very young guys. I’m getting older now and I am trying to slow down and enjoy the moments as much as I can.

“It’s very rare to be in the Olympic final and then to stand on the podium is something I am extremely proud of and to do that three times is something I’m going to be proud of for the rest of my life.”

Romania’s David Popovici won bronze for his second medal of the week at 47.49, adding to his gold from the 200m on Monday night. Popovici, age 19, held off Hungary’s Nandor Nemeth (47.50) by 0.01.

Nemeth, age 24, was competing in his fifth straight major final in the 100m freestyle.

France’s Maxime Grousset (47.71), hearing the cheers from the crowd, finished fifth and off the podium as well.

Germany’s Josha Salchow (47.80), United States’s Jack Alexy (47.96) and Chris Guiliano (47.98) also swam in Olympic final.

Semis Wrap

Women’s 200m butterfly

Canada’s Summer McIntosh is looking to back up her two World titles in 2022 and 2023 with a win tomorrow night as she swam the top time in the semis at 2:04.87. McIntosh has already won gold in the 400m IM and silver in the 400m freestyle as the 17-year-old will have a race on her hands with last night’s 100m backstroke silver medalist Regan Smith (2:05.39) of the United States.

Defending champion Zhang Yufei (2:06.09) of China is seeded third and looking to be the first woman to ever win back to back golds in this event at the Games. China has won three of the last four gold medals in this event.

Last year’s Worlds silver medalist Elizabeth Dekkers (2:06.17) is expected to challenge for a medal along with Alex Shackell (2:06.46) of the United States.

Denmark’s Helena Bach (2:06.65), Australia’s Abbey Connor (2:07.10) and Great Britain’s Laura Stephens (2:07.53) also qualified for the Olympic final. 

Men’s 200m backstroke

2023 World champion Hubert Kos eased through the semis with the top time at 1:55.96 as the Hungarian is looking to be the first gold medalist in this event for his nation since Sandor Wladar won gold in Moscow 1980.

Kos’s biggest challengers will come in Switzerland’s Roman Mityukov (1:56.05) and South Africa’s Pieter Coetze (1:56.09). Mityukov could be Switzerland’s third ever Olympic medalist in swimming after the nation won two in Tokyo 2020, while Coetze will be looking to back up his World Junior title from 2022 with a medal on the sport’s biggest stage.

In fact, only one swimmer in tomorrow’s final has ever reached an Olympic podium and that is Germany’s Lukas Martens (1:56.33), who won gold in the 400m freestyle on Saturday.

France will make a lot of noise for Mewen Tomac (1:56.43) as the seventh seed as the nation hasn’t won a medal in this event since Frédéric Delcourt won silver in Los Angeles 1984.

Greece’s Apostolos Christou could also become Greece’s first medalist in pool swimming since Athens 1896 as he is the fourth seed at 1:56.33.

United States’s Keaton Jones (1:56.39) and Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez (1:56.52) also qualified for the Olympic final as they both train together at the University of California, Berkeley.

Notably, 2016 Olympic champion and 2022 World champion Ryan Murphy of the United States finished tenth at 1:56.62 and will not advance to the final. 100m champ Thomas Ceccon (1:56.59) of Italy also finished ninth and out of the final.

Women’s 200m breaststroke

Kate Douglass of the United States set herself up with a duel in tomorrow’s final with defending champion Tatjana Smith of South Africa as the American swam through the semis at 2:19.74 while Smith is second seed at 2:19.94.

Douglass is aiming to win her first gold medal at the Games as she has been a rising star in the United States since winning Olympic bronze in the 200m IM in Tokyo 2020.

2024 World champ Tes Schouten (2:22.74) of the Netherlands swam to third as she could factor into the gold medal race tomorrow as well.

South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett (2:22.87) and United States’s Lilly King (2:23.25), who were apart of the memorable celebration with Smith three years ago in Tokyo that has since become recreated in a Coca Cola commercial shown on TV throughout these Olympics, also qualified for the final as the fourth and sixth seeds, respectively.

China’s Ye Shiwen (2:23.13), Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova (2:23.42) and Japan’s Satomi Suzuki (2:23.54) also qualified for the Olympic final.