Men’s 50m freestyle - Cam McEvoy finally wins the big one; Florent Manaudou makes fourth podium

For the longest time, the biggest knock on Australia’s Cameron McEvoy was that he couldn’t get it done when it mattered most. As a young, baby-faced kid in his early 20s, he was one of the fastest 100m freestylers in the world in 2014 and 2015 and seemed poised to win the blue ribbon gold medal in Rio 2016.

In 2016, he was the overwhelming favorite to win the 100m freestyle in Rio, swimming 47.04 for the fastest time in the world coming into the Games. But when the lights came out for the final, he came up short in finishing seventh. Since then, he wasn’t seen on a podium individually again until the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

Now age 30, McEvoy, coached by Tim Lane, has resurrected himself as a 50m freestyler, changing up his training methods as a drop dead sprinter, focusing on shorter workouts with more emphasis on speed and power.

"I learnt so much about other sports, about track, 200m and gym and strength training and rock climbing,” McEvoy said. “I always had a feeling that the traditional approach to sprint training for myself personally could be enhanced, so I just thought, 'Right I will create what I think might be the go, test it out and see where it takes me.'”

On Friday night, McEvoy won his first individual Olympic medal in the 50m freestyle, touching first in the one lap event at 21.25. It is not a best time for him, but it was enough for Australia’s first Olympic medal in the men’s 50m freestyle as this is McEvoy’s fourth trip to the Games.

“It’s pretty incredible,” McEvoy said. “It’s my fourth Olympics and the last three, the potential in which I could’ve lived up to wasn’t quite met. To have turned things around and come to these Games in a completely different context and have this type of result - words would fail to do that justice in describing it.

“The Aussie team, we have a rich history. We had an incredible Tokyo Games and we are doing extremely well at these Games. It’s really just being proud to be a part of that history now, but it’s also recognizing that even if I didn’t achieve the gold medal tonight, I still have my place on that team and the journey I’ve taken in the last several years to get to this point would still be more than enough to go home and be proud of it.”

Great Britain’s Ben Proud also won his first individual Olympic medal with silver at 21.30. After finishing fourth in Rio 2016 and fifth in Tokyo 2020 as well as a World title in 2022 and the fastest time in the world in 2018, Proud couldn’t break through on the world’s biggest stage much like McEvoy.

On Friday night, Proud, age 29, exorcized those demons with Olympic silver, Great Britain’s fifth of the Games.

"Three years ago is when I burst into tears,” Proud said. “I couldn’t take the fact that I had kind of failed in my race, back in Tokyo. But that was probably the most fitting thing I went through, because If I hadn’t gone through that, I wouldn’t have experienced these past three years, which has had the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

"Back in '22, hitting what I would say was my rock bottom, but just having to crack on and deal with it has led to me finding a very great balance with my swimming, my lifestyle, my coaches."

“I would say since Tokyo, I have put a lot behind me,” Proud, coached by James Gibson, said. “That was a quite painful one in terms of thinking I should be up there but missing out. My career is based on the past three years of huge changes to lifestyle, training, outlook - it’s been a tough one to find it. I’ve found I’m much more comfortable with how I am and approaching the races and being in this crowd. I feel very happy with my career, I think I’ve had a good one to my standards - this was going to be a cherry on top.”

Just 0.08 seconds separated the bronze medalist from lane eight, and fittingly, France’s Florent Manaudou (21.56) from lane one won the bronze. In front of the French President Emmanuel Macron, Manaudou, also coached by James Gibson, made his fourth straight Olympic podium after gold in London 2012 and silver in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

"I saw I’d come second straight away, and saw number three by Florent’s name and I thought, 'Jesus Christ, how has he done that?'” Ben Proud said. “That for me was a very cool moment. We talked about it before."

Manaudou, age 33 and the oldest male swimmer competing at this meet, joined a short list of swimmers to have won medals at four Olympics in the same event. Only Michael Phelps (200m IM, 100m and 200m butterfly) has won four medals in the same individual event in swimming.

“It was tough to be in the final,” Manaudou said. “I was good in the heats, but in the last two World Championships I was 12th and 12th in the semis so I wanted to get it done yesterday. I’m 33-years-old so it is more difficult than before. I knew if I was in this final, I could have a chance to get a medal.

“I tried all season to visualize this moment. It’s very difficult to visualize a specific moment like this one as I didn’t expect to have this much of an audience and they made so much noise. I really took it all in.

“I was in lane 1 and I was very close to the audience and I wanted to take in all the energy from the audience in the arena. They like to do the viking clap and I wanted to take advantage of this.”

France won its fifth medal in the pool this week with Manaudou’s swim as the La Defense Arena went crazy for its four-time Olympian and flag bearer from last Friday night.

Canada’s Josh Liendo, who got scratched into the final in lane eight after France’s Maxime Grousset scratched the semis, finished fourth at 21.58 to just miss the podium. He raced the 100m butterfly semis later in the session where a gold medal could be his tomorrow night.

Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev (21.59) finished fifth after Greece won its first Olympic swimming medal in 128 yesterday, as he was ahead of defending champion Caeleb Dressel (21.61) of the United States.

Italy’s Leonardo Deplano (21.62) was seventh and Jordan Crooks (21.64) of the Cayman Islands, who was the first swimmer from his nation to swim in an Olympic final, finished eighth.

Women’s 200m backstroke - Kaylee McKeown makes history as first to sweep backstroke double twice

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown made a case for herself as one of the greatest backstroke swimmers ever as she won her fourth individual backstroke gold medal, winning both the 100m and 200m at the last two Olympics in Tokyo and Paris.

On Friday night, it was the same movie over again for McKeown, who ran down her American rival Regan Smith to claim Australia’s seventh swimming gold at these Olympics at 2:03.73.

Smith, who won silver in the 100m backstroke and 200m butterfly, led the race at the 100m and 150m turn. Smith and McKeown have been going back and forth with the world records in the 100m and 200m backstroke events the last five years, and have often given thrilling duels in big finals, often with Smith getting run down by McKeown in the last 25m.

Smith had the lead at the last turn, but only by 0.18, as McKeown had enough room to make her signature move.

McKeown, coached by Michael Bohl, became the third woman to win back to back Olympic golds in this event after Hungary’s Krisztina Egerszegi (1988, 1992, 1996) and Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry (2004, 2008).

McKeown never imagined she’d win four individual Olympic gold medals.

“Growing up, I’ve always just idolized my sister and Emily Seebohm and seeing what they do in the sport, and then training alongside Emma McKeon, one of the greats in the sport, and being friends with Mollie (O’Callaghan). I couldn’t ask for much more, to be honest with you,” McKeown said.

"Having that motivation, seeing those girls, not just the Aussie girls - female sport has been unreal this year, and it’s great to be a part of it."

Smith won silver at 2:04.26 for her sixth career Olympic medal at age 22, and her third silver of these Games in her tenth swim.

“It feels really great, I put together a really good swim,” Smith said. “Being in lane seven really helped me stay in my own lane and not focus on what my competitors were doing. I’ve spoken about it before, but in the past I’ve really gotten lost and too concerned about what people around me are doing, rather than focusing on my own race plan.

"I especially do that in the 200m backstroke because of my history with it, so I think it was nice to have a little bit of outside smoke and put some pressure on things. But I don’t think I could ask anything more."

Canada’s Kylie Masse won bronze at 2:05.57 to claim her fifth career Olympic medal at age 28. Masse, coached by Ben Titley, is the first Canadian swimmer to win medals at three straight Olympics.

"It means a lot,” Masse said. “I was a little bit disappointed after my 100 - it stings a bit being just off the podium. I knew tonight’s race was going to be difficult, and I knew I was going to have to fight to the very end. Those final meters were fighting, for sure. I’m really pleased to be on the podium. I wanted to come in tonight and enjoy myself, before the race. Let myself swim.

"It’s an honour. It was a goal coming in, to get back on the podium and try to be consistent across the Olympics I’ve attended, and to be part of history."

Masse turned second at the 100m turn and fourth at the 150m, as she was behind United States’s Phoebe Bacon, who finished fourth overall at 2:05.61. Bacon just missed the podium for the second straight Games after she was fifth in Tokyo 2020.

Great Britain’s Katie Shanahan (2:07.53), China’s Peng Xuwei (2:07.96), Great Britain’s Honey Osrin (2:08.16) and Anastasiya Shkurdai (2:10.23) also swam in the Olympic final.

Men’s 200m IM - Leon Marchand makes it four to close out spectacular individual campaign

France’s Leon Marchand became just the fourth swimmer in history to win four individual Olympic gold medals in the same Games, joining the likes of Mark Spitz (1972), Kristin Otto (1988), and Michael Phelps (2004, 2008) in a truly elite club.

“That’s crazy,” Marchand said. “Those guys are legends. It’s crazy to be compared to them. I don’t think I realize now, maybe I will in a few days. I was really trying to focus on my races so I don’t realize that much right now.”

After winning gold in the 400m IM, 200m butterfly, and 200m breaststroke, Marchand saved perhaps his best swim for last with a gold in the 200m IM at 1:54.06, the second fastest time in history after Ryan Lochte’s 1:54.00 from 2011.

In a truly historic night for French sport that was started by Florent Manaudou and finished by Marchand, the La Defense Arena got to sing La Marseillaise, with French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance, for the fourth time alongside Marchand.

The time was a new Olympic record for Marchand, coached by Bob Bowman, as he took down yet another Michael Phelps record in the process, lowering Phelps’s 1:54.23 from Beijing 2008.

Marchand has been the center of attention in the swimming universe the last two years since he first won a World title in 2022. Oftentimes he would deflect any questions about Paris, stating it was too far down the road to really think about his preparation and condition. Marchand’s swimming program is not yet finished, with a 4x100m medley relay medal on the line beginning tomorrow, but his individual events are finished, and he delivered in every possible way this week.

“I had a lot of races this week, it was a big challenge for me. That big double (200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke) was a lot physically and mentally so I was really trying to focus on that. Now I need this time to think about what I just did so I need a vacation. It’s been amazing. I was really trying to prepare this meet like it was a surprise, like it was a Christmas gift I could open only on the 400m IM day, then I was surprised every day.”

“That was absolutely magical,” 50m freestyle bronze medalist Florent Manaudou said. “He got his first medal in the 400m IM and we were expecting this. He’s flying on top of the water and nothing can touch him.”

Repeating silver from Tokyo 2020, Duncan Scott of Great Britain showed a lot of emotion in winning silver in Paris at 1:55.31. Scott turned eighth after the butterfly and moved to second after the breaststroke, and finished with the fastest last 50m free of the entire field at 27.67.

The silver is the eighth career medal for Scott at age 27.

"Tokyo was such a big PB,” Scott said. “(My performance today) reaffirms that I'm that good. I was able to put all the elements together again, which is really nice.

"I was really happy to be down there. If I'm behind him Leon, then that's one person that can beat me."

The bronze went to China’s Wang Shun (1:56.00), who just held off the United States’s Carson Foster (1:56.10) for third.

Wang, age 30, won his third straight medal in the 200m IM after bronze in Rio 2016 and gold in Tokyo 2020. Wang, coached by Zhu Zhigen in Zhejiang, won China’s eighth medal of the week in Paris.

“I'm very happy,” Wang said. “This is what I get after doing my best. I was very excited, and then I calmed down. My aim was the gold medal. I didn’t get it, but I enjoyed it and did my best.”

Foster, who won bronze in the 400m IM on Sunday, could not match the performance in the 200m as this is the second straight Olympics no Americans made the podium for the 200m IM.

Great Britain’s Tom Dean (1:56.46) and Italy’s Alberto Razzetti (1:56.82) finished fifth and sixth, ahead of 2019 World champ Daiya Seto (1:57.21) of Japan and Finlay Knox (1:57.26) of Canada.

Semis Wrap

Men’s 100m butterfly

Hungary’s Kristof Milak is looking to redeem himself after winning silver in the 200m butterfly earlier in the week as he is the top seed in the 100m butterfly after the semis with a 50.38. Milak won silver in Tokyo 2020 and is looking for his first gold of these Games after taking an extended break from racing after 2022.

Milak’s biggest challenger will be France’s Maxime Grousset (50.41), who won the World title in 2023 and will have the better part of 15,000 people rooting him on tomorrow night at the La Defense Arena in Paris.

Canada’s Josh Liendo (50.42) will also be tough to beat in his second Olympics as he won silver and bronze at the 2023 and 2022 World Championships, respectively.

The defending bronze medalist from Tokyo, Noe Ponti of Switzerland, is seeded fifth at 50.68 and could win Switzerland’s fourth Olympic medal in swimming if he can touch in the top three after two lengths of the pool tomorrow night.

Nyls Korstanje (50.59) of the Netherlands is seeded fourth ahead of Canada’s Ilya Kharun (50.68), who won 200m butterfly bronze earlier in the week.

Australia’s Matthew Temple (50.95) and Japan’s Naoki Mizunuma (51.08) also advanced to tomorrow’s Olympic final.

Of note, American Caeleb Dressel, who holds the world record and won gold in Tokyo 2020, finished 13th at 51.57 and will not advance to the final.

Women’s 200m IM

In a race that already features three gold medalists from this week in individual events, the top seed is none of those three. Alex Walsh of the United States, who was silver medalist in Tokyo 2020 and the 2022 World champion, is the top seed after semis at 2:07.45.

Walsh, who is the freshest of the favorites, is competing in her one and only event here in Paris as she will be looking to be the first gold medalist for the United States in this event since Tracy Caulkins won in Los Angeles 1984. This is the longest Olympic gold medal drought for the Americans in the pool, along with the men’s 400m freestyle.

Canada’s Summer McIntosh (2:08.30) cruised to the second seed for Canada as the 400m IM gold medalist is looking to add to history - the last seven gold medalists in the women’s 400m IM doubled up and won the 200m IM.

200m breast gold medalist and two-time defending World champion Kate Douglass (2:08.59) will also be looking to end the gold medal drought for the Americans as the third seed. She and Walsh train together at the University of Virginia and also won silver and bronze in this event three years ago in Tokyo.

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown (2:09.97) got through in seventh as she just got out of the 200m backstroke final earlier in the night. McKeown was the silver medalist in this event at the 2022 Worlds behind Walsh and is going for her third gold of the Games tomorrow.

Great Britain’s Abbie Wood (2:09.64) could play spoiler as the fourth seed, along with Canada’s Sydney Pickrem (2:09.65), who is in her third straight Olympic final in the 200m IM at age 27.

China’s Yu Yiting (2:09.74) and Australia’s Ella Ramsay (2:10.16) also qualified for the Olympic final.

Of note, 2012 Olympic champion Ye Shiwen (2:10.45) of China, finished tenth and out of the final. Defending champion Yui Ohashi (2:10.94) of Japan finished 12th and did not advance.

Women’s 800m freestyle

Another day, another 800m freestyle heat win for American Katie Ledecky, who is going for an unprecedented fourth straight gold medal in Saturday’s 800m freestyle final. Ledecky cruised through Friday morning’s heat with an 8:16.62 to claim lane four for tomorrow’s final.

Only four swimmers in history have won the same event three times at the Olympics, and only one has ever won four - Michael Phelps. Ledecky could be on her way to elite company if she can follow up her golds from London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.

"I'm just taking it one event at a time,” Ledecky said after her 800m heat. “I know I have challenges in each of my events. I've certainly appreciated all the support and cheers I've felt as I've gone through the week.”

Ledecky won her 13th career medal on Thursday in the 4x200m freestyle, the most of any American female Olympian and with a gold tomorrow, she would tie herself with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most Olympic gold medals all-time by a woman.

“It hasn’t really sunk in because I have one more race,” Ledecky said of her accomplishment after winning silver in last night’s 4x200m freestyle. “To accomplish that with a relay feels fitting to me. I’ve been on that relay so many times over the years with so many great people. It’s special to do it as part of a relay and have such a great performance with all of them.”

Fellow American Paige Madden (8:18.48) swam a lifetime best in qualifying second for the final as she moved up to challenge Ledecky in that heat. The United States hasn’t won two medals in this event since Sydney 2000.

Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, who won gold in the 400m on Saturday, qualified third at 8:19.87 as she could also give Ledecky a little bit of a push in tomorrow’s final. Australia’s Lani Pallister (8:20.21) also qualified for her first individual Olympic final in the fourth seed.

Germany’s Isabel Gose, who won bronze in the 1500m earlier in the week, qualified fifth at 8:20.63 ahead of defending bronze medalist Simona Quadarella (8:20.89) of Italy.

New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather (8:22.22) and France’s Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (8:22.99), who won silver in the 1500m on Wednesday, also qualified for the Olympic final.

Mixed 4x100m medley

The United States qualified through to first in the 4x100m mixed medley relay final that will take place on Saturday. The relay, consisting of two men and two women in any order the team coaches feel is the fastest, made its debut in Tokyo 2020 with Great Britain winning the inaugural gold.

The United States finished a disappointing fifth in Tokyo and will be looking to getting to the top step of the podium. The team of Regan Smith (57.87), Charlie Swanson (59.65), Caeleb Dressel (50.10), and Abbey Weitzeil (53.36) qualified fastest at 3:40.98 ahead of Australia (3:41.42) and China (3:42.26).

The Australians used three of its career gold medalists in qualifying second with the team of Iona Anderson (58.81), Zac Stubblety-Cook (59.68), Emma McKeon (55.86) and Kyle Chalmers (47.07).

China, who won silver in Tokyo 2020, qualified third with the team of Xu Jiayu (53.16), Tang Qianting (1:05.44), Zhang Yufei (56.59), and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle (47.07).

Netherlands qualified fourth at 3:43.60 ahead of Great Britain (3:43.73), Canada (3:43.87), host nation France (3:43.99), and Japan (3:44.25).

Moment Etched Into Memory | Take a Bow, Leon

Swimming Write-Ups Review | Paris 2024 Olympic Games Edition

• Day 1: Australia takes two golds to open first night of swimming in Paris
• Day 2: Leon Marchand delivers on a storied night in French sports history
• Day 3: Summer McIntosh and David Popovici answer hype, become Olympic champions
• Day 4: Kaylee McKeown, Daniel Wiffen on top of the world on night four in Paris
• Day 5: Leon: The Professional; Marchand does the double
• Day 6: Summer in Paris - McIntosh wins another gold in fastest 200m butterfly in 15 years