Olympic Swimming 2021: Caeleb Dressel Wins Gold, Sets World Record in 100m Butterfly
Jul 31, 2021
TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 30: Caeleb Dressel of Team United States (R) competes in the second Semifinal of the Men's 100m Butterfly on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 30, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Caeleb Dressel continued to prove he's the class of USA men's swimming Friday, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly finals and setting a world record of 49.45 seconds in the process.
Dressel led the race from start to finish, flying off the blocks with one of his best reaction times of the Games (0.6 seconds) and making up for a long turn by swimming at a rate of 1.71 meters per second down the stretch.
CAELEB DRESSEL SETS A WORLD RECORD AND WINS GOLD IN THE MEN’S 100M FLY 😤
It's Dressel's third gold medal during the Tokyo Games. He also won the 100-meter freestyle and 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
The 24-year-old from Green Cove Springs, Florida, now has five Olympic gold medals for his career. He won the 4x100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley in the 2016 Rio Games.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Women's 4x200M Freestyle Relay Medal Winners and Times
Jul 29, 2021
China's Li Bingjie (bottom) celebrates with China's Tang Muhan, China's Zhang Yufei, and Dong Jie after coming second in a heat for the women's 4x200m freestyle relay swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on July 28, 2021. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
China pulled off a thrilling upset in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay, winning the gold medal over the heavy favorites from Australia.
WORLD RECORD!
China takes gold in the women's 4x200m relay, as @TeamUSA beats Australia for silver! #TokyoOlympics
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2021
The United States won silver thanks to a massive rally by team anchor Katie Ledecky as the Australians settled for bronze. Amazingly, all three countries shattered the previous world record of 7:41.50, held by the Australians. China finished the medal race in 7:40.33.
Here's a look at the full results:
Women's 4x200M Freestyle Relay Final Results
1. China (Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan, Zhang Yufei, Li Bingjie): 7:40.33
China led wire-to-wire, fighting off repeated attempts by Australia to get out in front. That wouldn't happen.
Instead, it was the United States making an incredible charge on the last leg when Ledecky entered the pool. After failing to medal in the individual 200-meter freestyle, Ledecky put together a tremendous split of 1:53.76—nearly two seconds off her time in the individual Wednesday—which, along with Katie McLaughlin's split of 1:55.38, helped the U.S. move from fourth place to second.
Ledecky's second-fastest career 200m free relay split, just .02 slower than her split in Rio, which was fastest of that field by nine tenths.
Just about every country that competed in the final set about overachieving Thursday as one of the overall fastest relays of the Olympic Games concluded in less than eight minutes.
That was by far the fastest relay of the Olympics so far. Look at these splits and all three of those podium teams break the World Record. pic.twitter.com/itfM5KWWqe
Perhaps with another length, the United States is able to complete the comeback. As it stands, the silver medal will go down as one of the more impressive collected by USA Swimming during the Games.
A complete and total team effort has the Americans back on the podium once again.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Men's 100M Freestyle Medal Winners, Times and Results
Jul 29, 2021
Caeleb Dressel, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men's 100-meter freestyle final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Caeleb Dressel did it. And he did it in style.
The United States swimmer won the gold medal in the men's 100-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, setting an Olympic record (47.02) in the process. He just edged out the event's gold medalist at the Rio Games in 2016, Australian's Kyle Chalmers (47:08), who took silver.
The Russian Olympic Committee's Kliment Kolesnikov (47.44), one of the favorites heading into the event, earned bronze.
It was Dressel's second gold of the Tokyo Games, as he also stood atop the podium after the United States won the 4x100-meter freestyle relay alongside Blake Pieroni, Bowe Becker and Zach Apple. It was his fourth gold overall, as he won two relay golds at the 2016 Olympics.
He was emotional after Thursday's win.
"I don't know if it's just set in yet. Right now I'm just kinda hurting," he said on the NBC broadcast after the race, between deep breaths. "But it's a really tough year. It's really hard. So to have the results show how—I mean, it really came together, so I'm happy."
The emotions of gold for @TeamUSA's Caeleb Dressel.
Dressel swam his race, getting off to an incredibly fast start with an 0.60-second reaction time out of the blocks. His race strategy was clear: Catch me if you can.
Chalmers came close but couldn't quite catch the United States' dynamo, who joined impressive company with the win:
The legendary list of U.S. men to win Olympic gold in the 100m free:
🇺🇸 Caeleb Dressel 🇺🇸 Nathan Adrian 🇺🇸 Matt Biondi 🇺🇸 Rowdy Gaines 🇺🇸 Jim Montgomery 🇺🇸 Mark Spitz 🇺🇸 Don Schollander 🇺🇸 Clarke Scholes 🇺🇸 Wally Ris 🇺🇸 Johnny Weissmuller 🇺🇸 Duke Kahanamoku 🇺🇸 Charlie Daniels
Dressel has a busy Olympics scheduled, with the 100-meter butterfly, mixed medley relay, 50-meter freestyle and men's medley relay yet to come. But he's already made his mark in Tokyo.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Men's 200M Breaststroke Medal Winners, Times and Results
Jul 29, 2021
TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 29: Izaac Stubblety-Cook of Team Australia reacts after winning the gold medal in the Men's 200m Breaststroke Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 29, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Australia's Izaac Stubblety-Cook made a late push in the men's 200-meter breaststroke Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics, claiming the gold medal in the event.
Stubblety-Cook (2:06.38) caught and passed the Netherlands' Arno Kamminga (2:07.01) and Finland's Matti Mattsson (2:07.13) in the final lap. His time set a new Olympic record, with the Russian Olympic Committee's Anton Chupkov setting the world record (2:06.12) in 2019.
OLYMPIC RECORD for Australia's Zac Stubblety-Cook! #TokyoOlympics
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2021
The United States' Nic Fink (2:07.93) finished fifth.
Chupkov (2:07.24)—who won a bronze medal in the event in 2016 and was one of the favorites this year—finished fourth, well off his world-record pace.
Stubblety-Cook's gold was Australia's seventh of the Tokyo Games and 17th medal overall. The United States currently holds the most medals overall with 32 (12 golds), while Japan has claimed the most golds with 13 (22 overall).
It was a fantastic race from Stubblety-Cook, who kept himself in contention before a blistering 25 meters to close the race.
Most impressive thing about the Aussie swimmers at the #Olympics is how strong they’ve finished … all of them seem to have another gear in the final 25! Super fit! Zac Stubblety-Cook takes 🥇 in the 200 breaststroke!! 🏊🏽♂️
Zac Stubblety-Cook is the Olympic 200m breaststroke champion and executes the perfect race on the grandest stage. They went crazy at the start and he just powers over the top in 2:06.38, a new Olympic record. He was so composed all week and that was just clinical #Tokyo2020
Gee there have been some excellent tactical swims from @DolphinsAUS during this week. Stubblety-Cook another beautifully judged and executed swim. All power to the athletes and their coaches. #Swimming#Olympics
Cook swam a 2:07:00 at the Sydney Open in June before posting a blistering 2:06.28 at the Australian Olympic Trials.
"Sydney was quite a bit of a confidence boost, going 2:07 and going the same back-end as Chupkov—I started thinking, 'If I've got more rest I can go out a bit quicker and have that speed a bit easier,'" he told reporters at those trials. "It's exciting but I've just got to take it on my stride and keep on the process."
He did just that Thursday. And now he's an Olympic record-holder and gold medalist.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Men's 4x200M Freestyle Relay Medal Winners and Times
Jul 28, 2021
Britain's Tom Dean (C, in water) celebrates with teammate James Guy after winning a heat for the men's 4x200m freestyle relay swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on July 27, 2021. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
Great Britain easily captured the gold medal during the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday as the United States failed to reach the podium.
Tom Dean, James Guy, Matthew Richards and Scott Duncan combined for a 6:58.58 finish, setting a European record and coming from behind to win by nearly three-and-a-half seconds.
A day after Dean won the 200-meter freestyle final, he got back in the pool for another 200 meters and helped the favorites easily mop up the rest of the world.
Men's 4x200M Freestyle Relay Final
1. Great Britain (Tom Dean, James Guy, Matthew Richards, Duncan Scott): 6:58.58
The Michael Phelps Era of American swimming takes on even more significance tonight. Four straight 4 x 200 free relay Olympic gold medals between 2004-2016 for Team USA and Phelps. Tonight, Great Britain wins its first since 1908 and U.S. doesn’t medal.
The United States missed out on a bronze medal by less than a second after previously dominating the event over the last four Olympic games.
On the NBC prime-time broadcast, U.S. Olympic swimming great Michael Phelps said the Americans were at a disadvantage without Caeleb Dressel in the relay. Dressel easily won his 100-meter freestyle semifinal just over an hour before the 4x200.
Each member of the GBR team swam his leg of the relay in 1:45.72 or faster with Scott, serving as the anchor, putting together a team-best 1:43.45 to capture first place.
The Americans still hold the Olympic record in the 4x200 thanks to a time of 6:58.56 at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but it's clear the United States relay club isn't near the level of past teams.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Women's 1,500m Freestyle Medal Winners, Times and Results
Jul 28, 2021
TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 28: Katie Ledecky of Team United States reacts after competing in the Women's 200m Freestyle Final on day five of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 28, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Katie Ledecky is once again the undisputed best long-distance swimmer in the world.
In the first-ever women's 1500-meter freestyle at the Olympic Games, Ledecky entered as the presumptive favorite and easily blew away the field, finishing 4.07 seconds ahead of U.S. teammate Erica Sullivan—who made a dramatic comeback to claim the silver medal.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2021
Ledecky won the sixth gold medal of her Olympics career barely an hour after failing to medal in the 200m freestyle final. She is now two gold medals from tying Jenny Thompson (8) for the most all-time by an American woman.
Sullivan, meanwhile, saved her absolute best for the final laps of the grueling 1500. After posting splits between 31.56 and 32.01 through the first 500 meters, the 20-year-old began to make her move, soaring from fifth place to second place in just 250 meters with splits hovering around 31.03 across her final laps.
After calmly finishing first a few seconds earlier, Ledecky went wild as she looked up and saw Sullivan taking second right behind her.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Women's 200m Individual Medley Medal Winners and Times
Jul 28, 2021
TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 27: Yui Ohashi of Team Japan competes in the Women's 200m Individual Medley Semifinal on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 27, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The United States won two medals, but Japan's Yui Ohashi captured the top prize in the women's 200-meter individual medley final at the 2021 Olympics.
Ohashi, Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass finished in the top three spots during Tuesday's race. The win is Ohashi's second of these Games after the 400-meter individual medley on Sunday.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2021
Women's 200m Individual Medley Results
Gold: Yui Ohashi, Japan (2:08.52)
Silver: Alex Walsh, United States (2:08.65)
Bronze: Kate Douglass, United States (2:09.04)
4th: Abbie Wood, Great Britain (2:09.15)
5th: Yu Yiting, China (2:09.57)
6th: Sydney Pickrem, Canada (2:10.05)
7th: Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (2:12.38)
8th: Alicia Wilson, Great Britain (2:12.86)
Tuesday's race was a thriller, with Ohashi just sneaking by Walsh and Douglass in the final stretch. All three were running neck and neck for most of the final 50 meters.
Walsh appeared to have a slight edge around the 25-meter mark, but Ohashi started to pick up steam to win her second gold medal in Tokyo.
Walsh was on her knees outside the mixed zone yesterday after the semifinals, looked rough. She emptied the tank in the semis and then came back and fought Ohashi to the wall today.
Ohashi has been building toward this moment for years, dating back to her gold medal win at the 2016 Asian Championships.
She followed that up by setting a Japanese record in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2017 World Championships with a time of 2:07.91, but that wasn't quite good enough to get past Hungary's Katinka Hosszu.
Walsh and Douglass, both 19, had stellar Olympic debuts in this event. It's fitting that they would end up on the medal podium together. The University of Virginia teammates both won NCAA championships this year to help the program win its first-ever team title.
Ohashi's margin of victory of 0.13 seconds is the smallest in Olympic history since the women's 200-meter individual medley was added in 1972.
Walsh's silver medal is the best finish by an American woman in this event since Amanda Beard finished second in 2004.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Men's 200m Butterfly Medal Winners, Times and Results
Jul 28, 2021
Kristof Milak, of Hungary, swims in a men's 200-meter butterfly semifinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Kristof Milakis the king of the men's 200-meter butterfly after taking the top spot during Tuesday's race at the 2021 Olympics.
The Hungarian star set a new Olympic record with a finishing time of 1:51.25. Japan's Honda Tomoru won the silver (1:53.73), with Italy's Federico Burdisso capturing the bronze (1:54.45).
Hungary's Kristof Milak sets a new Olympic record to win gold in the men's 200m fly! #TokyoOlympics
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2021
Men's 200m Butterfly Results
Gold: Kristof Milak, Hungary (1:51.25)
Silver: Honda Tomoru, Japan (1:53.73)
Bronze: Federico Burdisso, Italy (1:54.45)
4th: Tamas Kenderesi, Hungary (1:54.52)
5th: Chad le Clos, South Africa (1:54.93)
6th: Leonardo de Deus, Brazil (1:55.19)
7th: Gunnar Bentz, United States (1:55.46)
8th: Krzysztof Chmielewski, Poland (1:55.88)
Milak's victory in this event seemed like a safe bet coming into the Games. The 21-year-old won gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and 2019 World Championships. He broke Michael Phelps' world-record time at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships (1:50.73).
It appeared after he hit the finish that Milak's was disappointed by his victory because he didn't beat his previous record time.
While the final margin of victory was comfortable for Milak, the race initially looked like it might be close. Burdisso was running neck and neck with him right up until they got to the 150-meter mark.
Honda wound up making up ground over the final 50 meters to pass Burdisso for the second spot. The 19-year-old continues to make positive strides in his career. He previously finished second in this event at the 2019 World Junior Championships.
With Milak, Honda and Burdisso all being 21 years of age or younger, the future of men's swimming looks to be very bright right now.
Given how dominant Milak has been in this event at this point in his career, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the top step of the medal podium for many years to come.
Olympic Swimming 2021: Women's 400m Individual Medley Medal Winners and Times
Jul 25, 2021
Yui Ohashi, of Japan, celebrates after winning the final of the women's 400-meter Individual medley at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Yui Ohashi won Japan's second Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games after she took first in the women's 400-meter individual medley in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
Ohashi's finished with a time of 4:32.08 as she held off a late charge from the United States' Emma Weyant, who earned the silver medal. Hali Flickinger of Team USA finished with the bronze.
Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, who is the Olympic and world record holder in the 400-meter individual medley, ended in fifth place.
Here's a look at the race results, highlights and race notes.
Ohashi had never won gold on the world stage, but she's certainly had her fair share of success.
The 25-year-old took silver in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2017 World Championships and bronze at the 400-meter individual medley at the 2019 World Championships.
Ohashi had never competed on the Olympic stage before, but she made the most of her debut with a fantastic performance, particularly on the breaststroke and backstroke legs.
Japan's Ohashi Yui sobbed in joy after winning gold at Women's 400-metre individual medley. Wonderfully still head and fluidity at backstroke segment gave her a strong lead and she held on. #Swimming
Great race from Ohashi. Effortless backstroke, won it on the breaststroke leg. USA's great night continues with silver-bronze from Emma Weyant and Hali Flickinger.
Ohashi won Japan's second gold medal of the Games. The first one was courtesy of Naohisa Takato after his win in the 132-pound judo final.
Emma Weyant will be a name to watch in the present and future, as the 19-year-old turned heads with her performance on the international stage. Her performance in the freestyle portion landed her in second.
But the future Virginia Cavalier also notably dominated during her heat, as Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated wrote:
Emma Weyant threw it down in that 400 IM heat, very strong showing from the 19-year-old to swim a lifetime best and fastest time of the evening at 4:33.55. I think Ohashi will be hard to beat in the final, but Weyant is super tough.
Likewise, a strong showing in the freestyle leg propelled Flickinger onto the podium.
Hali Flickinger earns a bronze medal in the 400 IM. Outstanding effort in the final leg of the freestyle to claim third place after falling behind in the breaststroke.
She barely held off Mireia Belmonte, who won Olympic gold in the 200-meter butterfly in 2016.
Hosszu, who rightfully earned her "Iron Lady" moniker, looked as if she would be in position for a medal but faded a bit down the stretch. Her phenomenal resume includes 26 World Championship gold medals and three golds on the Olympic stage.
Michael Phelps Joins NBC's Tokyo Olympics Coverage as Prime-Time Correspondent
Jul 19, 2021
Michael Phelps speaks during a Panasonic news conference before the CES tech show, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Swimming fans won't get the opportunity to watch Michael Phelps compete during the Tokyo Olympics, but the all-time great will still be a featured part of NBC's broadcasts.
On Monday, NBC announced Phelps will join its coverage of the Games as a prime-time correspondent. He will also be in the booth alongside Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines for some of the swimming competitions.
It's impossible to find someone with more expertise about what it takes to succeed at the Olympic level than Phelps.
The 36-year-old has the record for the most total Olympic medals with 28 and gold medals with 23 and competed in five Games in all from 2000 through 2016. He was just 15 years old when he made his Olympic debut during the 2000 Games in Sydney and proceeded to treat fans to some of the most memorable moments in swimming history.
That experience will surely guide his analysis as he breaks down the swims of a fellow all-time great in Katie Ledecky and the rest of the competitors during the swimming competitions that start on Saturday.
This will be nothing new for Phelps after he joined NBC Sports' broadcast of the U.S. Olympic Trials in June.
