2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
- Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
- La Défense Arena — Paris, France
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Full Swimming Schedule
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Pick ’em Contest
- How To Watch
- Entry Lists
- Live Results
- Prelims Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2
- Finals Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2
Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet
It is a very short session both in number of events and by time, as there are just three events on the schedule, and we have an expected end time of just over an hour.
In order the three events are
The event previews for each are linked, so if you are killing time waiting for this morning’s session to start, please feel free to peruse them and let us know your thoughts, especially if you like my use of song titles as sub-headings.
The morning kicks off with two heats of the Women’s 400 IM. With only 16 entrants, don’t expect Summer McIntosh, the world record holder in the event and recent silver medalist in the 400 free, to push the pace this morning. Seed over seven seconds faster than the next best; look for the Canadian to execute a smooth and controlled prelims swim. Katie Grimes, also a teenager, is the 2nd seed and while she too should be safely into the final tomorrow night, she has much less of a margin to play with. Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko withdrew from the 100 breast semis last night in preparation for this event, where she is the 5th seed. After McIntosh and Grimes, any of the 14 other swimmers could realistically make the final.
One of the most highly anticipated events of the entire program follows the IM as the women’s 100 backstroke takes center stage. Four of the five fastest swimmers ever are in the field, as is the current world record holder and two former record holders. The USA’s Regan Smith tops the field, fresh off her world record performance of 57.13 at the US Olympic Trials. Swimming next to her in the prelims will be Canada’s Kylie Masse, who was the first swimmer to set the World Record after the supersuit era and is the defending silver medalist in the event.
One heat before Smith, but in the same lane is the former World Record holder and the defending Olympic gold medalist in both backstroke, Kaylee McKeown. The Australian, like Smith and Masse, has yet to make an appearance at these Games.
The other swimmer in serious contention to medal is American Katharine Berkoff. Berkoff joined the elite sub-58 club at the US Olympic Trials and enters her first Olympics as the third seed.
After the speed of the 100 back, we slow things down time-wise, but not in intensity, as we conclude with the men’s 800 Free.
Much like in the 100 back the 8oo free looks to be a showdown between the USA and Australia. Sam Short enters as the top seed with an entry time of 7:37.76. Behind him, American Bobby Finke, the defending Olympic Champion, lurks as the 2nd seed. However, the two won’t be battling each other alone as Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, the World Record holder in SCM, is the third seed.
WOMEN’S 400 Individual Medley — Prelims
- World Record: 4:24.38 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
- World Junior Record: 4:24.38 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
- Olympic Record: 4:26.36 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2016)
- 2021 Olympic Champion: Yui Ohashi, JPN – 4:32.08
- 2021 Time to Advance to Finals: 4:37.37
Top 8
- Emma Weyant (USA) – 4:36.27
- Katie Grimes (USA) – 4:37.24
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 4:37.35
- Freya Colbert (GBR) – 4:37.62
- Mio Narita (JPN) – 4:37.84
- Ella Ramsay (AUS) – 4:39.04
- Ellen Walshe (IRE) – 4:39.97
- Katie Shanahan (GBR) – 4:40.40
Katie Grimes led out the field at the 100 mark, hitting the wall in 1:00.85, opening close to a two second lead as Ella Jansesn of Canada was next to touch a 1:02.71. Grimes would remain in front of the field through the backstroke and early meters of the breaststroke but it was 2024 World Champion Freya Colbert and 2021 Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant who surged on the 3rd 100 to pass Grimes.
Weyant, who had a great NCAA championship, placing 2nd in the 500 free and 400 IM, took charge in the last 100, splitting the only sub 31.00 last 50. Coming home in 30.74, Weyant took the heat win in 4:36.27, not too far off her 4:35.56 from the finals of the Olympic Trials. Grimes, who was 3rd at the 300, would come home in 31.29 to pass Colbert and nab second in 4:27.24, .42 ahead of Colbert.
Entering heat 2, Summer McIntosh, who won silver in the 400 Free on night one, knew that she was seeded more than 7 seconds ahead of the second seed. She just needed to swim a controlled swim to move on. McIntosh lead from start to finish, opening up in 59.99. She looked calm and smooth throughout the race, but Australia’s Ella Ramsay made things interesting. The Olympic debutant was within striking distance of the Canadian at the 200, and by the end of the breaststroke, she was just .24 behind.
The freestyle leg saw McIntosh open up the lead again, but the pressure came from fellow 17-year-old Mio Narita, who surged from 5th to 2nd in the last lengths, passing Ramsay and nearly running down McIntosh but falling just short by .49 as the Canadian touched in 4:37.35 to the Japanese swimmers 4:37.84.
WOMEN’S 100 Backstroke—Prelims
- World Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
- World Junior Record: 57.57 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
- Olympic Record: 57.47 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2021)
- 2021 Winning Time: 57.47 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS
- 2021 Time to Advance to Semis: 1:00.04
Top 16
- Katharine Berkoff (USA) – 57.99
- Regan Smith (USA) – 58.45
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 58.48
- Kyle Masse (CAN) – 59.06
- Emma Terebo (FRA) – 59.10
- Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 59.31
- Iona Anderson (AUS) – 59.37
- Carmen Weiler Sastre (ESP) – 59.57
- Roos Vanotterdjik (BEL) – 59.68
- Kira Toussaint (NED) – 59.84
- Wan Letian (CHN) – 59.87
- Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 1:00.06
- Maaike de Waard (NED) – 1:00.12
- Wang Xueer (CHN) – 1:00.15
- Louise Hansson (SWE) – 1:00.26
- Danielle Hill (IRE) – 1:00.40
It’ll be an American leading the pack into the semifinals tonight, but perhaps not the one you were expecting. The third seed, Katharine Berkoff, who qualified for her Olympics this past June, kept up where she left off from Indy at the US Trials, as she posted her 3rd fastest swim ever and her 3rd time under the magical sub-58 barrier.
Known both in yards and in meters as one with speed, Berkoff attacked the race, flipping at the halfway point in 28.14 and charging home with the fastest closing split of the entire field of 29.85 to stop the clock in 57.99. French record holder Emma Terebo, was 2nd for the entire race and gave the crowd something to cheer about as she stopped the clock in 59.10 to safely put herself into position to move on.
Heat 4 saw the former world record holder and defending Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown take to the water for the first time this week. McKeown was out in 28.37, leading out compatriot Iona Anderson, who was not too far back in 2nd with a split of 28.51. McKeown appeared to let up just a little in the closing meters as she touched in 58.48, perhaps conserving energy for tonight. Anderson would remain in second, touching in 59.37 despite Spain’s Carmen Weiler Sastre making a charge in the last 50, moving up from 5th to 3rd, hitting the wall in 59.57.
We’ll have to wait til tomorrow to see Smith and McKeown in the same heat, as Smith took the win in heat 5 in a time of 58.45 but will be drawn into the 1st semifinal as McKeown will be in the 2nd. Smith was 2nd at the 50 as Kylie Masse, the 2021 silver medalist, was out fast in 28.13. Smith would join Berkoff with the only other sub-30 in the last 50, closed on and past Masse, splitting 29.94 to win the heat. Masse would remain in 2nd, coming home in 30.93, with Beryl Gastaldello dropping a 30.47 last split to touch 3rd in 59.31.
