2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
BY THE NUMBERS — WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE
World File: 51.71 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
World Junior File: 52.70 — Penny Oleksiak, Canada (2016)
Olympic File: 51.96 — Emma McKeon, Australia
2020 Olympic Champion: Emma McKeon, Australia — 51.96
Within the leadup to the Paris Olympic Video games, the ladies’s 100 freestyle image acquired progressively extra attention-grabbing. As reigning gold medalist and Olympic file holder Emma McKeon did not qualify for the occasion individually this yr (so did reigning bronze medalist Cate Campbell), this occasion might be stuffed with ladies combating to earn their first Olympic title on this occasion. And the race is sure to be a detailed one, with the highest 5 ladies being separated by simply 26 one-hundredths of a second.
The High Seeds
Though Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan is the 2022 and 2023 world champion within the 100 free, she’s not truly the highest seed. That title belongs to Siobhan Haughey, who posted a time of 52.02 final fall — making her the third-fastest swimmer ever within the occasion and the quickest since McKeon went 51.96 on the Tokyo Olympics.
Siobhan Haughey (photograph: Jack Spitser)
The 26-year-old Haughey has continuously been a bridesmaid at previous worldwide meets, particularly to Australians. She completed second to Aussies twice on the Tokyo Olympics — getting beat by McKeon within the 100 free and Titmus within the 200 free. As well as, she additionally took silver to O’Callaghan within the 100 free on the 2023 Worlds and to the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen on the 2024 Worlds. She’s too far behind the highest seeds within the 200 free to have a sensible shot at successful, so the 100 free will doubtless be her solely probability at worldwide gold this yr.
The most important query is whether or not Haughey has it in her to go her greatest time in a serious last. She went 52.02 at a World Cup cease final fall, however “solely” swam a 52.56 at Worlds that very same yr (after which went that very same time at 2024 Worlds). Her second-fastest swim ever was performed within the Tokyo last when she went 52.27, so she’s confirmed she could be at her greatest underneath stress earlier than. The great factor is that she appears to be in respectable form to start out off the yr, having damaged the 53-second barrier 4 instances in 2024.
Then there’s O’Callaghan, who primarily based on previous races, is the favourite to win Olympic gold in Paris. She received the world title by a substantial margin and has not misplaced the 100 free race at a serious last (Worlds, Aussie trials, Commonwealth Video games) since 2021. Along with consistency, she additionally has the velocity to again herself up — her time of 52.08 from main off Australia’s 4×100 free relay makes her the seventh-fastest performer of all-time. If she pulls off one other win in Paris, it’ll converse to her outstanding dominance within the 100 free this Olympic cycle and make her the second consecutive Australian to win gold on this occasion.
Among the many huge names, O’Callaghan has seemed the perfect this yr — her time of 52.27 from this April is the quickest of 2024. If she wins, she’ll in all probability do it from behind. On the 2023 World Championships, she was in seventh place on the flip however used her again half to win. The identical factor occurred in 2022, the place she went from sixth to first on the ultimate 50. Swimmers forward of her must be looking out throughout their race, figuring out how deadly her again half is.
Different Medal Contenders
Apart from the 2024 Worlds, Shayna Jack hasn’t gotten an opportunity to swim the 100 free individually at Worlds or the Olympics. However after her 52.28 relay leadoff on the 2023 Worlds, many wished to see what she was able to in opposition to a full-strength subject. This yr, Jack acquired previous the aggressive Australian home subject within the 100 free and certified to swim it in Paris individually, and now she’s heading into the meet because the fifth general seed.
Jack has gotten it performed on the largest stage earlier than — she took silver within the 50 free on the 2023 Worlds. However the one concern along with her was that when she was closely favored to win the 100 free on the 2024 Worlds, she “solely” took bronze, being off her greatest time with a 52.83. One may argue that she wasn’t tapered, as she did go 52.62 (in prelims) at Aussie Trials, however the consequence doesn’t assist her resume.
Marrit Steenbergen by Giorgio Scala
The girl who beat Jack on the 2024 Worlds was Steenbergen, who received with a private better of 52.26 and heads into Paris because the fourth seed. She’s been one of many greatest risers this previous Olympic cycle, bettering upon her pre-Tokyo greatest time of 53.97. Final yr, she received her first main worldwide particular person medal by taking bronze within the 100 free on the 2023 Worlds with a time of 52.71. Now, she has an opportunity at getting her first Olympic medal.
If there’s one factor to find out about Steenbergen, it’s that she’s extremely constant. At Worlds final yr, she raced 2,700 meters throughout a number of occasions and one way or the other by no means faltered, producing a number of 52-low and 51-high 100 free relay splits. So though she’s not a high seed, it feels secure to wager on her to medal.
The wild card of this meet is Swedish world file holder Sarah Sjostrom. She’s by no means received Worlds or Olympic gold on this occasion, and wasn’t even planning on swimming it in Paris initially. Nevertheless, she’s entered the occasion, that means that her racing the 100 free isn’t out of the query. Final yr at Worlds, Sjostrom did put up a relay leadoff time of 52.24 (which might have received particular person silver) and went on to interrupt the 50 free world file, so we all know she’s able to going quick proper now. She’s been as fast as 52.57 this yr, indicating that she’s already in sturdy kind.
In Paris, Sjostrom would be the heavy favourite to win the 50 free. However a standout efficiency within the 100 free from her may occur as effectively.
Exterior Pictures
Torri Huske (photograph: Jack Spitser)
The ultimate two swimmers with a sub-54 entry time are China’s Yang Junxuan and america’ Torri Huske. These two swimmers have an extended street towards getting onto the rostrum, however may sneak in for a medal if the sector finally ends up being comparatively sluggish.
Let’s begin off with Yang, who has an entry time of 52.68. That mark was set at Chinese language Nationals this April, and was her first time ever getting underneath the 53-second barrier. Nevertheless, she’s seen the largest stage earlier than too, ending eighth on the 2023 World Championships (54.09) whereas additionally qualifying for the ultimate on the 2022 Worlds and the Tokyo Olympics — although she scratched out of finals at each meets. Actually, her greatest time previous to this yr was 53.02 from the Tokyo Olympics.
Yang’s restricted historical past in worldwide finals, in addition to China’s historical past of swimming quickest on house soil, make us skeptical that she will medal. However she’s a favourite to be within the last.
Then there’s Huske, who was the 2022 World Championship bronze medalist. Her time of 52.92 was the slowest medal-winning time at Worlds since 2013, and nonetheless stays her greatest time. Since then, she hadn’t damaged 53 seconds till final month’s Olympic Trials, the place she went 52.93. She’s by no means missed a world last in her life so wager on her to make this one, however a medal from her would require both a sluggish subject or a major drop in time.
Different Potential Finalists
We’ve already listed the seven high seeds, and all of them seem to be favorites to make it again comfortably. The eighth spot within the last, nevertheless, might be a toss-up.
The USA’ Gretchen Walsh wasn’t even presupposed to race this occasion in Paris, however was a last-minute entry after her American teammate Kate Douglass (who would have entered this meet because the sixth seed) dropped out. With a time of 53.13, Walsh is the ninth seed, and may last if she performs her playing cards proper.
Walsh is the world file holder within the 100 fly and is certified to swim the 50 free in Paris as effectively. Nevertheless, her 100 free has appeared to lag behind her 100 fly and 50 free in lengthy course, as she has but to interrupt 53 seconds within the occasion. That is ironic as a result of the 100 free was the occasion the place Walsh had her first worldwide breakout, successful gold on the 2019 World Junior Championships. She received’t have a ton of expectations on her right here, however her velocity in different occasions might point out some untapped potential.
The one certified returning finalist from Tokyo that we haven’t talked about is Nice Britain’s Anna Hopkin, who completed seventh in 2021 with a time of 52.83. Within the prelims of that meet, she broke the British file with a time of 52.75. Since Tokyo nevertheless, Hopkin has been up and down. She missed the ultimate on the 2022 Worlds and didn’t race the occasion individually on the 2023 Worlds, however then she went 53.09 on the 2024 Worlds — posting her quickest time since Tokyo. Now, she heads into Paris because the eighth general seed ready to make her second consecutive Olympic last.
China’s Wu Qingfeng is the 1oth seed with a time of 53.25. She’s by no means made a Worlds or Olympic last earlier than, along with her solely main particular person racing expertise on this occasion being a swim-off loss to america’ Erika Connolly for a semi-final spot in Tokyo. Nevertheless, she improved huge time this yr, dropping 0.62 seconds off her greatest at Chinese language Nationals. Now, she’s acquired a shot to make her first main worldwide last within the 100 free.
Lastly, we’ve acquired the Swedish veteran Michelle Coleman, who’s the eleventh seed at 53.41. She completed seventh on the 2023 Worlds and fifteenth in Tokyo, posting her quickest time since 2019 on the former meet. As somebody who has been on the worldwide stage for a few years now, she’ll even be within the working to make it again.
SwimSwam’s Picks
The decide for gold was straightforward — we felt that O’Callaghan has displayed constant velocity when it mattered probably the most, and now she simply has to drag it off one final time this Olympic cycle. She’s the 2022 and 2023 World champ in addition to the quickest girl on this planet this yr (she’s gone sub-52.4 twice this yr, which nobody else has performed), so selecting her to win felt like a secure wager.
In second now we have Sjostrom. The 100 free isn’t her greatest occasion proper now, however her exhibiting on the 2023 Worlds indicated her potential at this stage of her profession. She has a ton of momentum after her worldwide exhibiting final yr, and we predict she will trip it into Paris. In third, now we have Haughey, as a result of it feels improper to go away the third-fastest girl of all-time off the rostrum, however Steenbergen may actually pull off the upset.
Darkish Horse: Maggie MacNeil, Canada – MacNeil is a considerably stunning entrant within the 100 free for Canada after Penny Oleksiak failed to attain OQT. MacNeil’s principal focus, the 100 fly, might be over as soon as the 100 free rolls round, which may free her as much as swim with nothing to lose and doubtlessly shake issues up. She received the 2023 Pan Am title in a PB of 53.64, and if she’s on career-best kind and may get into the 53-lows, a spot within the last isn’t out of the query.
