Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre breaststroke
| Women's 100 metre breaststroke at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paris La Défense Arena after it was converted to a swimming pool for the swimming events | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Paris La Défense Arena | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 28 July 2024 (Heats and Semis) 29 July 2024 (Final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 37 from 32 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 1:05.28 | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Qualification | |||
| Freestyle | |||
| 50 m | men | women | |
| 100 m | men | women | |
| 200 m | men | women | |
| 400 m | men | women | |
| 800 m | men | women | |
| 1500 m | men | women | |
| Backstroke | |||
| 100 m | men | women | |
| 200 m | men | women | |
| Breaststroke | |||
| 100 m | men | women | |
| 200 m | men | women | |
| Butterfly | |||
| 100 m | men | women | |
| 200 m | men | women | |
| Individual medley | |||
| 200 m | men | women | |
| 400 m | men | women | |
| Freestyle relay | |||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women | |
| 4 × 200 m | men | women | |
| Medley relay | |||
| 4 × 100 m | men | mixed | women |
| Marathon | |||
| 10 km | men | women | |
The women's 100 metre breaststroke event at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held from 28 to 29 July 2024 at Paris La Défense Arena, which was converted to a swimming pool for the swimming events.[1] Since an Olympic size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of two lengths of the pool.
China's Tang Qianting was the favourite to win, though Lithuania's Rūta Meilutytė, the USA's Lilly King, Italy's Benedetta Pilato and South Africa's Tatjana Smith were also in contention. All except Meilutytė qualified for the final. In the semifinals, national records for Ireland and Belarus were broken.
In the final, Smith won gold with the winning time of 1:05.28. Qianting finished second with 1:05.54 and Ireland's Mona McSharry won bronze with 1:05.59, 0.01 seconds ahead of both Pilato and King who tied for fourth with 1:05.60. McSharry's bronze made her Ireland's first swimming medallist since 1996 and second swimming medallist ever.
Background
[edit]China's Tang Qianting won the event at the 2024 World Championships, and had the fastest qualifying time of 1:04.39. Lithuania's Rūta Meilutytė won the event at the 2023 Championships, where she swam the fastest qualifying time of 1:04.62.[2] She had had a foot surgery in February, and SwimSwam commented that it "put a question mark on her form".[3]
The USA's Lilly King won the event at the 2016 Olympics, and she had the third fastest qualifying time of 1:04.75,[2] while Italy's Benedetta Pilato won it at the 2022 World Championships, and she had the fourth fastest qualifying time of 1:05.44.[2][4] South Africa's Tatjana Smith won silver at the 2020 Olympics, and she won another silver at the 2023 World Championships.[2]
Both SwimSwam and Swimming World predicted Qianting would win gold. SwimSwam predicted Smith would win silver and King would take bronze, while Swimming World predicted it would be the other way around.[2][5]
Qualification
[edit]Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) was permitted to enter a maximum of two qualified athletes in each individual event, but only if both of them had attained the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT).[6] For this event, the OQT was 1:06.79 seconds. World Aquatics then considered athletes qualifying through universality; NOCs were given one event entry for each gender, which could be used by any athlete regardless of qualification time, providing the spaces had not already been taken by athletes from that nation who had achieved the OQT.[6][4] Finally, the rest of the spaces were filled by athletes who had met the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT), which was 1:07.12 for this event.[6] In total, 23 athletes qualified through achieving the OQT, twelve athletes qualified through universality places and two athletes qualified through achieving the OCT.[4]
| Swimmer | Country | Time | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tang Qianting |  China
|
01:04:39 | 2024 Chinese Championships |
| Rūta Meilutytė |  Lithuania
|
01:04:62 | 2023 World Aquatics Championships |
| Lilly King |  United States
|
01:04:75 | 2023 United States National Championships |
| Benedetta Pilato |  Italy
|
01:05:44 | 2024 Sette Colli Trophy |
| Tatjana Smith |  South Africa
|
01:05:53 | 2023 World Aquatics Championships |
| Angharad Evans |  Great Britain
|
01:05:54 | 2024 AP Race London International |
| Mona McSharry |  Ireland
|
01:05:55 | 2023 World Aquatics Championships |
| Tes Schouten |  Netherlands
|
01:05:71 | 2024 Eindhoven Qualification Meet |
| Reona Aoki |  Japan
|
01:05:76 | 2024 Japanese Olympic Trials |
| Sophie Hansson |  Sweden
|
01:05:83 | 2024 Stockholm Open |
Heats
[edit]Five heats took place on 28 July 2024, starting at 11:27.[a][7] The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advanced to the semifinals.[8] Smith qualified with the fastest time of 1:05.00, while Qianting, King, Pilato and Meilutytė also all qualified.[9] Israel's Anastasia Gorbenko qualified with the seventh fastest time, but withdrew to focus on her other events at the Games. This opened up the spot for China's Yang Chang, who swam the 17th fastest time, to qualify.[10]
Semifinals
[edit]Two semifinals took place on 28 July, starting at 21:10.[11] The swimmers with the best eight times in the semifinals advanced to the final.[8] Qianting won the first semifinal with the fourth fastest qualifying time of 1:05.83, while Smith won the second semifinal with the fastest qualifying time of 1:05.00. King and Pilato also qualified, though Meilutytė did not. Ireland's Mona McSharry qualified with the second fastest time of 1:05.51, which broke her own Irish record in the event.[12] Neutral Athlete Alina Zmushka swam a time of 1:05.93 to qualify, which broke the Belarusian record.[b][13]
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 4 | Tatjana Smith | South Africa |
1:05.00 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | 5 | Mona McSharry | Ireland |
1:05.51 | Q, NR |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | Lilly King | United States |
1:05.64 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | 4 | Tang Qianting | China |
1:05.83 | Q |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | Alina Zmushka |  Individual Neutral Athletes |
1:05.93 | Q, NR |
| 6 | 2 | 7 | Angharad Evans | Great Britain |
1:05.99 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | 3 | Benedetta Pilato | Italy |
1:06.12 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | 6 | Eneli Jefimova |  Estonia |
1:06.23 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | 6 | Lisa Angiolini | Italy |
1:06.39 | |
| 10 | 2 | 1 | Tes Schouten | Netherlands |
1:06.56 | |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | Rūta Meilutytė | Lithuania |
1:06.89 | |
| 12 | 1 | 5 | Satomi Suzuki | Japan |
1:06.90 | |
| 13 | 1 | 7 | Sophie Hansson | Sweden |
1:06.96 | |
| 14 | 1 | 8 | Yang Chang | China |
1:07.20 | |
| 15 | 2 | 8 | Macarena Ceballos |  Argentina |
1:07.31 | |
| 16 | 1 | 1 | Kotryna Teterevkova | Lithuania |
1:07.48 |
Final
[edit]| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Women's 100 metre breaststroke final |
The final took place at 21:34 on 29 July.[14] Qianting swam the fastest opening 50 metre split of 29.94,[15] but Smith overtook her over the second half of the race to win with a time of 1:05.28.[16] Qianting finished second with 1:05.54 and McSharry finished third with 1:05.59, 0.01 seconds ahead of both Pilato and King who tied for fourth with 1:05.60.[15]
McSharry's bronze made her Ireland's first swimming medallist since 1996 and second swimming medallist ever.[17][18] It was also Ireland's first medal of the Games.[16] At 27 years old, Smith was the oldest medallist ever in this event.[19]
| Rank | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4 | Tatjana Smith | South Africa |
1:05.28 | |
 |
6 | Tang Qianting | China |
1:05.54 | |
 |
5 | Mona McSharry | Ireland |
1:05.59 | |
| 4 | 1 | Benedetta Pilato | Italy |
1:05.60 | |
| 3 | Lilly King | United States |
1:05.60 | ||
| 6 | 7 | Angharad Evans | Great Britain |
1:05.85 | |
| 7 | 8 | Eneli Jefimova | Estonia |
1:06.50 | |
| 8 | 2 | Alina Zmushka | Individual Neutral Athletes |
1:06.54 |
| Name | 15 metre split (s) | 50 metre split (s) | 50–65 metre split (s) | Time (s) | Stroke rate (strokes/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tatjana Smith | 7.18 | 30.62 | 9.98 | 1:05.28 | 47.1 |
| Tang Qianting | 6.95 | 29.94 | 10.03 | 1:05.54 | 52.5 |
| Mona McSharry | 7.50 | 30.56 | 9.84 | 1:05.59 | 50.3 |
| Benedetta Pilato | 7.07 | 30.62 | 9.84 | 1:05.60 | 45.7 |
| Lilly King | 7.13 | 31.00 | 9.79 | 1:05.60 | 49.1 |
| Angharad Evans | 7.53 | 30.61 | 10.13 | 1:05.85 | 44.9 |
| Eneli Jefimova | 7.47 | 30.69 | 10.08 | 1:06.50 | 53.0 |
| Alina Zmushka | 7.33 | 31.12 | 9.98 | 1:06.54 | 50.9 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
- ^ Russian and Belarusian athletes were only eligible to compete at the Games as Individual Neutral Athletes, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
References
[edit]- ^ Burgaud, Florian (22 July 2024). "From concert hall and rugby stadium to Olympic swimming pool arena in a matter of weeks, the metamorphosis of the Paris La Défense Arena is complete". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Sutherland, James (24 July 2024). "2024 Olympic Previews: Hot Hand Gives Tang The Edge In Wide Open Women's 100 Breast". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ Race, Retta (29 February 2024). "Lithuanian World Record Holder Ruta Meilutyte Suffers Foot Injury". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 25 August 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d Entries list - Swimming, World Aquatics, archived from the original on 12 July 2024, retrieved 18 December 2024
- ^ Rieder, David (22 July 2024). "Olympic Swimming Predictions, Day 3: Summer McIntosh, David Popovici to Claim Gold Medals". Swimming World. Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Paris 2024 – Swimming Info". World Aquatics. 5 April 2022. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Olympic swimming rules: How can swimmers qualify for finals and win medals - format explained". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 24 July 2024. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Rosado, Laura (28 July 2024). "2024 Paris Olympics: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 23 December 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Wells, Charlotte (28 July 2024). "2024 Paris Olympics: Gorbenko Scratches 100 Breast Semi Finals on Day 2 of Competition". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ Rosado, Laura (29 July 2024). "2024 Paris Olympics: Day 2 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Overend, Riley (29 July 2024). "What Flag/Anthem Will Neutral Athlete Alina Zmushka Get If She Medals in 100 Breaststroke?". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ a b Penland, Spencer (29 July 2024). "2024 Paris Olympics: Day 3 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ a b Baldwin, Alan (29 July 2024). "Swimming-South Africa's Smith wins 100m breaststroke gold". Reuters. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ O'Riordan, Ian (29 July 2024). "Mona McSharry wins brilliant Olympics bronze in 100m breaststroke". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ McGoldrick, Sean (29 July 2024). "Irish swimmer Mona McSharry on making history with Olympic bronze in 100m breaststroke – 'Wow, this is actually happening'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Bush, Bradley (29 July 2024). "2024 Paris Olympics Finals Day 3: Fun Facts". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Bodard, Simon; Decron, Nathan; Dernoncourt, Eric; Hui, Pierre; Jambu, Clément; Loisel, Camille; Pla, Robin; Raineteau, Yannis. "Jeux Olympiques 2024: Analyses de course des Finales" (PDF). French Swimming Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
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