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Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 50 metre freestyle

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Women's 50 metre freestyle
at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad
Paris La Défense Arena after it was converted to a swimming pool for the swimming events
VenueParis La Défense Arena
Dates3 August 2024
(Heats and Semis)
4 August 2024
(Final)
Competitors79 from 72 nations
Winning time23.71
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Sarah Sjöström  Sweden
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Meg Harris  Australia
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Zhang Yufei  China
← 2020
2028 →
Swimming at the
2024 Summer Olympics
Qualification
Freestyle
50 mmenwomen
100 mmenwomen
200 mmenwomen
400 mmenwomen
800 mmenwomen
1500 mmenwomen
Backstroke
100 mmenwomen
200 mmenwomen
Breaststroke
100 mmenwomen
200 mmenwomen
Butterfly
100 mmenwomen
200 mmenwomen
Individual medley
200 mmenwomen
400 mmenwomen
Freestyle relay
4 × 100 mmenwomen
4 × 200 mmenwomen
Medley relay
4 × 100 mmenmixedwomen
Marathon
10 kmmenwomen

The women's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held from 3 to 4 August 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 one length of the pool.

Sweden's Sarah Sjöström was the favourite going into the event and set a new Olympic record of 23.66 seconds in the semifinal to qualify as the top seed. In the final, Sjöström won gold, Meg Harris won silver and Zhang Yufei won bronze, finishing ahead of Gretchen Walsh by 0.01 seconds. Slovenia's Neža Klančar set new national records in her heat, semifinal and in the final, which she qualified for despite originally being seeded 23rd.

Background

[edit]

Going into the competition, three of the top four finishers at the 2020 games were not competing. SwimSwam and Swimming World opined that Sweden's Sarah Sjöström was the favourite, with her having set the world record of 23.61 at the 2023 World Swimming Championships and owning the 27 fastest times among all swimmers potentially competing in the race.[2][3] Four days before the event started, Sjöström had won the 100 metre freestyle.[4]

Qualification

[edit]
Further information: Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Qualification

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).[5] For this event, the OQT was 24.70 seconds. World Aquatics then filled the rest of the event places with 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.[5][6] In total, 24 athletes qualified through achieving the OQT, while 55 athletes qualified through universality places.[6]

Top 10 fastest qualification times[6]
Swimmer Country Time Competition
Sarah Sjöström  Sweden 00:23:61 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Katarzyna Wasick  Poland 00:23:95 2024 World Aquatics Championships
Shayna Jack  Australia 00:23:99 2024 Australian Olympic Trials
Gretchen Walsh  United States 00:24:06 2024 United States Olympic Trials
Simone Manuel  United States 00:24:13 2024 United States Olympic Trials
Zhang Yufei  China 00:24:15 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Wu Qingfeng  China 00:24:22 2024 Chinese National Championships
Meg Harris  Australia 00:24:26 2024 Australian Olympic Trials
Michelle Coleman  Sweden 00:24:43 2024 Sette Colli Trophy
Taylor Ruck  Canada 00:24:50 2024 World Aquatics Championships

Heats

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Ten heats took place on 3 August 2024, starting at 11:00.[a][7] The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advanced to the semifinals.[8] Sarah Sjöström clocked 23.85 seconds, qualifying with the fastest seed and only swim under 24 seconds. Katarzyna Wasick and Gretchen Walsh qualified with the second and third seeds, respectively. Simone Manuel from the United States, the American record holder, did not qualify for the semifinals.[9] Kenya's Maria Brunlehner and Slovenia's Neža Klančar set national records of 25.82 and 24.64 seconds, respectively.[10][11] María José Ribera from Bolivia, who had failed to qualify in 28th place, was disqualified after the International Testing Agency reported she had tested positive for furosemide, a prohibited substance.[12]

Results[7]
Rank Heat Lane Swimmer Nation Time Notes
1 10 4 Sarah Sjöström  Sweden 23.85 Q
2 9 4 Katarzyna Wasick  Poland 24.27 Q
3 10 5 Gretchen Walsh  United States 24.37 Q
4 8 4 Shayna Jack  Australia 24.38 Q
5 9 3 Meg Harris  Australia 24.50 Q
6 8 5 Zhang Yufei  China 24.54 Q
7 8 3 Michelle Coleman  Sweden 24.55 Q
8 10 3 Wu Qingfeng  China 24.57 Q
10 6 Taylor Ruck  Canada Q
10 8 6 Béryl Gastaldello  France 24.60 Q
11 8 8 Julie Kepp Jensen  Denmark 24.64 Q
9 8 Neža Klančar  Slovenia Q, NR
13 8 2 Sara Curtis  Italy 24.67 Q
14 8 7 Florine Gaspard  Belgium 24.69 Q
15 9 6 Anna Hopkin  Great Britain 24.72 Q
9 7 Valerie van Roon  Netherlands Q
17 10 7 Theodora Drakou  Greece 24.80
18 9 1 Kim Busch  Netherlands 24.87
9 5 Simone Manuel  United States
20 10 8 Kornelia Fiedkiewicz  Poland 24.94
21 8 1 Danielle Hill  Ireland 25.02
22 10 2 Melanie Henique  France 25.05
23 7 4 Jenjira Srisaard  Thailand 25.18
24 9 2 Petra Senanszky  Hungary 25.21
25 10 1 Jana Pavalic  Croatia 25.24
26 7 5 Anicka Delgado  Ecuador 25.43
27 7 2 Maria Brunlehner  Kenya 25.82 NR
28 7 3 María José Ribera  Bolivia 26.07 DQ[12]
29 7 6 Sabrina Lyn  Jamaica 26.08
30 6 7 Elizaveta Rogozhnikova  Kyrgyzstan 26.26
31 7 7 Rhanishka Gibbs  Bahamas 26.27
32 7 1 Mia Phiri  Zambia 26.49
7 8 Chloë Farro  Aruba
34 6 1 Adaku Nwandu  Nigeria 26.62
35 6 5 Mariam Sheikhalizadehkhanghah  Azerbaijan 26.76
36 6 3 Joselle Mensah  Ghana 26.81
37 6 2 Anahira McCutcheon  Fiji 26.88
38 6 4 Apsara Sakbun  Cambodia 26.90
39 6 8 Antsa Rabejaona  Madagascar 27.12
40 5 3 Jovana Kuljaca  Montenegro 27.19
41 5 7 Christina Rach  Eritrea 27.20
42 5 4 Kennice Aphenie Greene  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 27.23
43 6 6 Hana Beiqi  Kosovo 27.34
44 5 5 Georgia-Leigh Vele  Papua New Guinea 27.61
45 5 2 Ionnah Eliane Douillet  Benin 27.64
46 4 4 Noelie Annette Lacour  Gabon 27.68
47 5 6 Khema Elizabeth  Seychelles 28.18
48 5 1 Kaiya Brown  Samoa 28.31
49 5 8 Sophia Latiff  Tanzania 28.42
50 4 3 Hayley Wong  Brunei 28.52
51 4 5 Noelani Malia Day  Tonga 28.60
52 4 6 Kestra Kihleng  Federated States of Micronesia 28.81
53 4 2 Ekaterina Bordachyova  Tajikistan 28.85
54 4 8 Loane Russet  Vanuatu 28.86
55 4 7 Tayamika Chang'anamuno  Malawi 29.32
56 4 1 Aishath Ulya Shaig  Maldives 29.39
57 2 8 Maesha Saadi  Comoros 29.60
58 3 4 Lois Eliora Irishura  Burundi 29.63
59 3 3 Mayah Chouloute  Haiti 29.78
60 3 1 Jasmine Schofield  Dominica 29.91
61 3 2 Kaelyn Ciara Suryanti Djoparto  Suriname 29.99
62 2 4 Kayla Hepler  Marshall Islands 30.33
3 7 Iman Kouraogo  Burkina Faso
64 3 6 Mst Sonia Khatun  Bangladesh 30.52
3 8 Yuri Hosei  Palau
66 2 6 Grace Manuela Nguelo'O  Cameroon 30.98
67 3 5 Isabella Millar  Solomon Islands 31.32
68 2 5 Lina Alemayehu Selo  Ethiopia 31.87
69 2 3 Djenabou Jolie Bah  Guinea 31.90
70 2 1 Lidwine Umuhoza Uwase  Rwanda 32.03
71 2 7 Imelda Ximenes Belo  Timor-Leste 32.48
72 2 2 Adele Sodalo Agnes Gaitou  Togo 32.50
73 1 3 Vanessa Bobimbo  Republic of the Congo 33.01
74 1 5 Salima Ahmadou Youssoufou  Niger 33.66
75 1 4 Naima-Zahra Amison  Djibouti 33.69
76 1 6 Tracy Marine Andet  Central African Republic 34.95
77 1 2 Aichata Diabate  Mali 37.55
78 1 7 Olamide Sam  Sierra Leone 42.87
79 1 1 Divine Miansadi Mpolo  Democratic Republic of the Congo 44.10

Semifinals

[edit]

Two semifinals took place on 3 August, starting at 20:39.[13] The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advanced to the final.[14] Sjöström qualified for the finals with a time of 23.66 seconds, which broke the Olympic record by 0.15 seconds.[15][16] Walsh qualified with the second seed, and Wasick qualified with the third. Australia's two swimmers Shayna Jack and Meg Harris qualified, as did China's two swimmers Zhang Yufei and Wu Qingfeng.[17] Klančar qualified in seventh despite being initially seeded 23rd,[18] setting another new national record of 24.40 seconds and becoming the first Slovenian Olympic finalist in swimming since Sara Isakovič in 2008.[19][11][20]

Results[13]
Rank Heat Lane Swimmer Nation Time Notes
1 2 4 Sarah Sjöström  Sweden 23.66 Q, OR
2 2 5 Gretchen Walsh  United States 24.17 Q
3 1 4 Katarzyna Wasick  Poland 24.23 Q
4 1 3 Zhang Yufei  China 24.24 Q
5 1 5 Shayna Jack  Australia 24.29 Q
6 2 3 Meg Harris  Australia 24.33 Q
7 1 6 Wu Qingfeng  China 24.40 Q
1 7 Neža Klančar  Slovenia Q, NR
9 2 6 Michelle Coleman  Sweden 24.47
10 2 8 Anna Hopkin  Great Britain 24.50
11 1 2 Beryl Gastaldello  France 24.66
12 1 8 Valerie van Roon  Netherlands 24.67
13 2 2 Taylor Ruck  Canada 24.72
14 2 1 Sara Curtis  Italy 24.77
15 1 1 Florine Gaspard  Belgium 24.82
16 2 7 Julie Kepp Jensen  Denmark 24.98

Final

[edit]
External videos
video icon Womens's 50 metre freestyle final

The final took place at 18:30 on 4 August.[21] Sarah Sjöström had the fastest reaction time of 0.61 seconds but stated after the race that she dove too deep and resurfaced at around 12 metres. Gretchen Walsh had the slowest reaction time of 0.75 seconds, but her longer 15 metre underwater meant that she surfaced in first place, 0.12 seconds ahead of Sjöström and 0.30 seconds ahead of Zhang Yufei in third.[22]

Walsh held her lead until 25 metres, where she was overtaken by Sjöström, who extended her lead over most of the field until the finish. At 25 metres, Shayna Jack had overtaken Yufei, placing her in third position, while Meg Harris had the fastest split over the 15–25 metre segment which elevated her to fourth.[22]

At the 45 metre mark, Sjöström was 0.34 seconds ahead of the field. Harris had further elevated herself to second place and pushed Walsh to third, with Jack having dropped to seventh.[22] Sjöström and Harris finished in first and second, respectively.[23] Yufei was 0.06 seconds behind Walsh at the 45 metre mark, but overtook her in the last five metres to take third by 0.01 seconds.[22] Klančar set another Slovenian national record of 24.35 seconds.[11]

Results[21]
Rank Lane Swimmer Nation Time Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 Sarah Sjöström  Sweden 23.71
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 Meg Harris  Australia 23.97
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 Zhang Yufei  China 24.20
4 5 Gretchen Walsh  United States 24.21
5 3 Katarzyna Wasick  Poland 24.33
6 8 Neža Klančar  Slovenia 24.35 NR
7 1 Wu Qingfeng  China 24.37
8 2 Shayna Jack  Australia 24.39
Statistics[24]
Name Underwater distance (m) Underwater speed (m/s) 15 metre split (s) 25 metre split (s) Time (s) Stroke rate (strokes/min)
Sarah Sjöström 12.35 3.10 6.00 10.98 23.71 61.8
Meg Harris 11.22 2.99 6.27 11.20 23.97 61.9
Zhang Yufei 13.01 2.93 6.18 11.20 24.20 63.2
Gretchen Walsh 15.47 3.02 5.88 10.98 24.21 53.8
Katarzyna Wasick 9.47 3.21 6.21 11.20 24.33 60.8
Neža Klančar 15.28 2.79 6.25 11.28 24.35 55.6
Wu Qingfeng 10.74 3.07 6.31 11.32 24.37 58.6
Shayna Jack 10.61 3.08 6.19 11.14 24.39 60.4

Notes

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  1. ^ All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Burgaud, Florian (2024-07-22). "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 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  2. ^ Keith, Braden (2024-07-07). "2024 Olympic Preview: Sarah Sjostrom Is Racing for Her Legacy in the Women's 50 Free". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-07-14. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  3. ^ Lohn, John (2024-08-03). "Paris Olympics, Day 8 Prelims: In Pursuit of Sprint Double, Sarah Sjostrom Cruises to Top Seed in 50 Freestyle". Swimming World News. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  4. ^ Li, Yanyan (2024-07-31). "Sarah Sjostrom, Who Wasn't Even Going To Swim The 100 Free, Wins Olympic Gold In The Race". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  5. ^ a b "Paris 2024 – Swimming Info". World Aquatics. 5 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Entries list - Swimming, World Aquatics, archived from the original on 2024-07-12, retrieved 2024-12-18
  7. ^ a b "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  8. ^ "Olympic swimming rules: How can swimmers qualify for finals and win medals - format explained". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024-07-24. Archived from the original on 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  9. ^ Penland, Spencer (2024-08-03). "2024 Paris Olympics: Day 8 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  10. ^ Chuma, Festus (2024-08-02). "Paris 2024 Olympics: Event guide for Saturday 2 August". Pulse Sports Kenya. Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  11. ^ a b c Kaufman, Sophie (2024-08-04). "Paris 2024, Euro Recap: Kristof Milak Snaps Hungary's Streak of Near Misses For 100 Fly Gold". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-12-08. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  12. ^ a b "Olympic Games Paris 2024 – the ITA sanctions Bolivian athlete María José Ribera Pinto". ita.sport. International Testing Agency (ITA). 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-11-02. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  13. ^ a b "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  14. ^ "Olympic swimming rules: How can swimmers qualify for finals and win medals - format explained". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024-07-24. Archived from the original on 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  15. ^ "Sjostrom sets Olympic record in 50m freestyle semi". NBC News. 2024-08-03. Archived from the original on 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  16. ^ De George, Matthew (2024-08-04). "Paris Olympics, Day 9: Sarah Sjostrom Completes Sprint Double with 50 Free Gold". Swimming World News. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  17. ^ Penland, Spencer (2024-08-04). "2024 Paris Olympics: Day 8 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  18. ^ Bush, Bradley (2024-08-11). "Post-Olympic Swimming Results vs. Seed Analysis". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-09-14. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  19. ^ Kaufman, Sophie (2024-08-04). "Paris 2024, Euro Recap: French Medley Relays Give Home Crowd Parting Gift Of National Records". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  20. ^ "Še en rekord in finale: Neža Klančar kot prva Slovenka po srebrni Sari Isaković" [Another record and the final: Neža Klančar as the first Slovenian after silver medalist Sara Isaković]. Ekipa (in Slovenian). 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  21. ^ a b "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  22. ^ a b c d Altavilla, Sofia (2024-09-20). "High Stroke Rate And Consistency Led Sarah Sjostrom To Olympic Gold In 50 Free". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 2024-10-07. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  23. ^ Wade, Stephen (2024-08-04). "Sarah Sjöström sprints to second gold medal in Paris Olympics with dominant win in 50-freestyle". apnews.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  24. ^ 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 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
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