No miracle for Oumy Diop in the 100m butterfly at the 2024 Olympics. The swimmer was eliminated in the heats in Paris on Saturday, July 27 at the Arena La Défense. But the Senegalese is satisfied with her time and is enjoying this extraordinary event.
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From our special correspondent at La Défense Arena,
The day after a exceptional opening ceremonyhailed throughout the world, JO 2024 resumed this Saturday, July 27 with the start of the swimming events. A discipline in high demand for these Paris Games; from 9 a.m., an impressive crowd was pressing around the Arena La Défense. The queue extended all the way to the forecourt, more than 700m long. And this is only for the series!
The star of the morning was the American Katie Ledeckyeagerly awaited by all in view of a 400m freestyle that promises to be a final in the evening, with the Australian Ariarne Timus and the Canadian Summer McIntosh, the two other rockets. But on Saturday morning, it was on Oumy Diop and seven other swimmers that eyes were fixed first. The swimmer and her competitors opened the day’s ball with the first series of the 100m butterfly.
The Senegalese gave it her all, but there is still a significant gap between her best and the minimum required to enter the 16 semi-finalists. Oumy Diop completed her 100m in 1’01”82, where the last qualifier, New Zealand’s Vanessa Ouwehand, swam in 58”03. There is still a way to go to hope to tickle the cream of the pools.
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” The Games are something incredible »
It was a smiling Oumy Diop that we found when she came out of the water. Happy and not unhappy with her performance: ” I felt really good. It’s been a long time since I swam at 1’01. I almost reached my record but hey, it doesn’t matter. I’m still happy with my race, it’s still the Games and it’s something incredible. »
The 20-year-old won’t go any further in these Olympics, but that doesn’t seem to be that important. The atmosphere and the event make her happy. Almost everything is filled, it was super hard to stay focused on myself ” she laughs. ” These are my first Games and I really enjoyed my race because… it’s the Olympic Games, you know! It was my dream ” she adds.
Amazed by these Olympic Games, Oumy Diop will now concentrate on her role as a supporter. She already has the calendar in mind: ” On July 30, we’re going to see Matthieu, I’ll be there to encourage him obviously. » Matthieu Seye is, in fact, the only other representative of Senegal in swimming, qualified for the series of the 100m freestyle.
Oumy Diop will also not fail to encourage her ” comrades of the Senegal team “The Senegalese delegation in Paris is made up of 11 athletes (athletics, canoe-kayak slalom, canoe-kayak sprint, fencing, judo, taekwondo, table tennis and therefore swimming). With perhaps, among them, the country’s second Olympic medal, 36 years after Amadou Dia Ba in athletics at the Seoul Games.
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To consultJO 2024 program and calendar