100 meter freestyle was really just an extra distance. An extra distance that won Olympic gold.
But the distance she invested basically all of her money on before the Olympics in Paris was the 50-meter freestyle – there she would only win gold.
Olympics in Paris 2024
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Superior in the semi-finals
And now that mission is complete.
– Magical! I never thought I would win two golds in my fifth Olympics. It feels completely unreal. It’s a challenge to go in as favourite, but I had a very good race and won, so it’s really cool, she tells Max.
Already in yesterday’s semi-final, she showed where things were going, when she swam in a time of 23.66 – a new Olympic record by 15 hundredths and the third fastest time of all time at the distance, and a whopping 51 hundredths faster than the second fastest female competitor.
In the lead after 15 meters
Tonight’s final was a similar story, but she was a little more challenged tonight.
She took the lead after about 15 meters, and then never let it go.
Chinese bronze
She finished in a time of 23.71 – and was therefore 26 hundredths ahead of Australian runner-up Meg Harris.
But the race was not quite optimal, she explains in Max.
– Today I made some serious mistakes at the beginning of the race, but still manage to make it. It shows that I can live at my lowest level, she says.
The bronze went to Yufei Zhang, China, in a time of 24.20.