Paris
CNN
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The first week of the Olympic Games and with it comes one of the hallmarks of the Games: Swimming.
The pool has been the setting for some of the Games’ most legendary moments over the years and 2024 looks set to be no different. Several key swimmers are looking to finish on the podium one last time in what could be their final Olympics, while others want to play spoiler.
Here are five things to watch from this year’s Paris swimming competition.
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Team USA’s Katie Ledecky competes in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Heats on day one of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France.
The 10-time Olympian aims to cement her legacy as one of the greatest American swimmers of all time in Paris.
Ledecky began her Olympics with a bronze medal in Saturday’s 400-meter freestyle.
He will also compete in the 800m and 1,500m in the coming days. He has won gold in the 800 three times and gold in the 1,500 twice – and has not been beaten in those events at any of the Olympics he has competed in.
The results in Tokyo showed that the rest of the world can catch up to the American star, at least in the 800m, and Saturday’s swim confirmed those results.
Although the 400 meters is not Ledecky’s best race, she finished ahead of Ariarne Titmus in a semifinal race. American hopes soared as anticipation built at La Défense Arena.
But the match wasn’t really much of a contest. Titmus ended Ledecky’s hopes of revenge, dominating the race and finishing nearly a full second ahead of Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who took silver. Ledecky finished a distant third, about three seconds off the pace.
Consequences of the Chinese doping scandal
They are Chinese swimmers under a sharp microscope in Paris, fair or unfair.
Since the New York Times reported in April that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the same banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and were allowed to compete in the 2021 games, resentment and frustration have been simmering. Eleven of these Chinese swimmers are going to compete again in Paris, and many of their opponents are preparing to go against them with a sense of bitter resignation.
Rob Koehler, director of international sports advocacy group Global Athlete, told CNN they are already anticipating the worst.
“If any of these 11 Chinese swimmers hit the podium,” he told CNN last week, “they’re going to miss it for sure.”
Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Trimetazidine at a national meet several months before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) said the concentration was “extremely low”. CHINA ruled that the swimmers were not responsible for the results because the drug had been accidentally ingested through some contaminated food.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was informed of the test results a month before the 2021 Games and accepted CHINADA’s conclusion because, according to WADA President Witold Bańka, they found “no credible way to disprove the theory contamination that was accepted. from CHINA.”
The US government is investigating the case and it is likely that any Chinese swimmer who wins in Paris will be scrutinized by the media, fans and fellow swimmers as questions swirl about whether the games are truly clean.
American swimmer Caeleb Dressel told reporters last week that he didn’t feel like he was competing on a level playing field.
“No it’s not really. I don’t think they gave us enough evidence to support them (World Aquatics) on how this case was handled,” Dressel said.
The heat is on the rivalry between two of swimming’s greatest nations.
Controversial comments in 2023 by Australian swimmer Kate Campbell – who will not be in Paris after failing to qualify – were given fresh air by US legend Michael Phelps in a viral video filmed by NBC last month. Phelps was reacting to a video from Campbell saying that it was always sweeter to win when he beat the USA.
“It’s a lot sweeter to beat America,” Campbell told an Australian news station.
“When we’re next to each other in the warm-up areas, the U.S. has that one hell of a ringing cowbell. And as someone leaves to go into the competition pool, everyone goes “USA! USA!’ and I never wanted to hit somebody else,” he added.
Phelps said in the video that he would have regretted saying that if he was on the US team, naming former rivals Ian Thorpe of Australia and Chad le Clos of South Africa as examples of people who tried to get in. his head.
“You’ve all been talking about me and I had the last laugh. For the Americans, if you saw what I just saw … I would watch this thing every day to give me that little extra push,” Phelps said.
The back-and-forth will take on new life as Australian and American swimmers take to the pool and compete for the most medals. Australia’s women outscored the Americans with eight gold medals in Tokyo and will look to repeat the feat this time around.
The tone was set early when Ledecky and Titmus faced off in the 400m freestyle and Titmus easily beat her American rival. In fact, the Australians scored a medal in all four medal events on Saturday night – two gold and two silver – to the Americans’ three. But in the final race of the night, the US men’s 4X100 freestyle team regained momentum to win Team USA’s first gold of the Olympics.
However, despite Phelps’ urging, the competition is mostly friendly.
Bronte Campbell, swimming on Australia’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, told reporters: “I really respect our American competitors. I have known many of them for many years. I enjoyed racing them and I can’t wait to do it again.”
Leon Marchand carries French hopes into the pool
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Leon Marchand of Team France trains during a swim training ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena on July 24, 2024 in Paris, France.
Seen as a potential successor to Phelps, Marchand is likely to be one of the key figures for the host nation.
Marchand, who broke Phelps’ last world record in the 400m individual medley, will swim in four events in Paris. He is probably the French team’s best hope for gold in the pool and will be cheered loudly by his supporters who are dying to hear “La Marseillaise” play with him on the podium.
It has been 12 years since the French won a medal in swimming.
The 22-year-old is again this year the favorite in the 400m individual medley and is also expected to compete closely in the 200m individual medley, 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.
Dressel – the top American swimmer again at these Olympics – is using his experience as a new father to carry him through his slightly limited Olympics.
Having already won seven gold medals in his Olympic career, Dressel will compete in fewer events at these Games. She will focus on the 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle and has already won gold as part of the 4x100m relay team.
Dressel has won gold in every Olympic event he has competed in so far in his career. It’s a record Sterling will look to maintain as he aims for double-digit gold medals during his three Olympics.
He told reporters last week that his son, August, is now his inspiration.
“I can’t imagine my life before August was here, so yeah, it’s very, very different. Pretty much all I have time for is him and swimming, but I don’t want to do anything else,” Dressel said.
“It’s super different with a whole new routine, a lot more challenges that come with it, earlier bedtimes for myself, more naps, so camp was great to get some sleep.”
After his win Saturday, Dressel said doing it in front of his family made it all the sweeter.
“It’s really special, making the team in front of them and then winning the gold in front of them, just checking little boxes that I never would have thought of creating in my entire career,” he told reporters. “So this was a really, really special event tonight.”
