American Simone Manuel and Canada’s Penny Oleksiak have tied for gold in the final of the women’s 100m freestyle Thursday evening at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, while Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström settles for bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Manuel Starts Strong, Ends Even Stronger; Oleksiak Soars From 7th to Gold in Final 50m
With a great deal of anticipation surrounding this race, it was the World Record holder who qualified with the fastest time, Australia’s Cate Campbell, who was the quickest out of the blocks, easily distinguishing herself from the rest of the pack. At the halfway mark, the Australian led her sister Bronte, who sat in second place, by just over one-quarter of a second, heading into the final leg of the race. In lane three, American Simone Manuel trailed not far behind by the same margin, as she was closing in on another Olympic medal, having won silver with the United States in the women’s 4x100m relay.
Campbell, who had been one-fourth of the Australian team who held off the United States in the 4x100m relay, looked to be well on her way in pursuit of a second Olympic gold medal in as many days. However, the 24-year-old was beginning to fade slowly as the remainder of the field began to make up for lost ground. Taking full advantage, it was American Simone Manuel who took the lead in the final 20m of the race, with the Campbell sisters, Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström and defending Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo all breathing down her neck.
However, it was at this time that Canada’s Penny Oleksiak chose to make her move. Known as “the closer” for her incredible closing speed in all her races at this year’s Olympic Games, the Canadian was certainly living up to her nickname. Showing off her incredible closing speed in the latter stages of the 100m freestyle, Oleksiak was making up for a slow start, in which she placed seventh at the turn, chasing every swimmer down one-by-one. With the majority of the field neck-and-neck heading into the home stretch, who was going to take home the gold?
Once the first swimmers had completed the race, the announcers themselves were briefly confused as due to a graphic miscommunication. An “OR,” signifying a new Olympic Record, appeared next to Manuel’s name, while a “1” appeared next to Oleksiak’s. Only then did everyone watching come to the realization that the 20 and 16-year-old had both won their first individual Olympic gold medal in the women’s 100m freestyle, clocking in at 52.70, with Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström finishing nine one-hundredths of a second later to claim the bronze. Defending Olympic champion Kromowidjojo finished fifth overall, while the World Record holder in this category, Cate Campbell, finished a disappointing sixth.
