SportsOlympics

Actions

Swimming Day 7 roundup: First swimming world record falls

Posted at 7:03 PM, Jul 29, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-30 00:08:08-04

Day 7 of swimming action at in Tokyo delivered several Olympic record performances, including the first individual world record of the Tokyo Games.

Caeleb DresselLilly KingRyan Murphy and Michael Andrew all swam bigtime events, but it was a South African who stole the show.

Relive every event final from Day 7 at the Tokyo Aquatics Center below.

 

Men's 100m Butterfly, Semifinals

RESULT

Caeleb Dressel became the first man to break 50 seconds in the 100m butterfly at the Olympic Games Friday, winning the event's second semifinal in 49.71.

It's the third-fastest time in history. Only Dressel himself has gone quicker. His world record, set at the 2019 World Championships, stands at 49.50.

Hungary's Kristof Milak, the 200m butterfly gold medalist, raced in the first semifinal and went, 50.31. For a matter of minutes, that time stood as an Olympic record.

Milak is considered the only swimmer with a chance at potentially spoiling things for Dressel, the heavy favorite.

SEE MORE: Caeleb Dressel goes sub-50 in 100 fly for Olympic record

Women's 200m Breaststroke, Final

RESULT

South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker captured the first individual swimming world record of the Tokyo Olympics, breaking the eight-year-old mark of 2:19.11 in Friday's final to win the gold medal.

Her time of 2:18.95 unseats Denmark's Rikke Moller Pedersen, who held the record since the 2013 World Championships.

Both American swimmers in the event, Lilly King and Annie Lazor, rounded out he podium.

SEE MORE: Schoenmaker breaks 200m breaststroke WR; King, Lazor go 2-3

Men's 200m Backstroke, Final

RESULT

American Ryan Murphy won another Olympic medal, a silver, as gold went to Russian athlete Evgeniy Rylov.

Rylov is now a two-time gold medalist in Tokyo, after also winning the 100m backstroke. 

He finished in 1:53.27, nearly a second ahead of Murphy.

Great Britain's Luke Greenbank took the bronze as American Bryce Mefford finished just outside the podium places in fourth.

SEE MORE: ROC's Rylov beats Ryan Murphy for 200m backstroke gold

Women's 100m Freestyle, Final

RESULT

Australian Emma McKeon lowered the Olympic record to 51.96 in a gold medal-winning effort, ahead of Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey and fellow Aussie Cate Campbell.

Canada's Penny Oleksiak, co-champion at the Rio 2016 Olympics with Simone Manuel, finished outside the medals in fourth.

Manuel did not qualify for the event. The lone American in the final, Abbey Weitzeil, finished eighth in 53.23.

SEE MORE: McKeon leads end-to-end, sets new Olympic record in 100 free

Men's 200m IM, Final

RESULT

As expected, American Michael Andrew was in the lead by more than a second after 150 meters. Could he hold on in the freestyle, his weakest stroke?

Not quite. Not even for a medal.

Andrew finished fifth as China's Wang Shun took gold in 1:55 flat.

Great Britain's Duncan Scott and Swiss swimmer Jeremy Desplanches rounded out the podium, with Japan's Seto Daiya, one of the favorites coming into his home Olympics, touched fourth.

SEE MORE: Wang Shun takes 200m IM title, Michael Andrew fifth

Women's 200m Backstroke, Semifinals

RESULT

All five of the top contenders advanced to what should be a nail-biting final.

Australia's Emily Seebohm touched first in the first semifinal as American's Phoebe Bacon and Rhyan White both advanced as well.

In the second heat, Canada's Kylie Masse edged out favorite Kaylee McKeown as both swimmers advanced.