Australian swimmers Kyle Chalmers and Zac Stubblety-Cook have won silver medals in freestyle and breaststroke at the Paris Olympics.
China’s Pan Zhanle set a world record to win the men’s 100m freestyle, clocking 46.40 seconds, with Chalmers posting 47.48 in Wednesday night’s final.
@wideworldofsports 🚨 NEW WORLD RECORD! 🚨 Pan Zhanle SMASHES his own World Record in the 100m freestyle – with King Kyle claiming silver. 🥈 🖥️ #Olympics #Paris2024 | Live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. #9WWOS ♬ original sound – Wide World of Sports
Chalmers won gold in the event at the 2016 Rio Games and silver three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics.
Stubblety-Cook took silver in the men’s 200m breaststroke behind French megastar Leon Marchand.
The Paris-born Marchand collected two golds within an hour on Wednesday after earlier saluting in the 200m butterfly – he now has three golds at the Games.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan says she has to “suck it up” after missing the medals in the 100m freestyle final.
O”Callaghan finished fourth and compatriot Shayna Jack fifth on Wednesday night.
“I expected a lot more,” O’Callaghan said.
“But at the end of the day you’ve got to suck it up and wait another four years.”
O’Callaghan entered the medal race as favourite and bidding to become just the third woman to complete a 100-200m freestyle golden double at the same Olympics.
But Swedish great Sarah Sjostrom trumped the field, winning in 52.16 seconds. The 30-year-old world record holder is racing at her fifth Olympics.
O’Callaghan (52.34) and Jack (52.72) failed to make ground on the last lap after turning in their finishing positions.
O’Callaghan beat teammate Ariarne Titmus for the 200m freestyle gold medal and also featured in Australia’s victorious 4x100m freestyle relay team at the Paris pool.
But the 20-year-old admitted suffering anxiety leading into the 100m final.
“I was really nervous heading into this, didn’t have a lot of sleep over the past few days,” she said.
“I tried really hard to manage myself and get up for this but I knew 100 free was going to be hard because it’s a lot about speed and that’s something I really lack in.
“I knew it was going to be at tough race … if you stuff something up, it costs you.”
Jack, also a part of Australia’s triumphant 4x100m freestyle relay team on Saturday night, missed the Tokyo Games three years ago after serving a two-year doping ban.
“I wanted to walk out, soak up the crowd and enjoy my family being in the stands,” Jack said.
“I tried to reflect but absorb the fact I’m here as an Olympian. A couple of years ago I never thought that would be possible.”
