Australian swimmer Jack McLoughlin has won the silver medal in the men’s 400m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.
McLoughlin, a 26-year-old from Brisbane, produced a power-packed swim but was overwhelmed in the final metre by Tunisian teen Ahmed Hafnaoui in lane eight.
McLoughlin’s compatriot Elijah Winnington finished seventh in Sunday’s final at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre.
McLoughlin’s silver follows compatriot Mack Horton’s gold in the race at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Winnington and McLoughlin both earnt selection at June’s trials by tipping out defending champion Horton.
Horton’s absence, and that of drug-tainted Chinese swimmer Sun Yang, opened up the 400m title in Tokyo to an emerging batch.
And McLoughlin was on target for victory, leading by 0.31 seconds with just 50m to swim.
But Tunisia’s Hafnaoui charged to victory with a flying last 50m, winning by just 0.16 seconds from the Australian.
McLoughlin, a structural engineering student, made his Olympic debut in the 1500m freestyle in Rio and finished sixth at the 2019 world titles – he’s also a medal chance over that distance in Tokyo.
Gold Coast’s Winnington has long been touted as a potential Olympic medallist – he won 26 national age championships as a junior.
But the 21-year-old failed to fire in the final, lagging nearly two seconds behind the winner.
AAP
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