Harvey advances to women’s 200m freestyle final on Day 2 of swimming at Paris 2024
Team Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey will swim for a medal in the women’s 200m freestyle at Paris 2024.
With a strong final 100m, Harvey secured the last spot in Monday’s final by finishing with the eighth best time in Sunday’s semifinals at Paris La Défense Arena. With a time of 1:56.37, Harvey edged American Erin Gemmell by .09 seconds to qualify.
The final will be held Monday at 3:41 p.m. EST. The field includes Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, the world record holder in the event.
Harvey easily advanced to the semifinals after finishing second overall in the morning heats. Harvey had a strong final 100m and finished first in her heat – ahead of Titmus – with a time of 1:56.21.
Canada’s Maggie Mac Neil was also in action on Sunday evening in Paris, attempting to become the first woman to successfully defend the 100m butterfly Olympic title. It wasn’t meant to be for Mac Neil, who finished fifth in the final with a time of 56.44. Americans Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh won the gold and silver, respectively, followed by China’s Zhang Yufei who took the bronze.
“It’s really hard to stay in your own lane but I tried to,” Mac Neil told CBC after the race. “I guess I went out a little bit too fast but I can’t complain with fifth in the world. I’ve been trying to tell myself all year that I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. I’m still really happy with that at my second Olympics.”
Mac Neil earned a spot in the final by placing in a tie for fourth in Saturday’s semifinals with a time of 56.55. Walsh, the world record holder in the event, finished in top spot.
Competing in his first Olympic Games, Blake Tierney was the only other Canadian swimming Sunday evening as he took part in the 100m backstroke semifinals, where he placed eighth in his heat with a time of 53.71. He did not qualify for the final.
The 22-year-old grabbed one of the final spots in the semifinals after finishing the morning heats with a time of 53.89.
Javier Acevedo, competing in his third Olympic Games, also raced in the morning heats of the men’s 100m backstroke but, with a time of 54.19, did not qualify for the semifinals.
Speaking with CBC’s Devon Heroux after the race, Acevedo noted the difficulty of racing the morning after competing in Saturday night’s relay, a factor that many swimmers dealt with on Day 2. Still, the Canadian was pleased with his performance.
“It feels good,” said Acevedo. “I got another Olympic swim. I’m happy with it. Like I told you yesterday, enjoy the moment. That’s all you can do.”
Sophie Angus just missed qualifying for the semifinals of the women’s 100m breaststroke, finishing her morning heat with a time of 1:06.93 to place her 18th. The top 16 advanced.
“The crowd is incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever swam in front of this many people with that amount of noise,” Angus told CBC after the race. “The whole goal was just getting here. I think I have a lot more I could have done in that race but, again, it’s a morning of the Olympics with a little bit of stress and pressure with that. Finishing 18th, I’m pretty happy with.”
Tristan Jankovics, meanwhile, missed qualifying for the men’s 400m individual medley final, placing 16th in the heats with a time of 4:18.23. The top eight moved on to the final.
Swimming pool events at Paris 2024 continue daily until August 4 (Day 9).
