2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
Braden Keith, James Sutherland, Retta Race, Mark Wild, Yanyan Li, and Laura Rosado contributed to this report.
It’s the second that we’ve all been ready for pool swimming begins tomorrow on the 2024 Paris Olympics. As we’ve carried out for different main meets, many SwimSwam writers debated who will medal in every particular person occasion and listed them within the tables under.
Ladies
There are six particular person occasions on the ladies’s facet the place there’s consensus amongst all eight writers about who will win gold. These occasions are the 50 free (Sarah Sjostrom), 400 free (Ariarne Titmus), 800 free (Katie Ledecky), 1500 free (Ledecky), 200 again (Kaylee McKeown), 200 fly (Summer time McIntosh), and 400 IM (McIntosh).
The 200 fly is the one occasion the place the consensus decide shouldn’t be the world file. However the 17-year-old McIntosh is a two-time world champion and the present world junior file holder (2:04.06).
Whereas there’s common settlement that McKeown will defend her Olympic gold medal within the 200 backstroke, writers are cut up on whether or not she’ll decide up gold within the 100 again and 200 IM. Nearly all of writers picked Regan Smith to win her first particular person Olympic gold within the 100 backstroke. James defined his reasoning for choosing Smith: “Any nerves Smith used to have seem to be they’re gone and she or he’s reached a brand new degree,” referring to her 57.13 world file on the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Everybody’s hoping to see the 200 IM showdown that we’ve been ready years for in Paris. The occasion’s depth is mirrored in our picks; every of the favorites received not less than one vote for gold. McKeown received probably the most with 4 votes, adopted by Kate Douglass with two. McIntosh and Alex Walsh each received one.
James, who picked McIntosh reasoned that “McIntosh successful won’t be a preferred opinion, however she’s proven she will be able to cut up equally to McKeown on backstroke and has the most effective closing freestyle of anybody. Her breaststroke was a lot improved within the 400 IM at Canadian Trials, which ought to preserve her shut sufficient to pounce on free. Her heavy schedule is the one concern.”
Laura can also be eager about load administration for her medal picks within the occasion. “Walsh would be the freshest. McIntosh has the heaviest program, which is the one purpose I’m selecting her to complete off the rostrum,” she stated.
Different shocking picks embrace Retta and James selecting Erika Fairweather to get bronze within the 400 freestyle. Each picked Ledecky because the swimmer of the massive three (Titmus, McIntosh, and Ledecky) to overlook the medals. Retta can also be the lone vote for Mollie O’Callaghan to win 200 free gold and upset Titmus.
Lastly, whereas everybody agrees an American lady will win the 100 butterfly, a majority of us picked Torri Huske to win forward of Gretchen Walsh, the brand new world file holder.
Males
There’s a lot much less consensus on the lads’s occasions. There are solely three occasions the place each author agrees; all agree that David Popovici will win the 200 free and that Leon Marchand will sweep the IMs. Bobby Finke earned seven votes within the 1500 free, however there’s one vote for Daniel Wiffen for gold as Retta’s picked the Irishman to brush the gap races in Paris.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the lads’s 100 freestyle the place there’s probably the most disagreement about who will win gold. It’s the occasion with probably the most swimmers picked for gold throughout each the ladies’s and males’s occasions with 5. Three writers picked Popovici for 100 gold and due to this fact to brush the 100/200.
However Braden’s gone for Jack Alexy, Laura’s using with Kyle Chalmers, Yanyan’s picked Maxime Grousset, whereas Sophie and Retta selected Pan Zhanle for gold. On her selection, Yanyan stated “That is my scorching take of the meet. Within the 100 free, it’s in regards to the race greater than the time. Grousset has been so constant these previous few years, and that is his dwelling Olympics. I feel he has what it takes.”
Caeleb Dressel, Kristof Milak, and Adam Peaty are all defending Tokyo Olympic champions who’ve taken a break from the game for the reason that 2021 Olympics. A minimum of one particular person has picked them to win gold in every of their occasions. Laura’s the one author who picked Dressel to win gold within the 50 freestyle, however 5 writers picked him to conquer the stacked 100-fly subject.
The 100 butterfly carefully follows the 100 freestyle with 4 completely different winners picks. Along with Dressel, Grousset, Milak, and Josh Liendo received gold-medal votes. Even when the author doesn’t have Dressel successful, they nonetheless have him making the rostrum within the occasion.
Together with the one vote for Milak within the 100 fly, three writers have picked him to defend his title within the 200 fly. He’s not the preferred decide in that occasion although, as Marchand earned 4 votes for gold. 5 writers picked Peaty to finish the three-peat, whereas three went with the 2023 world champion, Qin Haiyang, for gold.