The stage is set for arguably the most anticipated event of the Olympic Games swimming schedule: the men’s 100-metre freestyle final, in what’s set to be a race for the ages.
In Lane 3 we have Australian Cameron McEvoy, who is vowing to finally break the long-awaited gold medal drought for Australia in this event.
Alongside him is defending Olympic champion Nathan Adrian, the man who destroyed James Magnussen’s hopes at the London games four years ago.
The build-up for this showdown began well before the heats, when McEvoy made his initial statement at the Australian championships earlier this year, blowing up the field with a time of 47.04 – the fastest time ever in a textile swimsuit.
McEvoy simultaneously made his claim as Australia’s best hope since Eamon Sullivan and Magnussen, who both came up agonisingly short in the 2008 and 2012 finals respectively.
The Men’s 4×100 freestyle relay kicked off the clash in Rio, with Adrian swimming a 46.97 split contributing to a gold for the USA.
On the other hand, McEvoy anchored the Australians to a bronze medal with an impressive 47.00 split, to further add to the drama and warm-up the excitement for this event.
It’s bringing back shades of Sullivan versus Alain Bernard rivalry from 2008.
Sullivan broke the world record straight off the bat in the first leg of the relay at Beijing, with a time of 47.24.
Bernard answered back with 47.20 in the semi-finals, before Sullivan pulled through with 47.05 in the next semi, all to set up a cut throat main event final, in which Bernard narrowly took the chocolates.
These heats saw McEvoy swimming a safe 48.12 to cement his spot in the semi-finals.
Adrian then didn’t leave any room to spare, qualifying for the semi-finals by just 0.03, in 16th position, at 48.58.
But it was all guns blazing for Adrian in the semi-finals. Out in Lane 8, Adrian touched in at a time of 47.83, to McEvoy’s 47.93, the American qualifying fastest for the final and setting up a clutch-time climax for Thursday’s main event.
Meanwhile, Kyle Chalmers is not to be forgotten. The 18-year-old swam a superb leg in the relay earlier this week, and also broke his own junior world record in the semi-finals, with 47.88.
A faster start in the final will be the key for the strong-finishing Australian.
As the final rolls around at 12:03pm (AEST), the pressure is on for the main event showdown at Rio’s Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
I can’t wait.
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