The 2024 Paris Olympics have been challenging year for the U.S. men’s swimming team.
While the women’s team cherished individual gold medals from Katie Ledecky and Kate Douglass, the men’s side faced a different reality.
Despite a listing led by stars like Caeleb Dressel and Bobby Finke, the team struggled to claim the top position on the podium in individual events, managing to do so only in the final event on Sunday.
Out of the 14 individual men’s swimming events at the Paris Olympics, the U.S. went 0-for-13 until Bobby Finke’s record-breaking win in the 1500m freestyle on Sunday in Paris.
Although the team did not get gold until the last moment, there were still notable achievements. Bobby Finke got a silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle, while Nic Fink earned silver in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Carson Foster secured bronze in the 400-meter individual medley, Luke Hobson did the same in the 200-meter freestyle, and Ryan Murphy claimed a bronze in the 100-meter backstroke.
At the start in the Olympics, the 4*100-meter freestyle relay team managed to win gold, and the 4*100-medley relay team had another chance for gold on Sunday.
But the U.S. is accustomed to winning individual gold, so the near end of a 120-year gold medal streak was definitive concern. In this article we will get to know about the number of the USA men swimming medals.
The Moment When the U.S. Last Missed an Olympic Men’s Individual Swimming Gold
The last time the U.S. lost the opportunity to win an individual men’s swimming gold at the Olympics was 124 years ago, in 1900. Ironically, those games were also held in Paris, marking the first of three Olympic Games hosted by the French Capital.
In the year 1900, the U.S. has won at least one individual men’s swimming gold in every Olympics, except for the 1980 Moscow Games, which the country boycotted.
Results of 2024 Paris Olympics Men’s Swimming
Despite the rocky performance, the U.S. men’s swimming team did not leave the Olympics without individual medals. But the struggled to get gold until Finke’s victory in the 1500m freestyle.
Much of the team’s difficulties originated from Caeleb Dressel’s disappointing performance. The eight-time Olympic gold medalist has failed to defend his titles in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly, finishing sixth in the former and failing to qualify for the finals in the latter.
Dressel was not the only swimmer who fell short of defending an Olympic medal. Bobby Finke, who won gold in both the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events in Tokyo, was defeated by Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen in the 800-meter event.
Wiffen was the favourite for the 1500-meter race as well, but Finke managed to outspace him, claiming the gold and preserving the U.S.’s longstanding streak.
In the 400-meter individual medley, Tokyo gold medalist Chase Kalisz was not able to make it to the finals, while Carson Foster took bronze as France’s Leon Marchand captured gold in the event.
Let’s go through the USA’s performance in each of the individual men’s swimming events:
- Swimming Event – Best USA Finish
- 50m freestyle – 6th (Caeleb Dressel)
- 100m freestyle – 7th (Jack Alexy)
- 200m freestyle – Bronze (Luke Hobson)
- 400m freestyle – 8th (Aaron Shackell)
- 800m freestyle – Silver (Bobby Finke)
- 1500m freestyle – Gold (Bobby Finke)
- 100m backstroke – Bronze (Ryan Murphy)
- 200m backstroke – 5th (Keaton Jones)
- 100m breaststroke – Silver (Nic Fink)
- 200m breaststroke – 7th (Josh Matheny)
- 100m butterfly – 13th in Semifinals (Caeleb Dressel)
- 200m butterfly – 10th in Semifinals (Thomas Heilman)
- 200m individual medley – 4th (Carson Foster)
- 400m individual medley – Bronze (Carson Foster)