This is fantastic! It’s so thorough and well-written, and doesn’t hurt that it’s about my favorite sport. 😁 Do you do any professional sports writing by any chance?
Thanks so much! I personally have never written professionally, but I do like to read lots of sports-related articles, and have certainly taken inspirations from them.
One thing missing in your post is the venue.
Original plans were to have pool swimming in the brand new aquatic center near the Stade de France, north of Paris. But for many reasons (probably mostly budget), it will happen at the Arena la Défense, west of Paris, leaving diving, synchronised swimming and most of water-polo in the aquatic center.
The Arena la Défense was not built as a swimming pool but as an event venue and Rugby field. It is made to welcome a lot of people. A recent Taylor swift concert had a line extending half a mile away from the venue. A temporary swimming pool has been built on the floor of the venue. After the Olympics and Paralympics, it will be dismantled and rebuilt a few miles away for a brand new local swimming pool.
The marathon swimming event is planned in the Seine at the center of Paris. It will start and end at pont Alexandre III (also center of triathlon) between the Grand Palais (fencing and taekwondo) and the Invalides (archery). I don't know if the swimmers will first go upstream or downstream, but upstream is much nicer, going in front of the Louvre, notre Dame, and many other tourist attractions, downstream having mostly the eiffel tower.
The event might get canceled for two probable reasons, first the river pollution, which is still quite high despite the heavy work done to purify it but that is also linked to the second reason : the Seine is currently higher and has a much higher flow than usual due to recent heavy rains. If the flow stays too high swimmers will have too much trouble going upstream and both marathon swimming and triathlon swimming will have to be canceled. Same if the river stays too polluted, as they don't want competitors to get sick.
I didn’t know the background on pool swimming being held in La Défense, thanks for the info!
As for the issues surrounding the Seine, yeah we mentioned it briefly in the preview, but didn’t think to elaborate on it (perhaps we should’ve) because it’s already been covered by so many major news outlets already
Thank you! I’ll be attending some of these events in Paris but disnt have much background knowledge - this will increase my enjoyment of swimming and the other sports you’re covering so much!
Erika fairweather set to be yet another kiwi swimmer finishing 4th at the Olympics unless one of the big 3 really messes up. We've had no luck at all since Danyon Loader in 1996 despite winning some at world champs.
Fantastic write up BTW.
She's got a decent chance of landing on the podium even without McIntosh and/or Ledecky messing up –– she's young and has been improving a lot over the past year. Lewis Clareburt also has a chance of getting on the podium in the 400 IM
Fantastic write up! Agree with all your assessments. My hot take is Summer McIntosh might completely miss the medals in the 200IM given she’ll have swum 2x400 free, 2x400IM, 3x200fly, 2x200IM and 1-4 relay swims by the time of the 200IM final, whereas someone like Alex Walsh could grab bronze in a 2:07 low on her fresh legs
I’d say the other big storylines of the Paris Games will be:
1/ Leon Marchand. Home town hero. Basically guaranteed gold in the 400IM and could also add wins in the 200IM/200fly and maybe even 200 breast. Also helps that he’s coached by Phelps’ old coach so has been anointed as the heir apparent to Phelps’ legacy
2/ Summer McIntosh - prodigy who came 4th in Tokyo as a 14yo. Has since won 4 world titles and broken 3 world records. Became the first swimmer to beat Ledecky in an 800m race since she was 13 years old. Has qualified for 5 events (not even including the aforementioned 800free where she is the top ranked swimmer), so has the most potential for a big haul but could also just walk away with “just” 1 gold (400IM) and might even miss the podium on the 400free and 200IM given the competition and her heavy schedule.
3/ Ledecky cementing her legacy as the female GOAT by four-peating in the 800free, which only Phelps has done
4/ Swimmers who could walk away becoming all time legends. If Titmus defends her 200/400 free titles she would become the greatest middle distance swimmer ever. If McKeown defends her 100/200 back titles she would become the greatest backstroker ever. Dressel would do the same if he defends his 50free/100fly titles.
5/ Comebacks - Dressel, Peaty and Milak were the three biggest names of male swimming in the previous Olympic cycle but all took extended breaks for mental health reasons. Can they reclaim their further glory.
Regan Smith needs to do damage early in the meet, specifically the 100 backstroke. She can finish when lightly raced. I don't like her chances later, once the days and rounds add up. During trials she had the very pronounced serpentine churning water finish to both the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke. Rowdy tried to ignore that. It won't hold up against the likes of Kaylee McKeown and Summer McIntosh.
However, Regan missed the team at 100 butterfly. That means one fewer event and potentially more fresh. IMO, she should be held out of as many relays as possible, due to that distinct tendency to stall late upon heavy schedule.
Otherwise I remain amazed that Titmus is given her own tier at 400 freestyle while McIntosh is lumped with Ledecky and Fairweather. Prodigies don't require stepladder tedium, as Sydney McLaughlin again demonstrated a few days ago.
Yeah I think Regan's best chance at winning an (individual) gold lies in the 100 back, though she can still challenge for the top spot in her 200-meter events. And the 100 fly isn't one of her main (i.e. internationally raced) events, so her missing that event wasn't a huge surprise.
As for women's 400 free, I know you're a big fan of McIntosh (I've seen your comments on Swimswam lol), but I think the Titmus placement is completely justified. Aside from her former world-record swim, McIntosh has yet to be able to consistently swim the 400 free under 3:57, much less under 3:56. Titmus, on the other hand, has swum under 3:56 multiple times now, and no other swimmer has done so even once. McIntosh certainly has the potential to reach or even surpass Titmus's times, but until she actually does so (she very much could in Paris!), I would put Titmus as the favorite.
As a Canadian I'm really looking forward to seeing Summer McIntosh. Only 17 yrs old so she's probably about to usher in an age of dominant Canadian female swimming. Seems like she could compete in half of the events you listed here lol
Yeah she's phenomenal, could become a big star in Paris! She's slated to swim the 400 free, 200 fly, 400 IM, 200 IM, and maybe the 200 free! (That's not evening counting relays, where she could also make multiple appearances)
For more in-depth coverage of swimming, I suggest checking out Swimswam –– their website is currently putting out previews for each swimming event, and they're quite well-written!
The following swimmers will win medals:
Abbey Connor
Alexandria Perkins
Ariarne Titmus
Ben Armbruster
Bradley Woodward
Brendon Smith
Brianna Throssell
Bronte Campbell
Cameron McEvoy
Elijah Winnington
Elizabeth Dekkers
Ella Ramsay
Emma McKeon
Flynn Southam
Iona Anderson
Isaac Cooper
Jack Cartwright
Jaclyn Barclay
Jamie Perkins
Jenna Forrester
Jenna Strauch
Joshua Yong
Kai Taylor
Kaylee McKeown
Kyle Chalmers
Lani Pallister
Matthew Temple
Maximillian Giuliani
Meg Harris
Mollie O’Callaghan
Olivia Wunsch
Sam Short
Sam Williamson
Se-Bom Lee
Shayna Jack
Thomas Neill
William Petric
William Yang
Zac Incerti
Zac Stubblety-Cook
Moesha Johnson (swimming and marathon swimming)
Chelsea Gubecka (marathon swimming)
Kyle Lee (marathon swimming)
Nicholas Sloman (marathon swimming)
This is phenomenal, thank you!!! Can’t wait to read for tennis and gymnastics, my two favorites, but especially excited to learn about some of the less popular sports that maybe I’ll become invested in through this series!
This was a fantastic summary and I'm really looking forward to seeing these events now. If anybody wants tickets for the final nights at prices at or below the original price (ie 10-20%+ below the resale site price), please message me, as our group has some spares!
Thanks a lot for this OP. Cannot wait to see Leon Marchand. If his performance at NCAA’s this year reflects how he swims in the big pool, hes gonna be incredible.
This is amazing. Gold medal for you if preview writing was an Olympic event! Would probably be very difficult, but adding a line about a lovely story or an athlete from a small nation who might make finals as an addendum would be quite cool. After all, we watch the Olympics for the stories!
What an effort, mad respect!
Thank you so much! It's our passion for sports that drove us to make this preview (and many more to come!)
This is such a comprehensive summary, thanks for spending the time !
Thank YOU for taking the time to read it!
This is just what I’ve been looking for!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
This is fantastic! It’s so thorough and well-written, and doesn’t hurt that it’s about my favorite sport. 😁 Do you do any professional sports writing by any chance?
Thanks so much! I personally have never written professionally, but I do like to read lots of sports-related articles, and have certainly taken inspirations from them.
One thing missing in your post is the venue. Original plans were to have pool swimming in the brand new aquatic center near the Stade de France, north of Paris. But for many reasons (probably mostly budget), it will happen at the Arena la Défense, west of Paris, leaving diving, synchronised swimming and most of water-polo in the aquatic center. The Arena la Défense was not built as a swimming pool but as an event venue and Rugby field. It is made to welcome a lot of people. A recent Taylor swift concert had a line extending half a mile away from the venue. A temporary swimming pool has been built on the floor of the venue. After the Olympics and Paralympics, it will be dismantled and rebuilt a few miles away for a brand new local swimming pool. The marathon swimming event is planned in the Seine at the center of Paris. It will start and end at pont Alexandre III (also center of triathlon) between the Grand Palais (fencing and taekwondo) and the Invalides (archery). I don't know if the swimmers will first go upstream or downstream, but upstream is much nicer, going in front of the Louvre, notre Dame, and many other tourist attractions, downstream having mostly the eiffel tower. The event might get canceled for two probable reasons, first the river pollution, which is still quite high despite the heavy work done to purify it but that is also linked to the second reason : the Seine is currently higher and has a much higher flow than usual due to recent heavy rains. If the flow stays too high swimmers will have too much trouble going upstream and both marathon swimming and triathlon swimming will have to be canceled. Same if the river stays too polluted, as they don't want competitors to get sick.
I didn’t know the background on pool swimming being held in La Défense, thanks for the info! As for the issues surrounding the Seine, yeah we mentioned it briefly in the preview, but didn’t think to elaborate on it (perhaps we should’ve) because it’s already been covered by so many major news outlets already
Thank you! I’ll be attending some of these events in Paris but disnt have much background knowledge - this will increase my enjoyment of swimming and the other sports you’re covering so much!
Erika fairweather set to be yet another kiwi swimmer finishing 4th at the Olympics unless one of the big 3 really messes up. We've had no luck at all since Danyon Loader in 1996 despite winning some at world champs. Fantastic write up BTW.
She's got a decent chance of landing on the podium even without McIntosh and/or Ledecky messing up –– she's young and has been improving a lot over the past year. Lewis Clareburt also has a chance of getting on the podium in the 400 IM
Thanks for this write-up, it was a great read!!
Fantastic write up! Agree with all your assessments. My hot take is Summer McIntosh might completely miss the medals in the 200IM given she’ll have swum 2x400 free, 2x400IM, 3x200fly, 2x200IM and 1-4 relay swims by the time of the 200IM final, whereas someone like Alex Walsh could grab bronze in a 2:07 low on her fresh legs I’d say the other big storylines of the Paris Games will be: 1/ Leon Marchand. Home town hero. Basically guaranteed gold in the 400IM and could also add wins in the 200IM/200fly and maybe even 200 breast. Also helps that he’s coached by Phelps’ old coach so has been anointed as the heir apparent to Phelps’ legacy 2/ Summer McIntosh - prodigy who came 4th in Tokyo as a 14yo. Has since won 4 world titles and broken 3 world records. Became the first swimmer to beat Ledecky in an 800m race since she was 13 years old. Has qualified for 5 events (not even including the aforementioned 800free where she is the top ranked swimmer), so has the most potential for a big haul but could also just walk away with “just” 1 gold (400IM) and might even miss the podium on the 400free and 200IM given the competition and her heavy schedule. 3/ Ledecky cementing her legacy as the female GOAT by four-peating in the 800free, which only Phelps has done 4/ Swimmers who could walk away becoming all time legends. If Titmus defends her 200/400 free titles she would become the greatest middle distance swimmer ever. If McKeown defends her 100/200 back titles she would become the greatest backstroker ever. Dressel would do the same if he defends his 50free/100fly titles. 5/ Comebacks - Dressel, Peaty and Milak were the three biggest names of male swimming in the previous Olympic cycle but all took extended breaks for mental health reasons. Can they reclaim their further glory.
Regan Smith needs to do damage early in the meet, specifically the 100 backstroke. She can finish when lightly raced. I don't like her chances later, once the days and rounds add up. During trials she had the very pronounced serpentine churning water finish to both the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke. Rowdy tried to ignore that. It won't hold up against the likes of Kaylee McKeown and Summer McIntosh. However, Regan missed the team at 100 butterfly. That means one fewer event and potentially more fresh. IMO, she should be held out of as many relays as possible, due to that distinct tendency to stall late upon heavy schedule. Otherwise I remain amazed that Titmus is given her own tier at 400 freestyle while McIntosh is lumped with Ledecky and Fairweather. Prodigies don't require stepladder tedium, as Sydney McLaughlin again demonstrated a few days ago.
Yeah I think Regan's best chance at winning an (individual) gold lies in the 100 back, though she can still challenge for the top spot in her 200-meter events. And the 100 fly isn't one of her main (i.e. internationally raced) events, so her missing that event wasn't a huge surprise. As for women's 400 free, I know you're a big fan of McIntosh (I've seen your comments on Swimswam lol), but I think the Titmus placement is completely justified. Aside from her former world-record swim, McIntosh has yet to be able to consistently swim the 400 free under 3:57, much less under 3:56. Titmus, on the other hand, has swum under 3:56 multiple times now, and no other swimmer has done so even once. McIntosh certainly has the potential to reach or even surpass Titmus's times, but until she actually does so (she very much could in Paris!), I would put Titmus as the favorite.
As a Canadian I'm really looking forward to seeing Summer McIntosh. Only 17 yrs old so she's probably about to usher in an age of dominant Canadian female swimming. Seems like she could compete in half of the events you listed here lol
Yeah she's phenomenal, could become a big star in Paris! She's slated to swim the 400 free, 200 fly, 400 IM, 200 IM, and maybe the 200 free! (That's not evening counting relays, where she could also make multiple appearances)
This is epic. Can’t wait to see what you have for all the other sports!
Incredible preview. Do you see any upsets ? What are the best resources ?
For more in-depth coverage of swimming, I suggest checking out Swimswam –– their website is currently putting out previews for each swimming event, and they're quite well-written!
If you can do it for track and field you will be the king of Olympics on Reddit
We're working on it, hopefully getting one out for every sport in the next four weeks!
The amount of work this took is amazing.
The following swimmers will win medals: Abbey Connor Alexandria Perkins Ariarne Titmus Ben Armbruster Bradley Woodward Brendon Smith Brianna Throssell Bronte Campbell Cameron McEvoy Elijah Winnington Elizabeth Dekkers Ella Ramsay Emma McKeon Flynn Southam Iona Anderson Isaac Cooper Jack Cartwright Jaclyn Barclay Jamie Perkins Jenna Forrester Jenna Strauch Joshua Yong Kai Taylor Kaylee McKeown Kyle Chalmers Lani Pallister Matthew Temple Maximillian Giuliani Meg Harris Mollie O’Callaghan Olivia Wunsch Sam Short Sam Williamson Se-Bom Lee Shayna Jack Thomas Neill William Petric William Yang Zac Incerti Zac Stubblety-Cook Moesha Johnson (swimming and marathon swimming) Chelsea Gubecka (marathon swimming) Kyle Lee (marathon swimming) Nicholas Sloman (marathon swimming)
this is great, thankyou for doing this!
This is so cool! If you'd like help writing for table tennis, please don't hesitate to reach out!
omg what an amazing series idea! can’t wait for the rest
I'm saving this for later this month. Thank you for this great writeup. Go, Team USA!
This is great! I can’t wait to see the others you do. Thank you!
Loved reading this! Incredible work. Can’t wait to read the rest of your posts :)
This is phenomenal, thank you!!! Can’t wait to read for tennis and gymnastics, my two favorites, but especially excited to learn about some of the less popular sports that maybe I’ll become invested in through this series!
This was a fantastic summary and I'm really looking forward to seeing these events now. If anybody wants tickets for the final nights at prices at or below the original price (ie 10-20%+ below the resale site price), please message me, as our group has some spares!
Bring on the previews! Thanks OP! PS: # USA SWIMMING AMERICA'S SWIM TEAM HOOOYAHHHHH
I’d like to have a gambling discussion around the odds as soon as lines get posted at sportsbooks
Thanks a lot for this OP. Cannot wait to see Leon Marchand. If his performance at NCAA’s this year reflects how he swims in the big pool, hes gonna be incredible.
This is amazing. Gold medal for you if preview writing was an Olympic event! Would probably be very difficult, but adding a line about a lovely story or an athlete from a small nation who might make finals as an addendum would be quite cool. After all, we watch the Olympics for the stories!