100m Backstroke - Finals
29th July, 2024
In Oliver's first Olympic final, he finishes 8th in the World.
The stage was set for the final, which saw Oliver go in as 7th seed in Lane 1, with 2016 Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy next to him in Lane 2. It was a stacked field, which included Chinese Backstroke Ace Xu Jiayu in Lane 4, reigning World Record Holder Thomas Ceccon in Lane 5, African record holder Pieter Coetzee in Lane 6 and runner up of the 2024 edition of the World Championships Hugo Gonzalez in Lane 8.
Oliver had a fast start, opening the race in a 25.50 turning 7th at the 50m mark. With a strong back end of 27.34, Oliver finished in 8th with a time of 52.84, 0.01 faster than the time posted in the Semi-Final.
What a superb swim Oliver, you gave it your all. We are all so proud of you.
We now turn to focus on the 200m Backstroke where the heats are due to take place on Wednesday, 31/07.