Michigan Olympic Updates: Saturday, Aug. 6
8/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Olympics
Men's Swimming: 400-meter Freestyle
Former U-M swimmer Connor Jaeger (2011-14) qualified for the final of the 400-meter freestyle, finishing fifth (3:44.16) in a tightly packed race. Jaeger was seeded seventh coming in and swam in an outside lane (lane one), but was in the mix for a medal all the way to the end. He finished behind fellow American Conor Dwyer (fourth) and was less than a second outside of bronze medal position. Earlier in the day, incoming freshman Felix Auböck (Austria) swam in the same heat as Jaeger, finishing 25th overall (3:49.35).
• Connor Jaeger: 5th, 3:44.16
• Felix Auböck 25th, 3:49.35
Sam Mikulak
Men's Gymnastics: Qualification Subdivision 2
Sam Mikulak of Team USA led off his day on the vault table, where he marked a 15.100 with his Kasimatsu 2.5 after a small hop on the landing. Leading off on parallel bars, Mikulak turned in a clean routine that included a front toss to a Peach half, a straddle front, and a double front dismount for a 15.375. His high bar routine, sans one of his newer skills (Cassina), was a show stopper that featured a well executed a Kohlman and a stuck double layout double double for a 15.133.
The U-M legend then turned in one of the top floor exercise scores on his next routine, sticking a triple full to conclude his set for a 15.800. On pommel horse in the fifth rotation, he had his first hiccup of the day, stumbling on the apparatus on his Sivado skill before remounting for his dismount. After a small error on the dismount, he was awarded a 13.100. On rings in the sixth and final rotation, he bounced back after the horse routine, sticking a double-double dismount for a 14.533 to total an all-around mark of 89.041.
Overall, Mikulak sat in seventh place in the all-around after qualification and will go for individual glory in all-around finals on Wednesday (Aug. 10). In team competition, the United States earned the second spot, trailing only China, in team qualifying with a 270.405. Mikulak and the rest of Team USA will compete in the team finals Monday (Aug. 8) at 3 p.m.
Later in Olympiad, he will take part in the floor exercise finals Sunday (Aug. 14) at 1 p.m., as well as the high bar finals Tuesday (Aug. 16) at 2:34 p.m.
• Sam Mikulak: 89.041 (7th Place, All-Around)
Ellen Tomek (left)
Women's Rowing: Double Sculls Heats
On the opening day of Olympic rowing competition, USRowing's Ellen Tomek (2004-06) and women's double sculls partner Meghan O'Leary placed fourth in their heat, finishing in 7:46.920. Poland won the heat in 7:16.160, while China and Belarus placed second and third, respectively. Tomek and O'Leary will race in tomorrow's (Sunday, Aug. 7) repechage heat at 10:40 a.m. EDT against Denmark, the Czech Republic and Germany.
• Ellen Tomek: 4th, heat 2 (7:46.92)
Men's Cycling: Road Race
Former Wolverine runner Mike Woods placed 55th in his Olympic cycling debut in the men's road race, traveling the 236 km/146-mile course in 6:30.05. The course, featuring a pair of challenging circuits through the Grumari Natural Park and Canoas/Vista Chinesa separated by a straightaway along the Atlantic coast, has been touted as the hardest in Olympic history. More than half of the 144-man field did not finish. Woods, who remained with the main peloton for the bulk of the race, was the only Canadian to finish. Belgium's Greg van Avermaet won a three-man sprint in the final half mile to capture gold in 6:10.05, beating out silver-medalist Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark by less than a second.
• Mike Woods: 55th place (6:30.05)
