Women's Swimming Olympic Updates: Wolverines Total Six Medals in Tokyo
7/31/2021 11:57:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving, Olympics
• Tokyo Olympics Site | U-M Olympics Coverage
Sunday, Aug. 1
Rising senior Maggie MacNeil helped the Canadian 4x100-meter medley relay team take bronze Sunday morning (Aug. 1) at Tokyo Aquatics Center, earning MacNeil her third medal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. MacNeil, who also won gold (100-meter butterfly) and silver (4x100-meter freestyle relay) earlier this week, became the first Wolverine varsity swimmer (female or male) to earn three medals at one Olympics and the first U-M female varsity athlete with three career medals.
The London, Ontario, native once again swam the butterfly leg of the medley and turned in the top split of all competitors (55.27) to bring the Canadians a full second closer going into the final leg of the race. Canada's anchor, Penny Oleksiak, closed in 52.26 for a final time of 3:52.60, a new Canadian record. The bronze is Oleksiak's seventh career medal, making her the most-decorated Canadian Olympian of all time. Australia took the gold (Olympic-record 3:51.60) and the Americans won silver (3:51.73).
In total, the Michigan women's swimming and diving program will bring home six medals from Tokyo 2020, with 2019 alumna Siobhán Haughey winning two silvers (100-meter freestyle, 200-meter freestyle) to become Hong Kong's first Olympic medalist in swimming and 2019 alumna Catie DeLoof adding a bronze in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay for the United States.
• 4x100-meter Medley Relay (Final): 3. Canada (3:52.60)
• Results and Video (NBCOlympics.com)
• Three for Three: Relay Bronze Gives MacNeil Record Third Olympic Medal
Saturday, July 31
Two-time silver medalist Siobhán Haughey withdrew from Saturday morning's (July 31) 50-meter freestyle semifinals due to a hip injury, according to her coach, former U-M assistant Rick Bishop. She had qualified with the 15th-fastest time in the preliminary heats. In her second Olympic Games, Haughey collected silver medals in the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle, becoming Hong Kong's first Olympic swimming medalist.
Friday, July 30
Former U-M women's swimmer Siobhán Haughey raced her way back to the podium Friday morning (July 30) at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, earning her second 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medal for Hong Kong, this time in the 100-meter freestyle. Haughey's 52.27 was .31 off the new Olympic record set by gold-medal winner Emma McKeon of Australia (51.96). Australia's Cate Campbell placed third (52.52).
The 2019 U-M alumna held second for most of the race, making the turn after 50 meters just two one-hundredths of a second behind the McKeon. Although Campbell pulled even with 25 meters to go, Haughey was able to hold off the Aussie and take silver by .25 seconds. The first Olympic swimming medalist in Hong Kong's history, Haughey broke the Asian record in the 100 free for the third day in a row.
Action continued with a busy evening in Japan for current and former members of the Michigan women's swimming and diving program, as four individuals competed in the 4x100-meter medley relay and Haughey qualified for the 50-meter freestyle semifinals. In the relay, rising senior Maggie MacNeil helped Team Canada to the fastest time of the heats, while rising junior Mariella Venter competed for South Africa and alumnae Haughey and Jamie Yeung raced for Hong Kong.
Canada touched the wall in 3:55.17, merely one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Team USA, and qualified for the relay final at 9:44 p.m. EDT Saturday, July 31 (10:44 a.m. Sunday in Japan). MacNeil pulled the Canadians from fourth place and more than two seconds behind the leaders at the start of her butterfly to second place and only trailing by .14 with her 55.82 leg. Kayla Sanchez turned in a 52.68 in the final leg of the race to give Canada the win.
In the same heat as Canada, Yeung swam the breaststroke in 1:08.69, while Haughey followed up with a 56.67 butterfly as Hong Kong finished seventh in its heat and 13th overall (4:02.86). In the first heat, Venter swam the backstroke in 1:01.03, but South Africa also failed to qualify for the final after finishing 14th overall (4:03.02).
On the individual side, Haughey continued her impressive performance in the freestyle events, finishing the 50-meter free in 24.75 to qualify for the semifinals with the 15th-fastest time. However, she withdrew from Saturday morning's (July 31) semifinal round in Japan.
• 100-meter Freestyle (Final): 2. Siobhán Haughey (52.27)
• 50-meter Freestyle (Heats): 15. Siobhán Haughey (24.75)
• 4x100-meter Medley Relay (Heats): 1. Canada (3:55.17), 13. Hong Kong (4:02.86), 14. South Africa (4:03.02)
• Results and Video: 100 Free | 50 Free | 4x100 Medley Relay
• Haughey Adds Second Olympic Medal with Silver in 100-meter Freestyle
Thursday, July 29
Former Wolverine Siobhán Haughey (Hong Kong) put the 100-meter freestyle field on notice Thursday morning (July 29) in Japan, winning her heat with yet another Asian record as she hit the wall in 52.40 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. The 2019 alumna had the second-best time of the semifinal round, trailing only event-favorite Emma McKeon from Australia, who swam a 52.32 in the second heat.
Haughey led heat one from the race's outset, finishing the first 50 meters in 25.10. Though the field appeared to even with her heading into the final 25 meters, Haughey finished strong and ended up .31 ahead of her nearest competitor while lowering by .30 her own Asian record set in the heats. The 100-meter freestyle final is scheduled for 9:59 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 29 (10:59 a.m. Friday in Japan).
• 100-meter Freestyle (Semifinals): 2. Siobhán Haughey (52.40)
• Results and Video
Wednesday, July 28
Michigan alumna Siobhán Haughey made history for Hong Kong Wednesday morning (July 28) at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, earning a 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle to become Hong Kong's first swimming Olympic medalist. Haughey's 1:53.92 was .42 off the new Olympic record set by winner Ariarne Titmus of Australia. Canada's Penny Oleksiak placed third.
Haughey put together a beautiful final race, hitting the wall third after the first 50 meters and owning the middle 100 meters with splits of 28.33 and 29.08 to take a lead. Her final 50-meter split of 29.74 trailed only Titmus, as the Aussie closed in 28.80 to finish just ahead of Haughey. A 14-time NCAA All-American at Michigan, Haughey set a new Asian record with her time, bettering the previous record (1:54.57) set by China's Junxuan Yang earlier this year.
After finishing the 200-meter freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics in 1:57.56 and failing to make it to the final, Haughey was fourth in the event at the 2019 World Championships. She burst into the public eye in Tokyo with her impressive 1:55.16 in her semifinal heat, placing her between Titmus and United States' legend Katie Ledecky.
Haughey becomes the third member of the Michigan women's and diving swimming program to win a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, joining rising senior Maggie MacNeil of Canada (gold, 100-meter butterfly; silver, 4x100-meter freestyle relay) and fellow 2019 alumna Catie DeLoof of the United States (bronze, 4x100-meter freestyle relay).
Haughey returned to Tokyo Aquatics Centre Wednesday night and qualified for the 100-meter freestyle semifinals. Haughey's 52.70 was the second-fastest of the heats and broke the Asian record, a mark previously owned by Japan's Ikee Rikako (52.79). She touched second in heat 6 to Australia's Emma McKeon, who set an Olympic record with her 52.13. Haughey will compete in the first 100-meter semifinal at 9:53 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 28 (10:53 a.m. Thursday in Japan).
Haughey and Hong Kong were scheduled to compete in the 4x200-meter relay heats at the end of the night session but were a late scratch.
• 200-meter Freestyle (Final): 2. Siobhán Haughey (1:53.92)
• 100-meter Freestyle (Heats): 2. Siobhán Haughey (52.70)
• 4x200-meter Freestyle Relay (Heats): Hong Kong (did not start)
• Results and Video: 200 free | 100 free (NBCOlympics.com)
• Olympic Silver Makes Haughey Hong Kong's First Swimming Medalist Ever
Tuesday, July 27
Former Wolverine Siobhán Haughey (Hong Kong) turned in a stellar performance in the women's 200-meter freestyle semifinals Tuesday morning (July 27) at Tokyo Aquatics Center, finishing with the second-best time at 1:55.16. She was second to 400-meter freestyle gold medalist Ariarne Titmus of Australia (1:54.82) in the first semifinal with a time that was just ahead of the defending gold medalist in the event, American Katie Ledecky (1:55.34), who was first in the second semifinal. Haughey will compete in a star-studded final at 9:41 p.m. EDT Tuesday, July 27 (10:41 a.m. Wednesday in Japan).
200-meter Freestyle (Heats): 2. Siobhán Haughey (1:55.16)
• Stats and Video (NBCOlympics.com)
Maggie MacNeil (USATSI)
Monday, July 26
One night after winning an Olympic silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, rising senior Maggie MacNeil became the first women's swimmer from the University of Michigan to bring home an individual Olympic gold medal in more than 50 years, winning the women's 100-meter butterfly by five one-hundredths of a second for Team Canada on Monday morning (July 26) at Tokyo Aquatics Center.
MacNeil's 55.59 was anchored by an incredible closing stretch, as she covered the final 50 meters in 29.09 to move from seventh at the halfway point to the second-fastest time in Olympic history. The London, Ontario, native also set a new Americas record as she shaved a full second off her times from the heats and semifinals.
China's Yufei Zhang (55.64) won the silver medal, while Australia's Emma McKeon (55.72) took the bronze.
MacNeil becomes the first women's swimmer from U-M to win an individual gold medal since Ginny Duenkel at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Duenkel, who did not enroll at U-M until after the 1964 Games, competed for the U-M Women's Athletic Association team at a time there was not a women's varsity swimming and diving program. MacNeil's two medals in one Olympics also equal Duenkel, who won gold in the 400 freestyle and bronze in the 100 backstroke in 1964.
Alumna Siobhán Haughey (Hong Kong) competed in the women's 200-meter freestyle heats in the evening session and had the eighth-fastest time overall with a 1:56.48. Haughey qualified for the semifinals Monday night at 9:30 p.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Japan).
• 100-meter Butterfly (Final): 1. Maggie MacNeil (55.59)
• 200-meter Freestyle (Heats): 8. Siobhán Haughey (1:56.48)
• Results and Video: 100 Fly | 200 Free (NBCOlympics.com)
Maggie MacNeil (second from right, Swimming Canada photo)
Sunday, July 25
A photo finish for second place in the Olympic women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay final resulted in rising senior Maggie MacNeil and alumna Catie DeLoof (2016-19) earning their first Olympic medals Sunday morning (July 25) at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. MacNeil and the Canadian relay team edged out Team USA by just three-hundredths of a second for a silver medal, 3:32.78 to 3:32.81. MacNeil, who qualified for the 100-meter butterfly final roughly an hour before the relay final, swam a strong 53.47 on the second leg after not competing in the heats the previous night.
DeLoof did not compete in the relay final but earned a bronze medal thanks to her participation in the heats. She and MacNeil are the Michigan women's swimming and diving program's first Olympic medalists since 2000, when incoming freshman Samantha Arsenault (2001-02) won gold with Team USA in the 4x200-meter relay in Sydney, Australia.
In her signature event, MacNeil finished third in her 100-meter butterfly semifinal in 56.56 and qualified sixth overall for the eight-person final. The London, Ontario, native will take part in the final at 9:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, July 25 (10:30 a.m. Monday in Tokyo), swimming in lane seven.
• 4x100-meter Freestyle Relay (Final): 2. Canada (3:32.78); 3. United States (3:32.81)
• 100-meter Butterfly (Semifinals): 6. Maggie MacNeil (56.56)
• Results and Video: 4x100 Free Relay | 100 Fly
Catie DeLoof (USATSI)
Saturday, July 24
The first day of swimming at Tokyo Aquatics Centre saw two Michigan women in action, and both experienced success. Maggie MacNeil, the reigning NCAA Swimmer of the Year, turned in a 56.55 in the women's 100-meter butterfly heats for the fifth-best clocking. The Canadian will be in the second semifinal Saturday night at 9:46 EDT (10:46 a.m. Sunday in Tokyo), swimming in lane three.
In the 4x100-meter freestyle heats, 2019 Michigan alumna Catie DeLoof helped the United States to the fifth-best time (3:34.80). DeLoof swam the second leg for Team USA and had the second-fastest split, turning in a 53.42. The Americans will have lane two in the final at 10:45 p.m. EDT Saturday night (11:45 a.m. Sunday in Japan).
• 100-meter Butterfly (Heats): 5. Maggie MacNeil (56.55)
• 4x100-meter Freestyle Relay (Heats): 7. United States (3:45.38)
• Results and Video: 100 Fly | 4x100 Free Relay (NBCOlympics.com)
Players Mentioned
