Italy’s Thomas Ceccon, the world record holder, made a dramatic late surge to claim the men’s 100-meter backstroke gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. Ceccon, the former world champion, touched the wall in exactly 52 seconds, narrowly beating China’s silver medalist Xu Jiayu by a mere 0.32 seconds at La Defense Arena. American Ryan Murphy, striving for a second Olympic gold in the event, secured bronze after a valiant effort, eight years after his triumph at the 2016 Rio Games. Xu led for much of the race, but Ceccon found an extra gear, ultimately condemning the veteran Chinese swimmer to his second 100m backstroke silver medal, echoing his runner-up finish to Murphy eight years prior. This victory serves as a confirmation of Ceccon’s exceptional talent, following his world record-breaking performance in 2022 and his world championship title in Budapest that same year.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Tatjana Smith, competing under her maiden name of Schoenmaker, secured South Africa’s first gold medal of the Paris Olympics on Monday. She added the 100-meter breaststroke title to her impressive 200-meter win at Tokyo 2021. China’s world champion Tang Qianting claimed the silver medal, while Ireland’s Mona McSharry, overcome with joy and astonishment, secured bronze after an extraordinary three-way battle. Tang held the lead at the turn, but Smith, who was only in fourth place at that point, powered back to win in a time of 1 minute 05.28 seconds, 0.26 seconds ahead of the Chinese swimmer. This victory served as redemption for Smith, who had secured silver in the event at the Tokyo Games. However, her winning time was slower than the 1:05.00 she clocked in the heats.
