50 metres Freestyle, Men

Caeleb Dressel (USA) was the defending gold medalist. He took time off in early 2022, however, and when returning to competition in late 2023 was not the dominant sprinter he had been. Australian Cameron McEvoy, the 2023 World Champion, and British sprinter Ben Proud, the 2022 World Champion, were the favorites, with Dressel an unknown quantity.

All three made the final, where McEvoy got off to the best start with a reaction time of 0.56 seconds. Proud’s reaction was second best of the finalists, at 0.59 seconds, and that almost proved to be the margin of victory, as McEvoy took gold in 21.25 seconds, with Proud at 21.30. Behind them, France’s Florent Manaudou won his fourth consecutive medal in the event, completing his set of medals with bronze. Manaudou had won gold in the event in 2012 and silvers in 2016 and 2020. Only Michael Phelps had ever before won four medals in the same individual Olympic swimming event, in both butterflys and the 200 IM, although Katie Ledecky would equal this in the women’s 800 freestyle in two days.

Dressel challenged for bronze but, in an event where hundredths of a second determine the places, he finished sixth in 21.61 seconds. Canada’s Josh Liendo was just off the podium in fourth, only 2/100ths behind Manaudou.