The men's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 7–8 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.[1]
| Men's 100 metre backstroke at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Olympic Aquatics Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 7 August 2016 (heats & semifinals) 8 August 2016 (final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 39 from 32 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 51.97 OR | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Summary
editRyan Murphy continued the streak of American dominance in the sprint backstroke, as he pulled away from the rest of the field to claim his country's sixth straight Olympic title. He fired off a 51.97 to eclipse Matt Grevers' 2012 Olympic record by 0.19 of a second for gold, making him the only second swimmer in the event's history besides Aaron Peirsol to break the 52-second barrier and the fastest of all time in textile.[2][3] Meanwhile, China's Xu Jiayu put up a brisk effort to take silver with a 52.31, and spoil the 1–2 finish for the Americans.[4] Murphy's fellowman David Plummer, aged 30, finished with bronze in 52.40 at his maiden Games.[5][6]
Leading the race early on the initial length, Australia's defending world champion Mitch Larkin missed the podium with a fourth-place time in 52.43.[7] France's Camille Lacourt picked up the fifth spot in 52.70, with Russian swimmer and Youth Olympic champion Evgeny Rylov (52.74) trailing him by a 0.04-second margin. Japan's Ryosuke Irie (53.42), the Olympic bronze medalist from London 2012, and Romania's Robert Glință (53.50) rounded out the field.[6]
The medals for the competition were presented by Albert II, Prince of Monaco, IOC member, and the gifts were presented by Mustapha Larfaoui, FINA honorary life president.
Records
editPrior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Aaron Peirsol (USA) |
51.94 | Indianapolis, United States | 8 July 2009 | [8][9] |
| Olympic record |  Matt Grevers (USA) |
52.16 | London, United Kingdom | 30 July 2012 | [10] |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Round | Name | Nation | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August | Final | Ryan Murphy | United States |
51.97 | OR |
Murphy then set a new world record for the 100 m backstroke with a time of 51.85 seconds on August 13 in the lead-off leg as part of the 4 × 100 m medley relay.
Competition format
editThe competition consisted of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advanced to the semifinals. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advanced to the final. Swim-offs were used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.[1]
Results
editHeats
edit
Semifinals
editSemifinal 1
edit| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Ryan Murphy | United States |
52.49 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Xu Jiayu |  China |
52.73 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Evgeny Rylov |  Russia |
52.84 | Q |
| 4 | 6 | Irie Ryosuke |  Japan |
53.21 | Q |
| 5 | 7 | Christopher Reid |  South Africa |
53.70 | |
| 6 | 2 | Chris Walker-Hebborn |  Great Britain |
53.75 | |
| 7 | 8 | Corey Main |  New Zealand |
54.29 | |
| 8 | 1 | Shane Ryan |  Ireland |
54.40 |
Semifinal 2
edit| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | David Plummer | United States |
52.50 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | Mitch Larkin |  Australia |
52.70 | Q |
| 3 | 4 | Camille Lacourt |  France |
52.72 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Robert Glință |  Romania |
53.34 | Q, NR |
| 5 | 7 | Grigoriy Tarasevich | Russia |
53.46 | |
| 6 | 8 | Jan-Philip Glania |  Germany |
53.94 | |
| 7 | 6 | Joshua Beaver | Australia |
53.95 | |
| 8 | 1 | Guilherme Guido |  Brazil |
54.16 |
Final
edit| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4 | Ryan Murphy | United States |
51.97 | OR |
 |
2 | Xu Jiayu | China |
52.31 | NR |
 |
5 | David Plummer | United States |
52.40 | |
| 4 | 3 | Mitch Larkin | Australia |
52.43 | |
| 5 | 6 | Camille Lacourt | France |
52.70 | |
| 6 | 7 | Evgeny Rylov | Russia |
52.74 | |
| 7 | 1 | Ryosuke Irie | Japan |
53.42 | |
| 8 | 8 | Robert Glință | Romania |
53.50 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Men's 100m Backstroke". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Auerbach, Nicole (8 August 2016). "American Ryan Murphy wins gold in men's 100 back". USA Today. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "Ryan Murphy extends U.S. gold streak in 100 backstroke to 6". ESPN. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "(Rio Games) Ryan Murphy takes 100m backstroke gold ahead of Xu Jiayu". Hong Kong: The Standard. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Fenno, Nathan (8 August 2016). "Ryan Murphy of the U.S. wins gold in 100 backstroke". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Ryan Murphy Keeps American Streak Alive with 100 Backstroke Olympic Record". Swimming World Magazine. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Barrett, Chris (8 August 2016). "Australian Mitch Larkin misses the medals in 100 metres backstroke in Rio". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "Peirsol reclaims 100 back record". ESPN. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ^ "Aaron Peirsol's stunning swim steals limelight from Michael Phelps". Guardian.co.uk. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ^ "2012 London Olympics: Matt Grevers Sets Olympic Record in 100 Back Win; Nick Thoman Gives U.S. 1-2 Finish". Swimming World Magazine. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2013.