Olympic Swimming – Caeleb Dressel vs Kyle Chalmers in the Men’s 100m Freestyle: Who wins?
GENERAL OVERVIEW
When is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics taking place? The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is taking take place between 23rd July, 2021 and 8th August 2021, although some preliminary events began on 21st July, 2021.
Where is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics taking place? While the vast majority of Olympic action will naturally take place in Tokyo or the surrounding areas, the likes of Yokohama, Saitama, Sendai, Kashima and Sapporo are also hosting events.
Where can I get tickets for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? Many events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are be taking place without spectators, but not all. For full information, your best bet is to head here for the latest information.
What TV channel is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on in the UK? Televised Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for the full breakdown.
Where can I stream the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the UK? Unlike in previous Olympic Games, the Beeb can only show two live events at any one time, which are viewable on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. Eurosport subscribers can stream the action on Eurosport Player, while the biggest offering is available for subscribers of discovery+, the new player in town. For those not inclined, the BBC have a highlights programme at 19:30 every evening.
EVENT OVERVIEW
What time is the Men’s 100m Freestyle taking place? Thursday 29th July at 03.35 (UK time)
Where is the Men’s 100m Freestyle taking place? Olympic Aquatics Centre
Who is the reigning Olympic champion in the Men’s 100m Freestyle? Kyle Chalmers of Australia
Who is the current world record holder in the Men’s 100m Freestyle? 44.94 seconds by Amaury Leveaux
WHO ARE THE LEADING MEDAL CONTENDERS?
This race is set to be billed as essentially Kyle Chalmers of Australia vs Caeleb Dressel of the United States given their success in this event in recent years. Chalmers is the reigning champion of this event following his world junior record in 2016 in Rio whilst Dressel is already a three-time Olympic gold medalist and has picked up gold already in Tokyo in the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle; a race in which Chalmers picked up the bronze.
Away from those two main competitors, Kliment Kolesnikov of the Russian Olympic Committee was the fastest in the semi-finals, breaking the European record in the process, whilst Alessandro Miressi of Italy has maintained a strong speed in the heats and the semi-finals.
TSZ’S PREDICTION
Dressel, Kolesnikov and Chalmers are all expected to be the top three despite Miressi’s impressive performances in the pool for this event so far. The American, though, looks to have a slight edge over his main opponent Chalmers at the moment as shown in that aforementioned 4x100m Freestyle. Kolesnikov’s excellent semi-final does suggest the potential to topple the two main candidates but the feeling that Caeleb Dressel has something left in store that wasn’t used in the semi-final remains. The world record for this event that was set in 2008 isn’t totally out of the question and Dressel is the closest in terms of consistent form to breaking it. Therefore, Team USA look set to pick up another gold medal in this event.
TSZ Tip: Caeleb Dressel to win
