Do Olympic Gold Medal Winning Times Matter? It’s More About the Moment
Winning an Olympic gold medal is the ultimate dream of athletes across sports worldwide, especially in the sport of swimming. It is often a lifelong pursuit, with the possibility offered just once every four years. At last summer’s Games in Paris, many of the winning times emerged slower than what was expected, particularly compared to some of the performances unleashed in the months leading up to the Olympics.
In a handful of circles, the slower times became the subject of conversation. But it is the opinion of this writer, to alter a House of the Dragon quote, that: ‘History doesn’t remember times. It remembers names.’
Nicolo Martinenghi
In the final of the men’s 100 breaststroke at the Paris Olympics, Italian Nicolo Martinenghi stunned the field to snag Olympic gold out of Lane Seven. With a final time of 59.03, the Italian’s swim marked the slowest Olympic winning time in the event in 20 years. But Martinenghi finished just .02 ahead of a tie for silver between reigning Olympic champion Adam Peaty and Team USA veteran Nic Fink. In total, first through fourth were separated by just .08, and that tight finish is what made the race a spectacle – not the final mark.
Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy celebrates after winning the gold medal in the swimming 100m Breaststroke Men Final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Defense Arena in Paris (France), July 28, 2024.
The 25-year-old Martinenghi owns a storied international ledger, having won bronze in Tokyo in the 100 breaststroke and a world title a year later in Budapest. It was at those 2022 Worlds that he set his personal best time in his signature event. That 58.26 sits him fifth-fastest in history.
His swim in Paris represented the Italian’s first Olympic gold, and with a personal best time nearly a second faster, it stands to reason that Martinenghi is a contender for gold in the future. Most important, he is part of Italian sporting lore, having demonstrated the ability to clip a blanket field when it mattered most.
David Popovici
Romanian David Popovici had a similar tale to the Paris Games as that of the aforementioned Martinenghi. After a meteoric rise and strong prep in the leadup to Paris, Popovici followed through in Paris with Olympic gold in the 200 freestyle and bronze in the 100-meter distance. In the process, he backed up two world titles from the same events in 2022 and complemented four European titles.
Popovici’s personal best in the 200 freestyle sits at a 1:42.97, the third-fastest in history and iconic in its standing as a textile mark under the 1:43 barrier. His winning time in Paris was nearly two seconds slower at a 1:44.72, and Popovici’s semifinal effort was actually faster at a 1:44.53. He had actually been as fast as a 1:43.13 just a month prior.
The story that presented itself again in this final was the close nature of the race. Two hundredths behind Popovici sat Great Britain’s Matthew Richards for silver, and a further .05 behind was Team USA’s Luke Hobson. A total of .15 separated first through fourth.
Ultimately, all that mattered in the final was Popovici’s knack for registering a clutch finish, and timing his touch to perfection. That skill supplied the teen with the Olympic gold many foresaw him winning, and etched his standing in the sport’s pantheon.
Tatjana Smith
Tatjana Smith of South Africa shows the gold medal after competing in the swimming 100m Breaststroke Women Final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Defense Arena in Paris (France), July 29, 2024.
The women’s 100 breaststroke final in Paris happened to produce one of the slowest winning times in the last 20 years. South Africa’s Tatjana Smith took gold in a 1:05.28, complementing her title from the 200 breaststroke from the Tokyo Games. Severalswimmers fought for silver and bronze, with China’s Tang Qianting finishing as the runnerup in 1:05.54. Meanwhile, Ireland’s Mona McSharry took bronze at 1:05.59, followed by Italian Benedetta Pilato and American Lilly King tying for fourth just a hundredth behind. Adding depth was Great Britain’s Angharad Evans, who was sixth, .25 further adrift.
All of the swimmers in that final own personal-best times faster than the swims they pulled out in the Paris final. King is the world-record holder at a 1:04.13 while 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte actually found herself shut out of the final at 11th in the semifinals.
The women’s 100 breaststroke final in Paris represented a continuing narrative from the Tokyo Games, which had a handful of slower events. Much was made of a “slow” pool and the confusion was evident on the faces of some athletes, such as Lukas Martens after the 400 freestyle final. After narrowly missing the world record at the German Trials, he was surprised to be off of it in the Paris final.
But…Do Gold-Medal-Winning Times Matter?
The question at the topic of this section defines the feeling behind this article. World records and fast swims obviously make headlines, and when China’s Pan Zhanle delivered a stunning 46.40 in the 100 freestyle, the swim was nothing shy of amazing. Simultaneously, it represented an outlier based results of the meet.
Yet, more than 20 years on from the Athens Olympics in 2004, you won’t find many individuals who would know or care about the men’s 100 breaststroke winning time. Most swim fans, though, will remember many of the tantalizing duels that have gone down, such as the Athens showdown between Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima and Brendan Hansen.
Twenty years from now, Tatjana Smith, Nicolo Martinenghi, David Popovici, and the millions of swim fans around the world will not remember the time that it took to win an Olympic final. They’ll remember the duels that unfolded. They’ll remember the uncertainty at the finish. They’ll remember the swimmers digging down deep to earn their moment in the record book.
What history will remember is the name that got it done when it mattered the most.
