LEDECKY: Ridiculous image sums up legend’s longevity

“To get silver at my third Olympic Games, to be on the podium three consecutive times is something I’m going to be very proud of and no-one can ever take away from me.”

The 26-year-old confirmed he would continue swimming.

“I love it. I think I’ll continue on as long as I possibly can,” Chalmers said.

Pan’s performance was remarkable considering he nearly didn’t make the semi-finals after a poor heat swim. He shaved 0.40 seconds off his previous mark set at the World Championships in Doha in February with a stunning relay leadoff swim.

The performance is even more incredible considering Popovici and Pan only recently took turns at marginally bettering Cesar Cielo’s world record of 46.91 that stood from 2009 to 2022.

It also came despite suggestions that the Paris pool was “slow”, with this the first world record of the meet.

“I never thought I would see that in my lifetime … Nobody was near him,” two-time world champion James Magnussen said in his column for News Corp.

“I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life”

STUBBLETY-COOK’S SILVER AS AUSSIES GIRLS MISS OUT

Stubblety-Cook, 25, produced another stellar performance at the highest level but he could not reel in home nation hero Marchand, who won the 200m butterfly earlier in the night.

Marchand, who becomes the first swimmer to win those two events in the same Olympic Games, touched the wall in a time of 2min 5.85sec, a new Olympic record and the second fastest time of all-time.

Stubblety-Cook, the defending champion from Tokyo, finished with silver 0.94 seconds behind with Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands claiming bronze.

“It was an awesome race,” Stubblety-Cook said. “I think to have a French crowd and a French favourite was unbelievable. The crowd took us the whole way through.

“I stuck to my race plan, did my best swim so I can’t complain and I am stoke would the silver medal.”

Remarkably the race was the first time Marchand has swum in the 200 breastroke in a major international competition but in his current form and with the deafening home crowd behind him there was simply no stopping him as he led from start to finish.

Marchand earlier made a sensational late charge to clinch the men’s 200m butterfly crown.

World record holder and defending champion Kristof Milak of Hungary led until the final stretch when Marchand, who already has gold from the 400m medley, made his dramatic surge, roared on by the home crowd.

“This is, dare I say it, Phelps-like,” Matt Thompson said in the Channel 9 commentary after Marchand’s second win of the night.

‘I EXPECTED MORE’: O’CALLAGHAN MISSES SPRINT DOUBLE

Swedish legend Sarah Sjoestroem stunned the field to win her second career gold at age 30, pouncing late from a wide lane to win in 52.16 seconds ahead of American Torri Hoske 52.29 and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey (52.33).

O’Callaghan – the pre-race favourite – missed a medal by just 0.01 seconds as she and Jack were fourth and fifth respectively. O’Callaghan is renowned as a fast finisher but couldn’t bring it home with Sjoestroem winning by a fingertip.

“I expected a lot more,” O’Callaghan said.

“But at the end of the day you’ve got to suck it up and wait another four years.

“I tried really hard to manage myself and get up for this but I knew 100 free was going to be hard because it’s a lot about speed and that’s something I really lack in.

“I knew it was going to be a tough race … it’s 0.01 (of a second), if you stuff something up it costs you.”

The Swede initially wasn’t planning to enter the 100m.

Despite winning four Olympic medals and 25 at world championships, she had never a gold in the 100m until now.

Australia’s still has some excellent chances for gold in Day 5 finals, including Kyle Chalmers in the men’s 100m final and Zac Stubblety-Cook in the men’s 200m breaststroke.

TWO AUSSIES THROUGH TO 200m BUTTERFLY FINAL

Australia will have two representatives in tomorrow morning’s 200m women’s butterfly final

Liz Dekkers and Abbey Lee Connor each finished third in their semis, with Dekkers (2:06.17) fourth-fastest qualifier into the final, finishing behind Canada’s Summer McIntosh (2:04.87)

Connor clocked 2:07.10 to be seventh fastest qualifier

LEDECKY MAKES STATEMENT AHEAD OF NEXT TITMUS SHOWDOWN

Katie Ledecky powered to a dominant victory in the women’s 1500m freestyle to successfully defend her Olympic title and add an eighth gold medal to her glittering collection.

The American great was untouchable, coming home in 15mins 30.02secs, an Olympic record and more than 10 seconds ahead of France’s Anastasiia Kirpichnikova in second. Germany’s Isabel Gose won bronze while Australian Moesha Johnson was sixth.

Ledecky went out hard and was a body length clear after 100m with her lead growing to five seconds at the halfway mark.

She never relented, her advantage continuing to build as she reinforced her reputation as the greatest distance swimmer the sport has seen.

The result was never in doubt with the 27-year-old setting the last six world records and now holding the fastest 20 times ever swum.

It was her eighth Olympic gold, and 12th medal overall after adding a bronze in the 400m freestyle behind Australian winner Ariarne Titmus.

Ledecky will also swim the 800m in Paris, with Titmus standing in her way of winning a fourth straight title

The win elevated her as the first woman swimmer to win gold at four Olympics. Among men, only fellow Americans Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte have achieved the feat.

It was reward for three more years of hard toil after she claimed the title in Tokyo.

“It’s not easy, it doesn’t get any easier so I do try to enjoy it each year,” she said.

“There’s different perspective that I have different years. Different challenges that you face each year in training and as you get older.

“I definitely appreciate it a lot and have a lot more perspective than I did back in Rio or London.”

DAY 5 HEATS WRAP