China's two-time world champion Xu Jiayu didn't make it onto the podium in the men's 100m Olympic backstroke event in Tokyo on Tuesday depsite producing his best performance this year.  

The 25-year-old Zhejiang-native hit the wall in 52.51 seconds and finished fifth, while Russian Olympic Committee's Evgeny Rylov edged team-mate Kliment Kolesnikov to win the gold in 51.98. American defending champion Ryan Murphy, who posted the fastest final 50m, could only settle for bronze in 52.19.

According to ESPN, it is the first time since the Moscow Olympics in 1980 that an American has failed to win either gold or silver in the 100m backstroke. 

Xu had a tough lead-up to the Olympic final, with severe physical discomfort impacting his display. After the backstroke preliminaries on Monday, he was videoed sitting on the ground and vomiting. Multiple media reports revealed that Xu had stomach ulcers in recent days and his discomfort did not subside in the final.  

Anyone can be an unlucky loser, but the way Xu handled himself when he was plagued by illness on the grandest stage of the sport said a lot about his mentality and character. It was this never-say-die attitude that earned him two world titles in the 100m backstroke and a silver medal in the event at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

In women's 100m backstroke, Australia's 20-year-old Kaylee McKeown set a new Olympic record to win the gold medal after touching in 57.47. Canada's Kylie Masse finished second in 57.72 and American Smith third in 58.05. 

Meanwhile, U.S. young talent Lydia Jacoby stunned defending champion Lilly King to come out on top in the women's 100m breaststroke. Britain's Tom Dean made a near-flawless performance to win men's 200m freestyle gold medal.