Five swimming golds were handed out in the ongoing Paris Olympics on Monday, and went to five different teams.
In the women's 200m freestyle final, Australian swimmers registered a 1-2 finish. Mollie O'Callaghan set an Olympic record of one minute, 53.27 seconds ahead of defending champion Ariarne Titmus. Siobhan Haughey from Hong Kong of China, seized bronze.
Xu Jiayu wins men's 100m backstroke silver at Paris Olympics in Paris, France, July 29, 2024. /CFP
In the men's 100m backstroke final, Thomas Ceccon secured Italy's second swimming gold medal in Paris, 0.32 seconds faster than second-placed Xu Jiayu of China, who was less than a tenth of a second faster than Ryan Murphy of USA.
"I think the result was pretty good," Xu said. "I was leading the race. I respect my opponent for beating me at the last moment. I was close to the gold medal," Xu said.
"Age is a big factor. There are many competitive swimmers. I can learn from them as well and maybe win the gold medal next time, said the 28-year-old who vowed to come back stronger.
Tang Qiaoting wins women's 100m breaststroke silver at Paris Olympics in Paris, France, July 29, 2024. /CFP
In the women's 100m breaststroke final, South Africa's Tatjana Smith made a late surge in the final 10 meters to overtake Tang Qianting of China by 0.26 seconds.
Meanwhile, Canada's Summer McIntosh blitzed her rivals to finish first in the women's 400m individual medley final. Romania's David Popovici pocketed his first Olympic gold medal in the men's 200m freestyle final.