NANTERRE, France (AP) — Summer McIntosh, a 17-year-old phenomenon from Canada. David Popovici, a 19-year-old Romanian. Mollie O’Callaghan, a 20-year-old sprinter who surpassed her formidable Australian compatriot, Ariarne Titmus. They are the new figures in swimming and had a golden day on Monday night at the Olympic pool at La Défense Arena.
With them it became clear that swimming expands beyond its traditional powerhouse, the United States, which was not at the top of the podium this Monday and in three days of competition at the Nanterre pool, it has won two gold medals.
The great youth triumphs of this day
The Canadian McIntosh won the first Olympic gold medal of her budding career with a overwhelming victory in the 400 meters individual medley, where she came close to breaking her world record, and which adds to the silver medal in the 400 freestyle, behind Titmus and ahead of the American star Katie Ledecky.
McIntosh could add more medals in these Games as she still has a couple of individual races in Paris: the 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley.
David Popovici was the other teenager who triumphed that night, and he had to give it his all to win the 200 freestyle, one of swimming's classic events. The Romanian touched the wall first with a time of 1:44.72, just two hundredths ahead of the British swimmer Matthew Richards, with the American Luke Hobson seven hundredths behind for the bronze.
And then came the big surprise of the day: Ariarne Titmus, the record holder and defending champion in the 200 freestyle, was dethroned by Mollie O'Callaghan. Titmus, who started the Games with a crushing victory in the 400 free, fell behind this time and had no choice but to applaud her compatriot's comeback.
The other victories on Monday in Nanterre
Thomas Ceccon, 23 years old, gave Italy its second gold in as many nights, coming from behind to win the 100 backstroke, an event where he holds the world record since 2022.
In turn, Tatjana Smith gave South Africa its first gold in Olympic swimming by winning the women’s 100m breaststroke.