41 Gators representing 21 nations earned nine 2024 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze) so far in 2024 Olympics competition.
More info on Gators in 2024 Olympics<https://gatorsolympics.com/>
PARIS, France – The final day of swimming action added a gold and silver to the Gators tally of nine 2024 Olympic medals. Bobby Finke defended his 1500m freestyle gold in a world record time and Caeleb Dressel’s butterfly swim was the fastest split for the U.S.’s silver medal 4x100m medley relay.
Sunday action also included Gators in 3×3 basketball, golf and track & field action.
Golf
Alejandro Tosti and Camilo Villegas completed their Olympic debuts in the final round at Le Golf National. Representing Argentina, Tosti finished T18 with a 72-hole score of 276 (-8). He shot all four rounds under par; 68-69-69-70.
Villegas shot his best round of the tournament behind an even-par 70 to finish 57th.
Final Standings<https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard>
Swimming
The phrase “saved the best for last” can surely be used to describe the final session of 2024 Paris Olympic swimming, as Bobby Finke<https://floridagators.com/sports/olympics/roster/bobby-finke/17034> was Team USA’s last chance of keeping the 120-year Olympic gold medal streak in men’s individual events alive.
Men’s 1500m Freestyle Final:
The reigning Olympic champion headed into Sunday’s final as the sixth seed after posting a 14:45.31 in prelims, five seconds behind top-seeded Daniel Wiffen [IRL]. Known for making his move in the final stretch of the race, Bobby Finke led from the start. By the halfway mark, he was under the World Record pace and maintaining a consistent 29 second split.
In the final stretch, Finke had secured the gold and was competing against the World Record time. He posted a 26.27 in the final 50 to defend his title in 14:30.67. Finke beat the previous World Record Sun Yang of China’s 14:31.02 by .35 seconds. It is Finke’s third Olympic gold medal and brings the Gator program total to 73 golds.
Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay Final:
Caeleb Dressel<https://floridagators.com/sports/olympics/roster/caeleb-dressel/17018> swam the butterfly leg in the final men’s event of the meet. Entering the water in fourth place, Dressel’s 49.41 split was the fastest in the relay and put his team in second. The U.S. held on for silver after posting a time of 3:28.01.
Dressel concludes his 2024 Paris Olympics with two gold medals and one silver. He now has a total of 10 Olympic gold medals and one silver.
Track and Field
Grant Holloway ran a heat all to himself on Sunday morning, finishing round one of the 110m Hurdles in 13.01 seconds. The next fastest athlete, in any of the four heats, finished in 13.22 seconds. Holloway will compete in the semifinal tomorrow, and the final is set for Tuesday.
Malcolm Clemons made his Olympic debut in the long jump. The 2024 Outdoor NCAA long jump bronze medalist posted a 7.72m leap, earning him 11th in the event.
Jevaughn Powell finished third in his heat for the first round of the 400m. He led coming around the second turn and was able to outlast the final efforts of the field. His 45:12 time secured third place and a spot in Tuesday’s semifinal action.
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown of Japan set his 100m personal best, with a 9.96 time that placed fourth in his semifinal heat. He did not advance to the final.
Thomas Mardal competed in the hammer throw final in his Olympic debut, finishing with the 11th-best mark in the final. His best throw unfortunately landed narrowly outside of the sector, and his 74.25m mark from his first throw remained his highest accepted score.
3×3 Basketball
U.S. Men Group Play
Netherlands 21, U.S. 6
The U.S. was eliminated with a 21-6 loss to Netherlands in the final day of Olympics’ pool play. The Netherlands took a 5-4 lead three minutes in and pushed it out to a 12-5 advantage at the halfway point. The U.S. could only add one more point as the Netherlands went on to end the game by reaching 21 points. Each of the U.S. players, including UF grad Canyon Barry, turned in two points each Sunday.
For the third day of 3×3 action, Jimmer Fredette did not play due to a leg injury, requiring the three other U.S. team members – Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis – to play the entirety of the game.
Olympic Pool Standings<https://fiba3x3.com/2024/olympics/standings/men/pools>
Box Score<https://fiba3x3.com/2024/olympics/games/f996fd9c-8ee1-4433-8bd2-9353a45c831e>
Look for other Gators in Monday’s Olympic action in 3×3 basketball and track & field.<https://gatorsolympics.com/>
Gators at The Games
Daily Schedule of Action for August 4, 2024
Gator
Sport
Country
Event
Result
Grant Holloway
Track & Field
USA
Men’s 110 H, Heat 4
1st – Advance to Semifinal
13.01
Malcolm Clemons
Track & Field
USA
Men’s Long Jump, Group B
11th – DNA
7.72m
Jevaughn Powell
Track & Field
Jamaica
Men’s 400m, Heat 6
3rd – Advance to Semifinal
45.12
Hakim Sani Brown
Track & Field
Japan
Men’s 100m, Semifinal 3
Semifinal 3 |4th | DNA
9.96
Thomas Mardal
Track & Field
Norway
Men’s Hammer Throw – Final
11th
74.25m
Alejandro Tosti
Golf
Argentina
Round 4 (Final Round)
T18 | 276 (-8)
Round 4: 70 (-1)
Camilo Villegas
Golf
Colombia
Round 4 (Final Round)
57th | 293 (+9)
Round 4: 71 (E)
Bobby Finke
Swimming
USA
Final: 1500m Freestyle
GOLD
14:30.67
Caeleb Dressel
Swimming
USA
Final: Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay
SILVER
3:28.01
Canyon Barry
3×3 Basketball
USA
Group play finale vs Netherlands
L, 21-6
Barry: 2pts