200 metres Butterfly, Women

Zhang Yufei was back as the defending gold medalist but she was not the favorite. That role fell to Canadian Summer McIntosh, who had won this event at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. Also highly considered was American Regan Smith, the 2020 silver medalist who led the world list for 2024, and in 2023 had become the fourth fastest performer in this event, with 2:03.87 at the Sun Devil Open in Tempe, Arizona.

The semi-finals went according to chalk, as McIntosh, Smith, and Zhang went 1-2-3. The final would also go according to plan. Zhang was out fastest, as she usually is, but McIntosh had the fastest split on each of the final three laps and would bring home gold in an Olympic record and second fastest performance of all-time, in 2:03.03. Behind her, Smith was well back at 100 metres, but moved into third at 150 and a stunning final turn almost brought her up to McIntosh – but not quite. Smith would finish second in a PR of 2:03.87. Zhang would get bronze but, after 100 metres, she could not match the finishing speed of McIntosh and Smith.

This was McIntosh’s second gold medal at Paris 2024, as she had won the 400 individual medley three days before, and had taken silver in the women’s 400 metre freestyle on the opening night of swimming. She would add another gold medal in the 200 individual medley, leaving Paris with three golds and four Olympic medals.

Regan Smith would leave Paris with five medals, winning two golds in both medley relays, but frustratingly taking three silvers, in this race, the 100 fly, and the 200 backstroke.

Zhang Yufei would win the most medals of the three in Paris, returning to China with six. Competing in six events at the 2024 Olympics, she won a silver medal in the women’s medley relay and five bronze medals. She became the first Olympian, in any sport, to win five bronze medals at a single edition of the Olympic Games. Probably maddeningly for her, she also set an Olympic best for most medals at a single Olympics without winning a gold medal. After her performance at Tokyo 2020, where she won four medals and two golds, this gave her 10 Olympic medals, the most of any Chinese Olympian, in any sport.