MEN’S 100M BUTTERFLY: Who's who

Lim Say Heng looks at the eight finalists, including Singapore's Joseph Schooling

MEN’S 100M BUTTERFLY SHOWDOWN

LANE 1

ALEXANDR SADOVNIKOV (RUSSIA)

The young Russian is one of two in this final who "graduated" from the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics to the senior stage.

Sadovnikov finished second in the boys' 100m fly in the Chinese city that year with 52.97, just 0.03 behind China's Li Zhuhao, who is in Lane 3.

The 19-year-old Volgograd native won a gold at that Games in the boys' 4x100m medley relay and another silver in the mixed gender 4x100m medley relay.

Date of birth: Sept 21, 1996

2016 best: 51.50 (Russian National Championships)

Personal best: 51.31

Olympic medals: Nil

 

LANE 2

MICHAEL PHELPS (US)

The Greatest of All Time, they call this man, even before these Olympics started.

The 31-year-old was already on 18 golds, two silvers and two bronzes before he arrived in Rio, and has since added four more titles to his collection. The tally includes the 200m IM gold yesterday morning (Singapore time), just before he took to the water again to clock 51.58sec in the 100m fly semi-finals.

Phelps may be ranked fifth overall in the semi-finals, but one can never write off the American, who is bidding to win this event for the fourth consecutive time at the Olympics.

Phelps will be relishing the chance to avenge two losses to Joseph Schooling - two months ago in the Texas Longhorns Invitational and the 100m fly heats in Rio.

Date of birth: June 30, 1985

2016 best: 51.00 (US National Trials)

Personal best: 49.82 (world record)

Olympic medals: 22 golds, 2 silvers, 2 bronzes

 

LANE 3

LI ZHUHAO (CHINA)

The 17-year-old Chinese swimmer is the youngest in the field, but comes with some pedigree.

Like Sadovnikov, Li competed in the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics, where he won the 100m fly in 52.94.

Months later, he stepped up to the senior level at the Asian Games in Incheon, and claimed the silver in the 100m fly with 51.91, behind Schooling who clocked a Games record of 51.76.

Li also claimed a gold in the 4x100m medley relay in South Korea which set the Games record of 3:13.37 in the final.

He is the holder of the junior world record of 51.24 in the 100m fly, his personal best which was set at this year's Chinese National Championships.

He also owns the junior world record of 1:55.52 in the 200m fly, set at the Chinese Autumn Championships last September.

Date of birth: Jan 9, 1999

2016 best: 51.24 (Chinese National Championships)

Personal best: 51.24

Olympic medals: Nil

 

LANE 4

JOSEPH SCHOOLING (SINGAPORE)

At age 21, Schooling has already set many milestones in swimming.

In 2014, he won Singapore's first Commonwealth Games swimming medal - a silver in the 100m fly. He followed that up weeks later at the Incheon Asiad, where he won the 100m fly title, as well as a silver in the 50m fly and a bronze in the 200m fly.

Based in the US since 13, Schooling won gold in all nine events he swam in at last year's South-east Asia Games on home soil.

On the international stage, he claimed the 100m fly bronze at last year's World Championships, and helped the University of Texas to the national title two years in a row at the NCAA Championships.

Beating childhood idol Phelps twice in two months is a massive confidence-booster for the Singaporean. Will he win Singapore a historic gold this morning? A nation waits with bated breath.

Date of birth: June 16, 1995

2016 best: 50.83 (Olympic semi-finals, Asian and national record)

Personal best: 50.83

Olympic medals: Nil

 

LANE 5

CHAD LE CLOS 
(SOUTH AFRICA)

A star at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010, the South African made his name at the 2012 Olympics in London where he edged out boyhood hero Phelps to win the men's 200m fly by 0.05sec.

He also shared the silver medal in the men's 100m fly with Yevgeny Korotyshkin, with Phelps winning the event.

His star continued to shine at the 2013 World Championships, where he won the men's 100m and 200m butterfly in the absence of Phelps, who had retired after London.

Le Clos also claimed both 100m and 200m fly titles at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Phelps' return from retirement in April 2014 sparked a feud between the duo, which extended to Rio.

In what has become a viral meme online, Phelps was shown on television with a deadly scowl in the call room before the men's 200m fly heats, as le Clos shadow boxed in front of him.

Phelps would go on to win the gold in the event.

Date of birth: April 12, 1992

2016 best: 51.43 (Olympic 
semi-finals)

Personal best: 50.56

Olympic medals: 1 gold, 2 silvers

 

LANE 6

LASZLO CSEH (HUNGARY)

The Hungarian is competing in his fourth Olympics, having made his bow in Athens in 2004.

Perhaps unfortunate to be competing in the same era as Phelps, the 30-year-old has never won an Olympic gold, claiming silvers in the men's 200m fly, 200m IM and 400m IM in Beijing 2008, and a bronze in the 200m IM in London, to add to his 400m IM bronze in Athens.

The swimmer, who stands out with his bald pate, has had better luck at the World Championships though, claiming golds in the 400m IM and 200m fly in 2005 and last year respectively.

The 33-time European champion also owned the season's fastest time of 50.86, achieved at the European Championships, before Schooling displaced the time with his 50.83 in yesterday morning's semi-finals.

Date of birth: Dec 3, 1985

2016 best: 50.86 (European Aquatic Championships)

Personal best: 50.86

Olympic medals: 3 silvers, 2 bronzes

 

LANE 7

TOM SHIELDS (US)

Shields is known for his underwater kicking, much like Schooling, which has given him much success.

Shields, 25, holds the short-course American records in the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly events, and won back-to-back 100-yard fly titles for the University of California, Berkeley in 2012 and 2013.

He swam the 100m fly in the 2012 US Olympic trials, but could only finish fourth with 51.86, behind Phelps, Tyler McGill and Ryan Lochte.

Shields has never won an individual long-course title on the international stage but he was in the American team that won the 4x100m medley at last year's long-course world championships in Kazan, Russia.

This year, he has stepped it up, finishing second to Phelps in the 100m and 200m fly at the US Olympic Trials to make his Olympic debut in Rio.


Date of birth: July 11, 1991

2016 best: 51.20 (US Olympic trials)

Personal best: 51.03

Olympic medals: Nil

 

LANE 8

MEHDY METELLA (FRANCE)

The 24-year-old is the younger brother of Malia Metella, who swam for France at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and won a silver in the women's 50m free in Athens.

The younger Mehdy is the French record-holder for the 100m fly with 51.24, and has notched up numerous short- and long-course relay titles at the European and world championships.

He has only two individual medals at the international level - he took the 100m fly bronze in the short-course European championships in 2012, and the long-course 100m fly bronze at the European championships this year.

He swam the lead-off leg as France won the silver behind the US in the men's 4x100m free in Rio.

Date of birth: July 17, 1992

2016 best: 51.70 (European Aquatic Championships)

Personal best: 51.24

Olympic medals: 1 silver

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"I’ve got a clear head, I will respond. I’ve always said don’t judge me when I’m running like a lion, judge me when my back’s against the wall. I need one more gold medal to become the best African athlete in the Olympics."

— Chad le Clos on today’s race