Tokyo 2020 Olympics Day 5 Medal Table: 2 Golds and 2 Olympic Records for China

2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games

• When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
  • Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
• Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
• Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
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China stole the show on Day 5 of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. Of the five gold medals awarded on Thursday morning, two went to China. Both came with Olympic Records.

Zhang Yufei began with a dominant win in the women’s 200 fly. After leading the field through the heats and semis and improving her time with each swim, she won the final in 2:03.86 to break the Olympic Record of 2:04.06, set by countrywoman Jiao Liuyang in 2012.

One hour and three minutes later, Zhang was back behind the blocks again as a member of China’s 4×200 free relay. Yang Junxuan (1:54.37), Tang Muhan (1:55.00), Zhang (1:55.66), and Li Bingjie (1:55.30) upset the top-seeded Australian quartet to secure China’s second gold medal – and second Olympic Record – of the morning.

The United States also earned a pair of golds – as well as two silvers and a bronze – to remain at the top of the table. In the first event of the session, Bobby Finke came from behind to win the first-ever gold medal in the men’s 800 freestyle (7:41.87). The second gold medal came from Caeleb Dressel’s thrilling 100 freestyle win, in which he erased the Olympic Record with 47.02. The American women went 1-2 behind Zhang in the 200 fly, with Regan Smith taking home silver (2:05.30) and Hali Flickinger earning bronze (2:05.65). The USA women’s 4×200 free relay ended the session with a silver medal from Allison Schmitt (1:56.34), Paige Madden (1:55.25), Katie McLaughlin (1:55.38), and Katie Ledecky (1:53.76).

Australia earned a full set of medals. Zac Stubblety-Cook brought home gold in the men’s 200 breast, breaking the Olympic Record with 2:06.38, Kyle Chalmers secured a silver medal in the 100 free (47.08), and the women’s 4×200 free relay team of Ariarne Titmus (1:54.51), Emma McKeon (1:55.31), Madison Wilson (1:55.62), and Leah Neale (1:55.85) wrapped up the session with a bronze.

Italy earned their second silver medal with Gregorio Paltrinieri’s second-place finish in the 800 free (7:42.11). Netherlands, also, picked up their second silver with Arno Kamminga’s 2:07.01 in the 200 breast. Kliment Kolesnikov gave the Russian Olympic Committed their only medal of the day, a bronze from the men’s 100 free (47.44).

Mykhailo Romanchuk put Ukraine on the leaderboard with a bronze medal in the 800 free (7:42.33). Finland also scored their first swimming medal of the Tokyo Games: a bronze in the final of the men’s 200 breast for Matti Mattson (2:07.13).

While the top three teams (USA, Australia, and Great Britain) didn’t budge, Day 5 saw China and Japan leapfrog Canada and the Russian Olympic Committee to take over at the 4th and 5th positions. USA may have fewer gold medals than they had after five days in 2016, but their overall medal count is the same. Australia and Great Britain are outpacing their 2016 selves by a generous margin, through the first five days of competition.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Pool Swimming Medal Table After Day 5

Rio 2016 Olympics: Pool Swimming Medal Table After Day 4