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Tokyo Flashback: It’s a Magical Golden Moment For Canadian Maggie MacNeil in 100 Butterfly
One year has passed since the Olympic Games, delayed by a year due to COVID-19, unfolded in Tokyo. To celebrate what went down in the Japanese capital, Swimming World is revisiting the championship finals – each on their one-year anniversary – by once again running the stories that were posted after the medals were decided.
It took a few moments to sink in but World and Pan Pac champion Maggie Mac Neil has today been crowned the Olympic champion, winning Canada’s first swimming gold of the Tokyo Games with a stunning 100m butterfly victory at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The 21-year-old, who had dreamed of becoming an Olympian since her first swim meet in 2008 and found out about her selection via Zoom in 2021, stormed home down the second lap to snatch that elusive gold in an Americas record time of 55.59.
FLYING GOLD: The style of an Olympic champion. Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher — USA Today Sports
The first Canadian to win the 100m butterfly since it was first swum in Melbourne in 1956.
Adding the gold to her silver medal on the opening day in the 4x100m freestyle relay alongside her now fellow Olympic champion, Penny Oleksiak, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist in the 100m freestyle and silver medallist in this event four years ago.
But today it was Mac Neil’s time to shine and in an epic race – with a stunning performance for the London Ontario native, who was born in Jiujiang, in China’s Jiangxi Province, before being adopted and moving to Canada and who is now a star at the University of Michigan, swimming program.
Mac Neil touched the wall just 0.05 ahead of a brave showing from China’s Zhang Yufei (55.64) with Australia’s “medal machine” Emma McKeon setting a new Oceania and Australian record of 55.72 for the bronze. Sweden’s defending champion and world record holder, Sarah Sjostrom, finished seventh in 56.91 – an extraordinary effort just to be in the final after fracturing her elbow earlier in the year.
Swimming without contact lenses Mac Neil turned to the scoreboard, focusing on the names and the places, with a look of disbelief when she saw she was the new Olympic champion.
“I like to check the scoreboard pretty quickly. But it’s hard just because I don’t have contacts (contact lenses),” she said of her delayed reaction.
“It does take me a minute to read the scoreboard, so I was just trying to squint and see where I came.
“I knew quicker at the (2019) Worlds (that I had won) because I had Sarah Sjostrom next to me there.
“I heard my name being called, but it wasn’t until I turned around and saw the result that I realised I had won.”
SILVER LINING: The first three members of the Canadian women’s 400 free relay, from left, Rebecca Smith, Kayla Sanchez and Maggie MacNeil; Photo Courtesy: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Network
And how did she do it?
“I just put my head down and tried to get to the wall as fast as possible and I’m really glad it all came together,” Mac Neil said.
“I could hardly see anyone on the far side of the pool, which I think helped me a lot, because I was able to just focus on my own race,”
Mac Neil was seventh at the 50m mark, splitting 26.50, keeping her cool and keeping something in the bag for a power-packed last lap, the gold medal lap and she timed it to perfection, bringing it home in 29.09.
And on being an Olympic champion?
“It’s crazy. I’m trying to process what happened yesterday with the relay, because that was so incredible,” she said.
“And I still don’t think I’ve realised the whole world champion thing, so this will take a while to get used to.”
Zhang had led through the 50m mark in 25.71 and just couldn’t hang on, with Mac Neil doing her best work over the final few metres.
McKeon, fresh from her gold medal part in Australia’s gold-medal winning world record 4x100m freestyle relay, also flew home to snatch her second medal of the Games.
TURNING SILVER INTO GOLD: Canada’s 400 free relay silver medallists (from left) Penny Oleksiak, Rebecca Smith, Maggie MacNeil and Kayla Sanchez show off their silver medals; Photo Courtesy: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Network
Great article on Maggie MacNeil’s gold in the 100 fly, and the silver she and her team-mates (Sanchez, Smith, and Oleksiak) won the previous day in the 4X100 relay. Although Maggie lives in London, Ontario, and swims for Canada, the fact that she’s also been competing for the University of Michigan means she has friends and fans on both sides of the border.