American swimmer Hunter Armstrong faced a daunting challenge during his 100-meter backstroke semifinal at the U.S. Olympic trials on Sunday but managed to qualify for Monday’s final despite the setback.
The 23-year-old had qualified for the semifinals with a leading time of 52.95 seconds, making him the only swimmer to break the 53-second barrier and a favorite to advance to the final. However, a disastrous start left Armstrong struggling to catch up, jeopardizing his hopes of making the final and returning to the Olympics in the 100 backstroke event.
Speaking to NBC Sports afterward, Armstrong said his heart “dropped.”
After hitting the wall last at the 50-meter mark, Armstrong caught up to most of the field and finished second with a time of 53.57 seconds. He will enter Monday night’s 100 back final ranked fourth, behind Ryan Murphy, Adam Chaney, and Jack Aikins.
Armstrong, who finished ninth in the 100 back at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is currently ranked sixth internationally by World Aquatics, explained that a camera setup in his lane interfered with his start, causing him to slip.
"HOW DID HE DO THAT?!?!"
Hunter Armstrong with a MASSIVE recovery to finish second and advance to the men’s 100m backstroke final!
📺 NBC & @peacock | #SwimTrials24 pic.twitter.com/oGZe8kCb6l
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2024
“I kind of knew something was off,” Armstrong told NBC Sports. “The camera that they put on the blocks was right where I wanted to put my hand. So I kind of pushed it a little bit. But yeah, the wedge just didn’t set. As soon as they said go, I slipped.
“Fortunately, the underwaters are not my strongest suit anyway, so I just came up and tried to make it back.”
Despite the kind of mishap that can haunt swimmers, Armstrong made an incredible recovery, demonstrating his resilience and skill.
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