Jarod Hatch made a quick, forgettable stint after finishing 36th in the men’s 100-meter butterfly event of the Paris Olympics at the Paris La Defense Arena on Friday (Manila time).
The 25-year-old Hatch finished last in Heat 2 after posting 54.66 seconds to share the 36th spot with Josh Kirlew of Jamaica in this 40-man competition.
It was such a subpar performance for Hatch as he wasn’t able to match the national record of 52.87 seconds that he set during the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Kristof Milak of Italy, the gold medalist in the 200-meter fly, topped the heats after posting 50.19 seconds while Josh Liendo of Canada outshone record holder Caleb Dressel of the United States in Heat 5 after clocking 50.55 second.
Dressel, who owns the world and Olympic records of 49.45 that he set in the previous Summer Games in Tokyo, finished third in Heat 5 but was still able to make the cut after emerging sixth with 50.83 seconds.
Katsuhiro Matsumoto of Japan, the reigning Asian Games champion, was the highest ranking Asian in the star-studded field with a clocking of 51.43 seconds while his fellow Japanese in Naoki Mizunuma hardly made the cut after sharing the 15th and 16th spots with Clement Secchi of France with a time of 51.62 seconds.