Men's Swimming Olympic Updates: Auböck Places Seventh in 1,500 Freestyle
7/31/2021 10:49:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Olympics
• Tokyo Olympics Site | U-M Olympics Coverage
Sunday, Aug. 1
U-M alumnus Felix Auböck competed in his third final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Sunday morning (Aug. 1) in Japan and finished seventh in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle on the final day of swimming competition at Tokyo Aquatic Centre. Auböck stayed with the pack for the first 200 meters of the race before falling off the leaders' pace. The former Wolverine maintained his seventh-place status for the race's final 500 meters and finished in 15:03.47. In his second Olympic appearance, Auböck also made finals in the 400-meter freestyle (4th) and 800-meter freestyle (7th).
• 1,500-meter freestyle (Final): 7. Felix Auböck (15:03.47)
• Results and Video (NBCOlympics.com)
Friday, July 30
Former Wolverine Felix Auböck (Austria) qualified for an impressive third final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Friday (July 30), winning his 1,500-meter heat and qualifying seventh overall. The 2020 alumnus made a late charge to win his heat, holding second place in the race until the final 150 meters. Auböck passed Russian Olympic Committee's Kirill Martynychev and ended up winning the heat by nearly eight-tenths of a second. The 1,500-meter freestyle final is scheduled for 9:44 p.m. EDT Saturday, July 31 (10:44 a.m. Sunday in Japan).
• 1,500-meter Freestyle (Heats): 7. Felix Auböck (14:51.88)
• Results and Video
Thursday, July 29
U-M alumnus Felix Auböck (Austria) competed in the Olympic Games' inaugural 800-meter freestyle final Thursday morning (July 29) at Tokyo Aquatics Centre and finished seventh in 7:49.14. Auböck held close to the pack through the first half of the race but fell off the pace in the final 400 meters and finished four seconds behind his qualifying time.
Team USA's Robert Finke turned in an impressive final 50 meters to win gold with a 7:41.87, while Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy (7:42.11) and Mykhailo Romanchuk (7:42.33) finished in second and third, respectively. Auböck is scheduled to compete in the 1,500-meter freestyle heats Friday (July 30) at 7:06 a.m. EDT (8:06 p.m. in Japan).
• 800-meter Freestyle (Final): 7. Felix Auböck (7:49.14)
• Results and Video
Wednesday, July 28
Michigan graduate assistant diving coach Michael Hixon and diving partner Andrew Capobianco won a silver medal in the synchronized three-meter springboard diving Wednesday night (July 28) at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. The American pair finished second with a 444.36 total, nearly 40 points ahead of bronze medalists Patrick Hausding and Lars Rudiger of Germany (404.73). China's Zongyuan Wang and Siyi Xie scored 467.82 to take the gold medal.
Hixon and Capobianco started slowly, sitting fifth after two dives, but moved into second place after the third of six dives and held that position the rest of the way.
Hixon, who joined the Michigan coaching staff prior to the 2020-21 campaign and is pursuing an MBA at the Ross School of Business, also won a silver medal in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Sam Dorman. He was coached in Tokyo by U-M diving coach Mike Hilde. Hixon competed collegiately at Texas and Indiana.
After swimming in the 4x200-meter relay heats the previous night and helping United States advance, Wolverine rising senior Patrick Callan was not in the lineup for the event final Wednesday morning in Japan when the Americans fell short of the podium, swimming a 7:02.43 for fourth place and narrowly missing a medal. Callan would have received a medal had they placed.
Great Britain (6:58.58) cruised to victory, taking control in the third leg and never relinquishing the lead on its way to setting a new European record. The Russian Olympic Committee (7:01.81) and Australia (7:01.84) put together a second-half charge to pass the Americans, who were first or second every lap through 550 meters but had faded to fifth at the 600-meter mark.
• 4x200-meter Freestyle Relay (Final): 4. United States (7:02.43)
• Synchronized Three-meter Diving (Final): 2. Michael Hixon and Andrew Capobianco (444.36)
• Results and Video: Synchro Diving | 4x200 Free Relay (NBCOlympics.com)
• Hixon Repeats as Olympic Silver Medalist in Synchronized Three-Meter Diving
Tuesday, July 27
Rising senior Patrick Callan (United States) made his Olympic debut and joined two former Wolverines competing in Tuesday's (July 27) evening session at Tokyo Aquatics Center. Swimming the third leg in the 4x200-meter relay, Callan turned in a 1:47.12 split to help the Americans qualify for the final with a time of 7:05.62. The United States will be the No. 5 seed in the final at 11:26 p.m. EDT tonight (12:26 p.m. Wednesday in Japan).
Alumnus Felix Auböck (Austria) turned in another strong performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning his 800-meter freestyle heat and qualifying for the final as the No. 4 seed with a 7:45.73. Auböck was never lower than second place during the race, taking control of first by the 500-meter mark and never looking back. The Austrian will compete in the 800-meter final at 9:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 28 (10:30 a.m. Thursday in Japan).
Former Wolverine Mokhtar Al-Yamani (Yemen) competed in the 100-meter freestyle and won his heat in 50.52. His time ended up 47th overall and was not fast enough to qualify for the 100-meter semifinals.
• 100-meter Freestyle (Heats): 47. Mokhtar Al-Yamani (50.52)
• 4x200-meter Freestyle Relay (Heats): 5. United States (7:05.62)
• 800-meter Freestyle (Heats): 4. Felix Auböck (7:45.73)
• Results and Video: 100 Free | 4x200 Free Relay | 800 Free (NBCOlympics.com)
Sunday, July 25
Former Wolverine Felix Auböck (Austria) and rising sophomore Jake Mitchell (USA) were in action Sunday morning (July 25) at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the men's 400-meter freestyle final and placed fourth and eighth, respectively. Auböck finished with a 3:44.07 in the final, tying for fourth place and missing a medal by just two one-hundredths of a second. Mitchell, who surprised many by making the 400-meter final, finished two seconds behind the gold medalist with a 3:45.39. He fell .01 off from his personal best, which he set in heats the previous night.
Auböck has two events remaining in Tokyo. The 2019 alumnus will participate in the 800-meter freestyle, with heats scheduled for 7:12 a.m. EDT Tuesday, July 27 (8:12 p.m. in Japan), and the 1,500-meter freestyle, with heats Friday, July 30, at 6:41 a.m. EDT (7:41 p.m. in Japan).
Alumnus Mokhtar Al-Yamani (Yemen) competed in the 200-meter freestyle in Sunday's final swim session, finishing third in his heat with a 1:49.97. His time ended up 36th overall and was not fast enough to qualify for the 200-meter semifinals. Al-Yamani will compete in the 100-meter freestyle heats Tuesday at 6:02 a.m. EDT (7:02 p.m. in Japan).
• 400-meter Freestyle (Final): T4. Felix Auböck (3:44.07); 8. Jake Mitchell (3:45.39)
200-meter Freestyle (Heats): 36. Mokhtar Al-Yamani (1:49.97)
• Results and Video: 400 free | 200 free (NBCOlympics.com)
Saturday, July 24
The first day of swimming at Tokyo Aquatics Centre saw rising sophomore Jake Mitchell (USA) and alumnus Felix Auböck (Austria) advance to the 400-meter freestyle final. Auböck swam the second-fastest time in the heats (3:43.91). He finished just 0.24 seconds behind the leader and will swim out of lane five in the event's final at 9:52 p.m. EDT Saturday night (10:52 a.m. Sunday in Japan). Mitchell qualified thanks to a 3:45.38 in the heats, good for seventh overall. He will swim out of the first lane in the final.
• 400-meter Freestyle (Heats): 2. Felix Auböck (3:43.91); 7. Jake Mitchell (3:45.38)
• Results and Video (NBCOlympics.com)
Players Mentioned
