Japan’s Ohashi Yui claims gold in the women’s 400m individual medley final with Team USA duo Emma Weyant and Hali Flickinger taking silver and bronze… but Britain’s Aimee Willmott finishes seventh in gruelling race
Japanese home favourite Ohashi Yui came out on top in the women’s 400m individual medley final to claim a superb gold medal.
Yui pulled ahead of the field and took the host nation’s first gold of this year’s Olympics in the pool, while Team USA won the silver and bronze.
Emma Weyant finished in second with Hali Flickinger narrowly behind in third – but Great Britain’s Aimee Willmott ended up in seventh.
Japan’s Ohashi Yui has come out on top in the women’s 400m individual medley final in Tokyo
Willmott was second fastest entering the final, handing her a favourable lane, but after a mixed butterfly leg she began to struggle.
At the halfway point she found herself in fifth and still holding hope of a medal, but a gruelling last leg ultimately saw drop down the order.
There had been hopes that Willmott would be able to take Great Britain’s first medal this summer, but they were rapidly extinguished.
‘It’s not sad tears, it’s overcoming emotion,’ Willmott later said, reflecting back. ‘I just wanted to get out there and enjoy myself and it was so much fun.
Team GB’s Aimee Willmott finished seventh after a gruelling last leg saw her fall down the field
‘I finished seventh last time and I finished seventh again, so I can’t really be too grumpy. The big thing for me was that I did make it back.’
In the end, it was Yui who triumphed with a time of 4:32.08, having burst out of the traps to lead throughout.
Weyant took silver in 4:32.76, and compatriot Flickinger picked up the bronze in 4:34.90.
The champion from Rio and world record holder, Katinka Hosszu of Hungaria, finished fifth in 4:35.98.
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