RIO DE JANEIRO — Rising-senior Jordan Wilimvosky made his presence known in his Olympic debut Friday afternoon by winning his 1500-meter freestyle heat with a personal-best time of 14:48.23 to qualify for tomorrow night's final.
The final will take place at 8:11 p.m. CT and be televised live on NBC.
Out of the six preliminary heats on Friday, Wilimovsky's time of 14:48.23, which is the fifth fastest U.S. male time in history, ranked third and will place him in lane three for Saturday's race.
Connor Jaeger, a University of Michigan alumnus and fellow American swimmer, edged out Wilimovsky's time by just under three seconds (14:45.74), while Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri posted the best time of day with a 14:44.51.
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The Malibu, California, native placed second in the 1500m freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July with a then personal-best time of 14:49.19 to qualify for the Rio Games.
IT'S OFFICIAL! @J_WILIMOVSKY WILL SWIM IN THE 1500M FINALS. LANE 3 ????
— #B1GCats (@NU_Sports) August 12, 2016
TOMORROW | 8 pm CT | NBC#B1GCats #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/NXhTXA5hAU
The final will take place at 8:11 p.m. CT and be televised live on NBC.
Out of the six preliminary heats on Friday, Wilimovsky's time of 14:48.23, which is the fifth fastest U.S. male time in history, ranked third and will place him in lane three for Saturday's race.
Connor Jaeger, a University of Michigan alumnus and fellow American swimmer, edged out Wilimovsky's time by just under three seconds (14:45.74), while Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri posted the best time of day with a 14:44.51.
The Malibu, California, native placed second in the 1500m freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July with a then personal-best time of 14:49.19 to qualify for the Rio Games.