Despite no world records being broken yet in the Olympic pool at La Defense Arena, swimmers and coaches agree that the temporary structure built inside the indoor stadium is not at fault. The Paris 2024 organisers chose to transform the arena, originally used for concerts and rugby, to avoid constructing a new venue that could have become a white elephant post-Games.
While eight world records were shattered in Rio 2016 and six in Tokyo 2021, they remain elusive in Paris, although Olympic records have fallen. Notably, the much-anticipated women’s 400 metres freestyle “Race of the Century” fell short of expectations, and the 100m breaststroke final, despite a close finish, was two seconds off the world record pace.
Australian swimmer Elijah Winnington, silver medalist in the 400m freestyle, pointed out that the unique pressures and environment of the Olympics, including more walking in the athletes’ village, unfamiliar food, and longer bus rides, impact performance. French coach Denis Auguin noted the demanding schedule between Tokyo and Paris, with numerous high-level competitions, left less preparation time compared to the five-year gap before Tokyo.
Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh, who won her first Olympic gold in the women’s 400 metres individual medley, dismissed concerns about the pool’s speed, saying, “No matter what, everyone’s racing in the same pool.”
American coach Bob Bowman acknowledged that the pool’s shallower depth might affect swimmers who spend significant time underwater but still expects world records to be broken during the meet, though they would require exceptional performances.
