Tokyo Olympics 2021: Men’s 400m freestyle final, Elijah Winnington, Jack McLoughlin

A teenager from Tunisia swimming in the outside lane has stunned Australia’s dual representation to pull off one of the biggest shocks in Olympic history.

Jack McLoughlin has won Australia’s second medal at the Tokyo Olympics, collecting silver in the men’s 400m freestyle result after Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui pulled off a shock win.

McLoughlin led at the start of the last lap but could not stop Hafnaoui from powering past him to snatch the gold from the outside lane in 3:43.36.

Australia’s Elijah Winnington, the pre-race favourite, faded badly to finish seventh after going out way too hard at the start.

Jack McLoughlin took the silver in a blanket finish.

His time of 3:45.20, was more than two and half seconds outside the time he posted at the Australian trials, which would easily have won him the gold.

McLoughlin finished just 0.16 behind the winner after leading from the halfway stage. American Kieran Smith won the bronze.

Ian Thorpe told Channel 7: “0.16 of a second behind for Jack McLoughlin. Still a great performance for him. 43.52. Boy, that was tight. That was very, very tight.”

On McLoughlin, he added: “He wasn’t as fast in the final as he swum in the heat. Difficult to be able to do this. That was such a tight finish for a 400 freestyle. Just 0.16 of a second separated gold and silver. Jack McLoughlin had the lead. It was just at the very end of that race.”

Reflecting on his race, Winnington said: “It is tough. It is my first international final. So I mean, obviously a little bit disappointed but that’s sport, you have got to get over it and I will get stronger.”

McLoughlin, who was only pipped in the last 50m after leading for most of the final, was asked whether he could see the eventual gold medallist: “Hell no, I’m pretty much blind. I normally wear glasses. I was lane 2. I knew I would be able to see him on the way home and saw the boys in the middle come in. I put my head down the last 100 and kind of just heard a bit. But second Olympics, it is pretty good.”

McLoughlin revealed post-race he almost quit swimming last year.

“I wanted to get out the front and say chase me and it almost paid off,” he said.

“I knew they were coming at me.

“I’m super stoked with second, little bit annoyed I didn’t get the win.

“Last year I was pretty close to quitting so to be here right now is very surreal.”

Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui produced one of the greatest Olympic upsets in decades.

Based in France, Hafnaoui was utterly flabbergasted when he realised he had won the event.

It was an extraordinary step up on the big stage for Hafnaoui, whose times had hovered nine seconds slower as a 15 and 16-year-old but improved to post 3min49 last year and 3min47 in May this year.

It is the biggest Olympic upset in nearly three-quarters of a century.

Back in 1952 at the Helsinki Olympics, Juan Bateux of France beat race favourite Ford Konno. and Boteux’s father, who was in the stands, ran over and jumped into the pool fully clothed to celebrate with his son.

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Men’s 400m freestyle final, Elijah Winnington, Jack McLoughlin