Nicolo Martinenghi Clinches Gold in the 100-Meter Breaststroke at Paris Olympics

Nicolo Martinenghi won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Paris Olympics, unexpectedly beating favorites Adam Peaty and Qin Haiyang. Martinenghi, who was the bronze medalist in Tokyo 2021, won from Lane 7. Peaty praised Martinenghi and spoke about his own journey focusing on mental health over the past year.

Nicolo Martinenghi triumphed in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Paris Olympics, thrilling Italian fans by clinching gold. Martinenghi had previously won a bronze medal in this event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and an earlier victory at the world championships in Doha this year.

Surprisingly, Martinenghi was not the pre-race favorite. The spotlight was on Great Britain's Adam Peaty, a two-time defending Olympic champion, and China's Qin Haiyang, who has been a dominant force in recent breaststroke competitions. However, Martinenghi secured victory from Lane 7 in 59.03 seconds, narrowly defeating Peaty and American swimmer Nic Fink, who tied for silver.

Adam Peaty and Qin Haiyang had been the center of attention leading up to the race, but Peaty expressed no regret post-race, emphasizing the importance of his mental health journey. Qin faced controversy due to past doping allegations but was cleared to compete. Peaty praised Martinenghi's victory as well-deserved.

(With inputs from agencies.)