Cook Closes Olympic Campaign with Seventh Place Finish in 800m Free Heat
Swimming: Women’s 800m freestyle
Athlete: Tamsin Cook
Venue: Olympic Aquatics Stadium
WA swimmer Tamsin Cook has closed her debut Olympic campaign after finishing seventh in her heat of the women’s 800m freestyle on Day 6 of the Rio Olympic Games.
Off the back of anchoring the silver medal winning Australian women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team on night 5, Cook was showing the signs of a busy program in Brazil, posting a time of 8:36.62min to finish 20thfastest overall, missing out on a second individual final.
Cook’s 4x200m heat teammate Jessica Ashwood advanced through, setting the sixth quickest time of 8:22.57 for a final set to be dominated by USA’s Kate Ledecky, who set a new Olympic record of 8:12.86 in her heat, which was over six and half seconds fastest than the next quickest qualifying time.
For Cook, the 2015 dual Junior World Champion will reflect on a highly successful campaign for Australia that saw the 17 year-old set a new personal best in making the final of the women’s 400m free, whilst also sensationally earning a swim in the final of the medal winning 4x200m team.
Cook had originally been thought of as a heat swimmer, but she held her place after impressing in qualifying and went head to head against Ledecky in the fourth leg of the relay under the intensity of an Olympic final.
The Carine resident was one of the three WA athletes competing for the Australian Swim team, with Blair Evans contesting the women’s 400m IM and Brianna Throssell competing in the final of the women’s 200m butterfly.