Cook Impresses with Sixth Place Finish in 400m Free Final

Swimming: 400m Freestyle Final – Day 2

Athlete: Tamsin Cook

Venue: Olympic Aquatic Stadium

Western Australian swimmer Tamsin Cook has finished sixth in the final of the women’s 400m on night two of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Gold was won by US great, Kate Ledecky, who smashed her own World and Olympic Record, in touching home in 3:56.46mins. Great Britain’s Jazz Carlin was second (4:01.23) whilst USA’s Leah Smith earned bronze (4:01.92).

Making her Olympic debut as the youngest member of the Australian Swimming Team in Rio, Tamsin Cook set a huge personal best (4:04.36) in qualifying eighth fastest for the final, before moving up the leaderboard for a sixth place finish in the final, after clocking 4:05.30.

At 17 years of age, Cook has a bright future in the sport, and will now look forward to the 800m freestyle event later in the competition schedule.

Cook is also in contention to swim in the heats of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, which is scheduled for Wednesday (Thursday Perth time), with team officials to confirm the relay team make up on the day.

In the 400m final, Cook managed negative splits across each 100m checkpoint and by the final turn, had moved up to seventh. The WA dasher even hauled in Australian teammate Jessica Ashwood in the closing 50m, to finish a highly respectable sixth on Olympic debut.

Cook is one of three Western Australians on the Dolphins Team, with Blair Evans competing in the heats of the women’s 400m IM on the opening day of competition, whilst Brianna Throssell has the 200m butterfly to come, later in the meet.