Martinenghi races from the shadows in Paris Olympics to beat Peaty and Qin in the 100 breaststroke
Nicolo Martinenghi won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Paris Olympics, thrilling Italian fans and canceling out several of the main story lines going into the race
By STEPHEN WADE
Published - Jul 29, 2024, 12:42 AM ET
Last Updated - Jul 29, 2024, 12:42 AM EDT
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Nicolo Martinenghi won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke on Sunday at the Paris Olympics, thrilling Italian fans and canceling several of the main story lines going into the race.
Martinenghi was the bronze medalist in this event in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and won at the world championships earlier this year in Doha.
But he was not the expected winner.
That was to be Great Britain's Adam Peaty — the two-time defending Olympic champion in the event in Lane 4. Another potential gold medalist was thought to be China's Qin Haiyang in Lane 5, who swept the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke last year in the world championships.
