LESS than 24 hours after Filip Nowacki’s breakthrough silver medal performance in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke netted Jersey’s first Commonwealth Games medal in 36 years, the young Caesarean has sealed his spot in yet another final, this time in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke event.
Whatever the event, it seems that Nowacki is facing mammoth expectations. With each day, it’s becoming clearer each that he’s seen as the heir apparent, with an almost inevitable feeling – especially in the media camp – that he’ll eventually take the crown.
Nowacki stepped out to thunderous cheers for the semi-final, where he then lined up alongside Australia’s Sam Williamson, the man who narrowly bested him in last night’s final to claim the gold medal.
It’s funny how the Australian has somehow slid under the radar throughout his remarkable run to the gold medal, taking a backseat to the passing-of-the-torch storylines between Adam Ramsay-Peaty and Nowacki. But, he was surely keen to follow up last night’s gold with another scene-stealing performance.
Granted, this isn’t the event Nowacki is known for, with his tendencies to build and pick off his opponents throughout the second half of races suiting the longer distances. However, when we’re speaking about a talent such as that of Filip Nowacki, nothing’s off the table.
As the beep invited the roars of the atmospheric crowd, barely anything could separate Williamson and Nowacki, with the former living up to expectations to just about edge ahead. South Africa’s Chris Smith also threw his hat in the ring, showcasing explosive power to be right in the mix with the three.
In the end, the Australian showed why he had the 50m odds in his favour, powering ahead to get his hand to the wall first with a time of 26.79 seconds.
Smith and Nowacki were close behind and it really was anyone’s, with just 0.21 seconds separating the pair. This time around, it was the South African who took second place, while Nowacki’s time of 27.22 seconds was good enough for third.
After emerging from the pool, you could see Nowacki awaiting the outcome of the second semi-final from the media area, where his mentor Ramsay-Peaty was pitted against the in-form South African Michael Houlie.
As Ramsay-Peaty made the walk he’s made countless times before, it felt that this one held that bit more weight.
The result of last night’s 100m Breaststroke final left the British swimming legend – arguably the greatest breaststroke swimmer of all time – clearly devastated, with his bronze medal prompting Ramsay-Peaty to weigh up whether this marked the end of the road
However, after narrowly edging ahead of Nowacki in the heats earlier to prove he still had plenty left in the tank, Ramsay-Peaty was eager to punctuate the day with another stellar performance. As the star tried to amp up the crowd upon his arrival, it was clear that he’s not yet ready to relinquish the crown.
Although the desire to stay on top is there on full display, Ramsay-Peaty wasn’t without his challenges, as Houlie’s been riding a red-hot streak of form lately, clocking in a Games Record just two days prior with a time of 26.38 seconds.
As it played out, Houlie continued his momentum to place first with 26.61 seconds – which turned out to be the fastest across both semi-finals – and prove himself as the guy to beat going into tomorrow’s final.
Ramsay-Peaty was just 0.21 seconds behind to touch the wall with a time of 26.82 seconds, while Namibia’s Ronan Zuberg Wantenaar rounded out the top three, clocking in at 27.21.
Stepping into the mixed area afterwards, Nowacki told the JEP: “The 50m is always tight, especially given my size, but I’m very pleased to have made it back for tomorrow’s final.
“I’m a lot more relaxed given that it’s not really my event…the 50m is a bit of a hit-and-miss for me, so I just try and stay as relaxed as possible.”
With all the final spots now sealed, Nowacki heads into tomorrow’s final with the odds against him, especially given he clocked in the sixth fastest time of the field.
However, as I’ve come to expect from the Commonwealth Games, anything can happen, and this final is full of storylines.
While Ramsay-Peaty strives to keep his place on the throne and show he’s not yet the past, Nowacki will be giving his all to prove his time has come. Alongside the battling Brits, Williamson will look to cap off a miraculous comeback from a ruptured patella injury last year which left him unable to walk with another medal, and Houlie will try steal the spotlight as he hits his prime years.
Make sure to follow JEP Sport on social media to stay up to date with the Games, and make sure to tune in, at 8.07pm, for the Men’s 50m Breaststroke final.
