Summer games in Paris - Swimmer Kohler narrowly missed an Olympic medal and cried
Angelina Köhler did not hide her sorrow for missing the Olympic medal by a narrow margin. The 23-year-old wept bitterly after finishing fourth in the 100 Meter Butterfly. "It's so sadly disappointing. I gave it all. Fourth place is the first loser," Köhler told ZDF. "I have to process this first." Köhler finished in 56.42 seconds. "It didn't go any faster," the Berliner said. "I will definitely not give up. I will give everything to achieve a final participation."
The Olympic title went to Torri Huske from the USA. Silver went to her teammate and world record holder Gretchen Walsh. Zhang Yufei secured the bronze.
Köhler was considered a medal contender but not a favorite in the competition at her first Olympic appearance. In February, she became world champion on the same stretch, but several strong competitors were not present.
The bronze medal winner, Zhang Yufei, to whom Köhler was 0.21 seconds short, caused a stir before the Olympics. In April, it was reported through media investigations that 23 Chinese swimmers and swimmers had tested positive for Trimetazidine at a national competition in China in early 2021. They were not suspended.
China's Anti-Doping Agency Chinada attributed the positive tests to contamination in a hotel kitchen, which WADA followed. For many athletes and officials, this caused confusion - even though an independent investigator from Switzerland later found no wrongdoing on WADA's part.
On a list of positively tested swimmers and swimmers published by the ARD, Zhang Yufei's name also appears. The core of the investigation is a non-published investigation report from Chinada - according to ARD information, verified by several sources.
Zhang Yufei herself recently expressed the hope that her international competitors would believe in her innocence. "I don't believe there is a single athlete, neither from China nor abroad, who would test positive for doping," she said. "They wouldn't want to destroy the hard work they have done in the past regarding doping." The 26-year-old reported that she and her teammates had been tested three to four times a week in the past few months.
Angelina Köhler, despite being a medal contender, missed out on the Olympic medal by a narrow margin in her first appearance. She expressed her disappointment to ZDF after finishing fourth in the 100 Meter Butterfly. Köhler's Swedish counterpart, Torri Huske, took home the Olympic title, with Gretchen Walsh from the United States securing silver. Zhang Yufei, who was 0.21 seconds behind Köhler, managed to secure the bronze medal for China.
Despite the controversy surrounding several Chinese swimmers and divers, including Zhang Yufei, who tested positive for Trimetazidine, the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency attributed the positive tests to contamination in a hotel kitchen. Although an independent investigator cleared WADA of any wrongdoing, the incident caused confusion among athletes and officials.
In her defense, Zhang Yufei recently expressed her hope to regain the trust of her international competitors. She emphasized that she and her teammates had been tested frequently in the past few months, assuring everyone of their commitment to maintaining clean sport.
