Doha had spectators at the edge of their seats on the last day of the World Aquatics Championships. But the event’s ultimate day was a major upset for the semi-final 50m backstroke gold medalist Michael Andrew, pushing him out of the podium. Andrew, the 24-year-old breaststroke specialist, lands up with no gold this season. Finishing eighth with a time of 24.86, he witnessed his Doha dreams crash in the wink of an eye.

But the semi-final silver finisher, also the only US on the podium, Hunter Armstrong clocked in at 24.33s to nab the runner-up position. Armstrong is walking home with his 6th Doha medal as a perfect representative of his nation. But the 2016 100m individual medley world champion couldn’t live up to his hard-earned position. He who has managed a seat alongside swimming titans like Nic Fink and Claire Curzon, has faced a setback in the 50m freestyle as well. In the truest sense, this World Championship leg wasn’t in favor of the Tokyo gold medalist.

Michael Andrew looks to bag titles in the Paris Olympics

Probably stepping into the 2024 US Olympic Trails, Andrew missed his chance of making waves in the inaugural event of 2024. But speaking candidly with SwimSwam, he shed light on his Paris plans, with an exclusive focus on 50m, freestyle, 100m breaststroke, and 100m fly. Pitching up to qualify for the Olympics for the second time in a row, the 78-medal holder across the Swimming World Cup will not lose hope at any cost.

Looking back at his 50m backstroke qualifier event, today’s top finisher Isaac Cooper swam to victory in just 24.18s. His electrifying performance was enough challenging for his US counterparts to win against. In that, Andrew’s qualifying time was 24.70s, which was nothing more celebratory than just satisfactory.

Though this disquiet was bearable, his biggest blow came in the latter half of 2023. In his pursuit of excellence, Andrew embarked on his US Nationals journey with a desire to clinch a World Championships spot. However, despite his 50m fly gold photo finish, he failed to make it to his third consecutive World Championships team.

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READ MORE: Doha World Aquatics Championships: Dreams Shatter for American Swimmer After Huge Upset Against British Rival

For swimmers who secure roster doubles, USA Swimming selects them to be a part of the Worlds or Olympics team. Being the last person standing, Andrew was struck out due to space crunch. If anything such happens at the Olympic Trials this year, his dream of Olympic glory will be suspended again.

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