TOKYO, Japan – Former Auburn swimmer Luis Martinez finished seventh in the men's 100 butterfly final at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Saturday morning, and with a time of 51.09, he broke the Guatemalan national record he set earlier in the week in heats.
Martinez closed strong on the back 50 and narrowly missed the chance at a medal as he was just 0.35 off third place. Caeleb Dressel (USA) and Kristof Milak (Hungary) finished 1-2.
It was a historic night for Martinez who became the first athlete in Guatemala history to swim a final at the Olympic Games. Martinez, who was 19th overall in the 100 fly at the 2016 Rio Games, placed eighth in the semifinals to qualify for the final and then saved his best performance for last, swimming a personal best in the final.
Current Auburn assistant coach Gideon Louw traveled to Tokyo with Martinez and served as a coach for Guatemala, working primarily with Martinez.
In the earlier session, former Tigers Julie Meynen and Santiago Grassi closed their week at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with the 50 freestyle heats.
Meynen (Luxembourg) finished in a tie for 25th in the women's 50 free with a time of 25.36, and Grassi (Argentina) took 38th overall in the men's 50 free at 22.67. It was the second event of the Games for both swimmers who trained alongside Martinez in Auburn.
Marcelo Chierighini (Brazil) and Peter Holoda (Hungary) also swam Friday, anchoring their countries' men's 4x100 medley relay teams. Neither group advanced.
TRACK & FIELD
Former Auburn All-American Rachel Dincoff finished 12th in Group A of the women's discus throw with a best mark of 56.22. The first Auburn women's track and field athlete in school history to represent the United States at the Olympics, she made her first appearance in the Summer Games.
UP NEXT: SUNDAY, AUGUST 1
Gymnastics
Sunisa Lee (USA) – Women's Uneven Bars, 5:24 a.m. CT
