EMERGING FROM a three-year hiatus, Filipino-American swimmer Jarod Hatch was unsuccessful in punching a semifinal ticket in the Men’s 100-meter butterfly at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The event took place today at the Paris La Défense Arena in Paris, France.

Hatch, who has represented the Philippines since 2018, retired unexpectedly in 2021. However, the swimmer made a notable comeback in 2023, collecting three medals to lead the Philippine swimming team at the Southeast Asian Games.

Ahead of his Olympic debut, the 25-year-old tanker aimed to replicate fellow national team swimmer Kayla Sanchez’s advancement into the semifinals.  However, Hatch faced high-caliber contenders such as Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel of the United States, Katsuhiro Matsumoto of Japan, Wang Changhao of China, and Chad Le Clos of South Africa.

Positioned at lane eight, Hatch began the heat with a reaction time of 0.67 seconds, as he lagged behind South Africa’s Matthew Sates for last place. By the 50-meter mark, Hatch reached the wall with a time of 25.27 seconds, remaining at the tail-end.

In a bid to avoid a bottom-placed finish, the Filipino Olympian tried to outpace Sates with a renewed surge of speed, but the South African’s prowess rendered his efforts futile. Hatch completed his heat in 54.66 seconds, falling 1.79 seconds short of his own Philippine record of 52.87 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly.

Placing eighth in his preliminary race, Hatch ranked 36th out of 40 competitors overall and did not advance to the semifinals, missing the top 16 needed to qualify.