2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The third finals session of the 2023 World Championships is upon us. After a fast prelims session, tonight’s finals is filled with eight occasions–together with 5 medal rounds.
Order of Occasions
- Males’s 200 Freestyle — Last
- Ladies’s 1500 Freestyle — Last
- Males’s 50 Breaststroke — Semifinal
- Ladies’s 100 Backstroke — Last
- Males’s 100 Backstroke — Last
- Ladies’s 200 Freestyle — Semifinal
- Males’s 200 Butterfly — Semifinal
- Ladies’s 100 Breaststroke — Last
Let’s check out the finals we’ve obtained forward of us. The session kicks off with the boys’s 200 freestyle last. Lane 4 is the defending world champion David Popovici, who swam 1:44.70 to guide the sphere. It’s a stacked subject, and all three of final 12 months’s medalists return: Popovici, Hwang Sunwoo, and Tom Dean. There’s additionally a crowd of newcomers seeking to make their mark together with Matt Richards and Luke Hobson, the latter of whom pushed Popovici by means of the heats and semis.
Then, we’ll shoot upwards in distance to the ladies’s 1500 freestyle. As anticipated, Katie Ledecky led the best way by means of prelims. If she wins, it is going to be her fifth world title within the occasion. Whereas the sphere could also be arduous pressed to problem Ledecky, Simona Quadarella seemed robust in prelims as did Lani Pallister and Li Bingjie, all of whom had been sub-16:00.
Within the ladies’s 100 backstroke, we’ll get the primary showdown between Regan Smith and Kaylee McKeown. Smith has led the best way by means of the rounds, however McKeown inched nearer to her within the semifinals, promising a terrific race. Behind them, Katharine Berkoff and Kylie Masse appear locked in a battle for bronze.
It’s the boys’s 100 backstroke subsequent. World report holder and defending champion Thomas Ceccon certified in first, turning the jets on within the semis after coasting by means of the heats. He’s adopted by Xu Jiayu and Ryan Murphy. Additional again, 2022 bronze medalist Hunter Armstrong simply snuck into the ultimate so we’ll see if he saved up one thing to problem for the rostrum.
The final last (and occasion) of the session is the ladies’s 100 breaststroke. There, we’ll be handled to the final three Olympic champions going through off: Ruta Meilutyte (2012), Lilly King (2016), and Lydia Jacoby (2020). Meilutyte has seemed nice by means of the rounds, and appears set to improve from bronze final 12 months. 200 breast Olympic champion Tatjana Schoenmaker goals to interrupt up the occasion, as does Mona McSharry who grew to become Eire’s first lady sub-1:06 in prelims.
MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Last
- World File: Paul Biedermann, Germany – 1:42.00 (2009)
- World Junior File: David Popovici, Romania – 1:42.97 (2022)
- Championship File: Paul Biedermann, Germany – 1:42.00 (2009)
- 2022 World Champion: David Popovici, Romania – 1:44.40
- 2022 Time to Medal: 1:44.98
Prime 8:
- Matt Richards (GBR) — 1:44.30
- Tom Dean (GBR) — 1:44.32
- Hwang Sunwoo (KOR) — 1:44.42
- David Popovici (ROU) — 1:44.90
- Luke Hobson (USA) — 1:45.09
- Lee Hojoon (KOR) — 1:46.04
- Kieran Smith (USA) — 1:46.10
- Felix Auboeck (AUT) — 1:46.40
The Brits have performed it once more. They replicated their 1-2 end from the Tokyo Olympics right here in Fukuoka, with Matt Richards incomes gold in a private greatest 1:44.30 and Tom Dean following simply two-hundredths behind. Even though we’ve come to affiliate the British males with 200 freestyle depth, this this the primary time that they’ve had two swimmers end on the Worlds podium.
This race handed us maybe the most important shock of the meet thus far: David Popovici missed out on the medals. On paper, he was the large favourite coming into the race since he owns the quickest textile time in historical past (1:42.97). Popovici took the race out quick, splitting 23.74/26.44/26/20 on the primary three 50s to guide the sphere round at 150 meters.
However then, Popovici began to fade, whereas Matt Richards, Hwang Sunwoo, and Tom Dean had been surging. Swimming proper subsequent to Popovici, Richards charged dwelling in 26.53. He pushed previous Popovici and obtained his hand on the wall first, snagging his first particular person medal on the Worlds/Olympic stage.
It was Dean who had the quickest closing cut up, clocking a 26.42 to maneuver by means of the sphere from fifth into second. He and Richards had been collectively on the wall, however Dean swung slightly bit on his final stroke, which made the distinction as Dean took silver in a season-best 1:44.32.
Whereas it would simply be the truth that Popovici blasting out so quick made Hwang’s opening appear extra managed, but it surely seemed like Hwang switched up his technique within the last. Usually, he tends to blast out to the lead from the beginning and attempt to grasp on. However this time, he got here on robust on the finish, incomes bronze in 1:44.42, shaving five-hundredths off his private greatest for a brand new Korean report.
Popovici got here dwelling in 28.12–the slowest closing cut up within the subject by nearly a second–and completed exterior the medals in fourth. He clocked 1:44.90, two-tenths off his semifinals occasions.
WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – Last
- World File: Katie Ledecky, United States – 15:20.48 (2018)
- World Junior File: Katie Ledecky, United States – 15:28.36 (2014)
- Championship File: Katie Ledecky, United States – 15:25.48 (2015)
- 2022 World Champion: Katie Ledecky, United States – 15:30.15
- 2022 Time to Medal: 15:48.96
Prime 8:
MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – Semifinal
- World File: Adam Peaty, Nice Britain – 25.95 (2017)
- World Junior File: Nicolo Martinenghi, Italy – 26.97 (2017)
- Championship File: Adam Peaty, Nice Britain – 25.95 (2017)
- 2022 World Champion: Nic Fink, United States – 26.45
- 2022 Time to Last: 27.20
Finals Qualifiers:
WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – Last
- World File: Kaylee McKeown, Australia – 57.45 (2021)
- World Junior File: Regan Smith, United States – 57.57 (2019)
- Championship File: Regan Smith, United States – 57.57 (2019)
- 2022 World Champion: Regan Smith, United States – 58.22
- 2022 Time to Medal: 58.67
Prime 8:
MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – Last
- World File: Thomas Ceccon, Italy – 51.60 (2022)
- World Junior File: Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia – 52.53 (2018)
- Championship File: Thomas Ceccon, Italy – 51.60 (2022)
- 2022 World Champion: Thomas Ceccon, Italy – 51.60
- 2022 Time to Medal: 51.98
Prime 8:
WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Semifinal
- World File: Federica Pellegrini, Italy -1:52.98 (2009)
- World Junior File: Summer season McIntosh, Canada – 1:53.91 (2023)
- Championship File: Federica Pellegrini, Italy -1:52.98 (2009)
- 2022 World Champion: Yang Junxuan, China – 1:54.92
- 2022 Time to Last: 1:56.87
Finals Qualifiers:
MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Semifinal
- World File: Kristof Milak, Hungary – 1:50.34 (2022)
- World Junior File: Kristof Milak, Hungary – 1:53.79 (2017)
- Championship File: Kristof Milak, Hungary – 1:50.34 (2022)
- 2022 World Champion: Kristof Milak, Hungary – 1:50.34
- 2022 Time to Last: 1:06.40
Finals Qualifiers:
WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – Last
- World File: Lilly King, United States – 1:04.13 (2017)
- World Junior File: Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania – 1:04.35 (2013)
- Championship File: Lilly King, United States – 1:04.13 (2017)
- 2022 World Champion: Benedetta Pilato, Italy – 1:05.93
- 2022 Time to Medal: 1:06.02
Prime 8:
