Budapest 2024, Day 3 Prelims: Summer McIntosh Sets WJR In 200 Fly, Gretchen Walsh Rattles 100IM WR
Summer McIntosh and Regan Smith reunite in the prelims of the 200 fly in which they won gold and silver respectively at Paris 2024.
Both women have reached the top of the podium already at Budapest 2024 with the Canadian having won the 400 free in world record-time while Smith claimed the 100 back title on Wednesday night.
Also to be contested at the Duna Arena on Thursday morning will be the men’s and women’s 50 back, the respective 100IM prelims, the men’s 400 free, and the women’s 4×2 as well as the men’s 2 fly featuring Chad le Clos.
Women’s 50m Backstroke
With Maggie MacNeil having retired and Claire Curzan and Mollie O’Callaghan bypassing Budapest, an entirely new podium will take shape.
Katharine Berkoff of the USA was the only woman inside 26secs, heading the top 16 in 25.89. She was followed by Ingrid Wilm (26.06) and Regan Smith, who started a busy morning in 26.08.
Also through were Kylie Masse, Kira Toussaint and Analia Pigree.
Men’s 50m Backstroke
Miron Lifintsev returned to the Duna Arena the morning after winning the 100 back in a WJR. The 18-year-old – a neutral athlete – went in the penultimate heat where he led the way in 22.87.
Kacper Stokowski, third in the 100 back, was second through in 22.89 with Shane Ryan of Ireland the third man inside 23secs in 22.98.
Melbourne 2022 silver medallist Isaac Cooper also navigated his way into the semis in 23.01 ahead of neutral athlete Pavel Samusenko (23.02) and Hubert Kos, back in the water after 100 back silver to touch in 23.05.
A swim-off was required between Yohann Ndoye Brouard and Mantas Kauspedas with the latter touching in 22.91 to 23.27 to claim the final spot.
That was a Lithuanian record for Kauspedas as he sliced a chunky 0.46 from the standard he’d set in the prelim. It also made him third swiftest in the field.
Women’s 200m Butterfly
Summer McIntosh is a swimmer who excites and thrills every time she takes to the water. Today was no exception with the triple Olympic champion setting a WJR in the 200 fly.
McIntosh went in the second prelim that also included the likes of 2019 world champion Boglarka Kapas and Elizabeth Dekkers, who won silver at the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka.
It was McIntosh who commanded the spotlight once more as she posted 2:01.96, more than half a second inside Chen Luying’s former WJR of 2:02.52 that had only stood since September. It was also a Canadian record.
Alex Shackell of the USA booked the lane adjacent to McIntosh in tonight’s final in 2:02.79 with Laura Lahtinen of Finland next through in 2:03.55.
Smith (2:04.11), Dekkers (2:04.34), Helena Rosendahl Bach (2:04.71), Chen (2:05.23) and Bella Grant (2:05.53) also navigated their way to the final.
Men’s 200m Butterfly
Alberto Razzetti was the only man inside 1:50 as the Italian ensured lane four for the final in 1:49.44. Olympic bronze medallist Ilya Kharun set a Canadian record of 1:50.11 to secure a centre lane while Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland and Estonian Kregor Zirk shared the third qualification spot in 1:50.39.
Kharun made his international debut at Melbourne 2022 where he finished eighth in the 200 as well as claiming 100 silver and 4×50 free bronze.
In the two years since he made his bow in international waters, the 19-year-old has claimed double fly bronze at Paris 2024, and on Wednesday set an Americas 50 fly record of 21.67 en-route to silver in the individual event while also swimming the fly leg as Canada won silver in the mixed 4×50 medley relay.
Kharun clearly has little difficulty in adjusting from long to short-course, as he told Swimming World: “There’s a big difference because there’s a difference in how you measure your strength but I think I prefer short over the long.”
He’s another young Canadian swimmer who has a sparkling future ahead of him. On whether the success of McIntosh has a ripple effect, he said: “I think it just brings more motivation for the team. I saw her get top place (in the 200 prelims) and I’m like now it’s my time I guess.
Richard Marton of Hungary booked the eighth and last spot in 1:51.79 with Michal Chmielewski locked out by one place in 1:51.83 and reigning champion Chad le Clos the second reserve in 1:51.89, the South African letting out a shout of ‘yes’ in the mixed zone.
Women’s 100IM
Gretchen Walsh is enjoying a record-breaking time in Budapest. The USA swimmer downed the 50 fly WR – which had stood to Therese Alshammar since 2009 – in 24.02 in prelims before going on to become the first woman through the 24-second barrier when she went 23.94 in semis.
Walsh won the title and also anchored the women’s 4×1 free relay in 50.67 as the quartet set a global mark of 3:25.01.
On Thursday, the double Olympic relay champion swam the second-fastest 100IM in history in 56.06, a time only she has ever bettered with her 55.98 WR in October.
It was a championship mark, well inside the 56.70 of Katinka Hosszu which has stood since the Doha worlds of December 2014, and just 0.08 off her WR.
Kate Douglass was closest to her in 56.98 with the USA pair well clear of the rest of the field. Rebecca Meder set an African record of 58.44 in fifth.
Men’s 100IM
Nikola Miljenic of Croatia led the way in 51.32 ahead of Noè Ponti as the Swiss athlete returned the morning after setting another WR en-route to 50 fly gold. Ponti clocked 51.67 with Carles Coll Marti of Spain next through to the semis in 51.70 as five men went sub-52.
Michael Andrew of the USA progressed in 52.33 with Benedek Andor securing 16th spot in 53.67.
Men’s 400 Free
This promises to be a corker of a final with 3:39.14 required to make the final and the likes of Victor Johansson and Danas Rapsys locked out.
Elijah Winnington of Australia booked lane four in 3:37.42 with Carson Foster (3:37.86) and Lucas Henveaux of Belgium (3:37.87) also going through 3:38.
Hungarian Zalan Sarkany (3:38.43), Roman Fuchs of France (3:38.51), 800 gold medallist Ahmed Jaouadi (3:38.57) and Petar Mitsin of Bulgaria (3:38.94) all progressed with reigning champion Kieran Smith of the USA claiming the final spot in 3:39.14.
There was though no place for 2022 bronze medallist Rapsys (3:39.60) or Johansson (3:39.85).
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay
The USA quartet of Katie Grimes, Phoebe Bacon, Lilla Bognar and Claire Weinstein were swiftest into the final in 7:40.04 ahead of a quartet of neutral athletes who are having quite an impact on the medal table (7:41.36), 0.10 ahead of Italy (7:41.46) and Germany (7:41.65).
Reigning champions Australia made it through in 7:41.76 as they seek to defend their Melbourne crown followed by Hungary, who’ll be roared on by the Budapest crowd after progressing in 7:43.60 with China (7:46.28) and Brazil (7:47.97).
