FINA World Championships, Swimming: Updated Medal Picks for Night Five

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SHANGHAI, China, July 28. BASED on the results of preliminaries and semifinals, here are the updated picks for the five finals that will be contested tonight at the Oriental Sports Center. Medals will be up for grabs in the men's 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle and in the women's 200 butterfly, 50 backstroke and 800 freestyle relay.

Men's 200 individual medley

Original Medal Picks
Gold: Ryan Lochte
Silver: Michael Phelps
Bronze: Laszlo Cseh

Updated Medal Picks
Gold: Ryan Lochte
Silver: Michael Phelps
Bronze: Laszlo Cseh
**Staying with the original selections here and believing Lochte will break his world record, marking the first long-course standard to go down since the ban of high-tech suits at the beginning of 2010. Markus Rogan and Thiago Pereira will have something to say about the bronze medal.

Men's 100 Freestyle

Original Medal Picks
Gold: Nathan Adrian
Silver: Cesar Cielo
Bronze: Brent Hayden

Updated Medal Picks
Gold: James Magnussen
Silver: Nathan Adrian
Bronze: Cesar Cielo
**The bout with pneumonia prevented me from including Magnussen in the original medal picks, but he's definitely the man to beat. Adrian will have to get out to a huge lead and hold off the fast-charging Australian.

Women's 200 butterfly

Original Medal Picks
Gold: Liu Zige
Silver: Jiao Liuyang
Bronze: Kathleen Hersey

Updated Medal Picks
Gold: Liu Zige
Silver: Jemma Lowe
Bronze: Jiao Liuyang
**Honestly, I have no idea how this event is going to play out. Liu is not at her best, but still could pull out the gold medal in her best event. The two British swimmers, Lowe and Ellen Gandy, will have a say in the medal battle.

Women's 50 Backstroke

Original Medal Picks
Gold: Aya Terakawa
Silver: Anastasia Zueva
Bronze: Gao Chang

Updated Medal Picks
Gold: Anastasia Zueva
Silver: Aliaksandra Herasimenia
Bronze: Gao Chang
**It's a 50 sprint in a stroke event without a clear-cut favorite, so this thing is wide open. Maybe Zueva will be motivated by her silver-medal finish in the 100 back, which she lost by a hundredth of a second.

Women's 800 Freestyle Relay

Original Medal Picks
Gold: Australia
Silver: United States
Bronze: China

Updated Medal Picks
Gold: United States
Silver: Australia
Bronze: China
**Tough one to call for sure, but the sub-1:57 swims by Missy Franklin and Dagny Knutson (time trial) are reason to feel good about the United States' chances. Australia will be tough, however, as Kylie Palmer didn't swim the prelim and Bronte Barratt coasted.

Follow John Lohn on Twitter: @JohnLohn

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