Katinka Hosszu Comfortably Takes Top Seed in Women’s 400 IM, Eyes Fourth Straight World Title

Katinka Hosszu -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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World Swimming Championships Katinka Hosszu

Gwangju 2019

Day Eight Heats

Women’s 400 IM

Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu has captured three straight world titles in the 400 IM, and even after a quiet World Championships by her standards, she will be heavily favored to capture a fourth straight gold medal and fifth overall in her career in the final. Hosszu first captured a gold medal in the event back in 2009, and she won Olympic gold at the 2016 Olympics in 4:26.36, a world record that remains the fastest-ever performance by a full two seconds.

Hosszu qualified first for the final in 4:35.40, even after finishing a disappointing eighth in the 200 back final 14 hours earlier. Japan’s Yui Ohashi, the silver medalist behind Hosszu two years ago in Budapest, qualified second in 4:37.23, while China’s Ye Shiwen, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the event, qualified third in 4:37.66. This marks the first occasion since 2013 that Ye has qualified for a major 400 IM final. Earlier in the meet, she won silver in the 200 IM for her first major medal since winning Olympic golds in both the 200 and 400 IM in London.

Two Canadians got into the final, with Emily Overholt qualifying fourth in 4:37.90 and Sydney Pickrem taking seventh in 4:38.59. Pickrem won bronze in the 400 IM in Budapest and already has two bronze medals this week, in the 200 IM and 200 breast.

The USA’s Ally McHugh took fifth in 4:38.32, while teammate Brooke Forde just missed with a ninth-place time of 4:39.74.

Finalists:

Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 4:35.40
Yui Ohashi (JPN), 4:37.23
Ye Shiwen (CHN), 4:37.66
Emily Overholt (CAN), 4:37.90
Ally McHugh (USA), 4:38.32
Fantine Lasaffre (FRA), 4:38.40
Sydney Pickrem (CAN), 4:38.59
Zsuzsanna Jakobos (HUN), 4:38.93

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