2017 FINA World Championships: Records Tumble Down on Night One

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Photo Courtesy: David Rieder

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The first night of competition saw a plethora of records tumble down as new World, American, World Junior, and Championship records were posted.

Sarah Sjostrom delivered a new 100 free world record as the lead off leg for Sweden’s 400 free relay, while Caeleb Dressel and Mallory Comerford posted their 100 free American records in the same fashion.

Katie Ledecky and Adam Peaty lowered championship records in the 400 free and 100 breast, while Andrii Khloptsov lowered the world junior record in the men’s 50 fly.

FINAL RESULTS

Event schedule:

Men’s 400 Free FINAL
Women’s 100 Fly Semi-Finals
Men’s 50 Fly Semi-Finals
Women’s 200 IM Semi-Finals
Women’s 400 Free FINAL
Men’s 100 Breast Semi-Finals
Men’s 400 Free Relay FINAL
Women’s 400 Free Relay FINAL

Men’s 400 Free FINAL

After qualifying second in prelims, China’s Sun Yang arrived ready to race in the finals of the men’s 400 free. Sun jumped to an early lead and never looked back, challenging the world record on the way, before finishing with a final time of 3:41.38. He becomes the first athlete to win a gold medal in the eight day swimming portion of the World Championships.

Mack Horton of Australia, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, picked up the silver medal with a time of 3:43.38, while Italy’s Gabriele Detti finished third overall with a 3:43.93.

South Korea’s Park Tae Hwan maintained his spot at fourth with a 3:44.38, followed by Austria’s Felix Aubock and his time of 3:45.21.

Great Britain’s James Guy (3:45.58), USA’s Zane Grothe (3:45.86), and Australia’s David McKeon (3:46.27).

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Women’s 100 Fly Semi-Finals

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom continued to near her own world record with a dominating swim in semi-finals of the women’s 100 fly. Sjostrom delivered a 55.77 to lead a talented group of athletes into tomorrow night’s finals. Her time stands as the second fastest time for her for 2017, with the fastest at a 55.76 from the Canet stop of the Mare Nostrum series.

Emma McKeon of Australia delivered the second fastest time of the evening with a 56.23 finish from the same heat, while the USA’s Kelsi Worrell turned in a 56.74 qualifying time for third from heat one.

Japanese sprint sensation Rikako Ikee qualified fourth overall with a 56.89, followed by the Junior World Record holder Penny Oleksiak (57.07) of Canada.

Korea’s An Sehyeon (57.15), China’s Zhang Yufei (57.29), and Russia’s Svetlana Chimrova (57.64) rounded out the top eight qualifiers.

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Men’s 50 Fly Semi-Finals

The USA’s Caeleb Dressel and Ukraine’s Andrii Govorov continued to sprint to the front of the men’s 50 fly semi-finals. The two delivered times a shy .01 seconds apart from heats one and two respectively to earn the top two seeds. Dressel posted a 22.76, while Govorov turned in a 22.77.

Dresser’s time stands as a new American Record and downs Bryan Lundquists’ 2009 record of 22.91.

Brazil’s Nicholas Santos grabbed the third place seed with a time of 22.84, followed by Great Britain’s Benjamin Proud and his time of 22.92.

Joseph Schooling of Singapore delivered a 22.93 to qualify fifth overall, while Brazil’s Henrique Martins turned in a 22.13 for sixth.

The USA’s Tim Phillips and Ukraine’s Andrii Khloptsov qualified seventh and eighth with times of 23.25 and 23.31 respectively. Khloptosv’s time set a new junior world record.

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Women’s 400 Free FINAL

In true Katie Ledecky fashion, the American distance ace continued to chop away at records and swim away from the competition in finals of the women’s 400 free. Ledecky, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, lowered her championship record from prelims down to a 3:58.34, just under two seconds off her world record time of 3:56.46.

Fellow distance queen Leah Smith of the USA held off the remaining field, picking up second with a time of 4:01.54. China’s Li Bingjie completed the top three qualifiers with a time of 4:03.25.

The fourth place seed was picked up by Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, who equaled her prelims swim of 4:04.26. That time stands as an Australian age group record for 16 year olds.

The Hungarian duo of Boglarka Kapas and Ajna Kesely finished fifth and sixth with times of 4:04.77 and 4:05.75 respectively.

China’s Zhang Yuhan and Russia’s Veronica Popova completed the top eight with times of 4:06.03 and 4:07.59.

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Men’s 100 Breast Semi-Finals

Adam Peaty of Great Britain charged to an easy first place seed with a dominating swim of 57.75. His time took down his own championship record of 58.18, set in 2015 in Kazan. Peaty is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder with a time of 57.13.

Team USA delivered a 2-3 punch, collecting the second and third place seeds with top swims by Kevin Cordes (58.64) and Cody Miller (59.08). Cordes’ time places him .10 seconds beneath his own American Record of 58.74, which he set just a few weeks ago at the 2017 USA Swimming Nationals in Indianapolis.

Lithuania’s Andrius Sidlauskas posted a qualifying time of 59.12 to return as fourth, just ahead of China’s Yan Zibei’s 59.15.

Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki (59.18), Great Britain’s Ross Murdoch (59.23), and Russia’s Kirill Prigoda (59.24) completed the top qualifiers.

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Women’s 200 IM Semi-Finals

Katinka Hosszu swam to a top seed in semi-finals of the women’s 200 IM in front of a roaring home crowd. Hosszu jumped to an early lead, holding off a charge from the USA’s Melanie Margalis in the breaststroke leg, to finish with a final time of 2:07.14.

Margalis settled for the second place seed with a time of 2:08.70, followed closely by Canada’s Sydney Pickrem and her time of 2:09.17.

Siobhan Marie O’Connor of Great Britain turned in a 2:09.72 to qualify fourth overall, just ahead of Korea’s Kim Seoyeong’s 2:09.86.

The USA’s Madisyn Cox was sixth in semi-finals with a 2:09.97, while the Japanese duo of Runa Imai (2:10.15) and Yui Ohashi (2:10.45) rounded out the top eight qualifiers.

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Men’s 400 Free Relay FINAL

The men’s 400 free relay was on fire from the very start as Team USA’s Caeleb Dressel led off in American Record fashion. Dressel delivered a final time of 47.26 to lower the previous American Record of 47.33, set in 2009 by Dave Walters.

The momentum continued for Team USA as Townley Haas and Blake Pieroni continued to hold their own against a charging Team Brazil. The race came down to anchors Nathan Adrian and Bruno Fratus as the two powered stroke-by-stroke through the final 100 meters. Adrian inched away from Fratus just enough to grab the gold for Team USA with a final time of 3:10.06.

Brazil’s Gabriel Santos (48.30), Marcelo Chierighini (46.85), Cesar Cielo (48.01), and Fratus (47.18) settled for second and a combined time of 3:10.34.

The Hungarian relay of Dominik Kozma (48.26), Nandor Nemeth (48.04), Peter Holoda (48.48), and Richard Bohus (47.21) turned in a final time of 3:11.99.

Fourth place was picked up by Russia’s relay team of Danila Izotov (48.96), Vlad Morozov (47.52), Nikita Lobintsev (48.09), and Nikita Korolev (47.99), who stopped the clock at a time of 3:12.58.

Japan and Canada collected fifth and sixth place finishes with times of 3:13.65 and 3:15.25 respectively, while Australia and Italy’s relays suffered disqualifications.

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Women’s 400 Free Relay FINAL

Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden jumpstarted the women’s 400 free relay final with a new 100 free world record as the lead off leg for Sweden. Sjostrom powered to a dominating 51.71, obliterating the previous world record of 52.06, which was set in 2016 by Australia’s Cate Campbell.

Michelle Coleman of Sweden continued to hold Sjostrom’s lead throughout the second leg, but the Americans charged forward. Katie Ledecky, fresh off a 400 free victory, pulled ahead on the third leg giving Team USA the lead as anchor Simone Manuel dove in. Manuel, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, held off a quickly charging Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Emma McKeon to claim gold for Team USA.

Mallory Comerford (52.59), Kelsi Worrell (53.16), Ledecky (53.83), and Manuel (52.14) turned in a combined time of 3:31.72 to bring home Team USA’s first women’s relay gold.

Australia’s Shayna Jack (53.75), Bronte Campbell (52.14), Brittany Elmslie (53.83), and McKeon (52.29) picked up the silver with a combined time of 3:32.81.

A dominating anchor leg by Kromowidjojo (51.98) powered The Netherlands to a bronze medal finish of 3:32.84. Teammates Kim Busch (54.05), Femke Heemskerk (52.84), and Maud van der Meer (53.77) completed the relay for The Netherlands.

Canada’s Sandrine Mainville (53.77), Chantal van Landeghem (52.97), Kayla Sanchez (54.16), and Penny Oleksiak (52.98) picked up fourth with a time of 3:33.88.

Sweden settled for fifth overall with a final time of 3:33.94, followed by China’s combined time of 3:36.49.

Japan and Denmark completed the top eight with times of 3:38.24 and 3:38.86 respectively.

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