World Championships, Day 1 Women’s Prelims: Kate Douglass Sets 200 IM Meet Record

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

A Special Thanks to Deep Blue Media for providing the images from this meet

World Championships, Day 1 Women’s Prelims: Kate Douglass Sets 200 IM Meet Record

The first session of the FINA Short-Course World Championships – of the last specifically FINA championship – is underway Wednesday morning in Melbourne, Australia, with a sizeable contingent of the world’s best swimmers ready to measure themselves over five days. With just over 18 months left to the open of the 2024 Paris Olympics, it’s a valuable chance to compete in the short pool, after a long summer of high-profile long-course meets.

On that stage, Kate Douglass wasted absolutely no time Wednesday, setting the meet record of 2:04.39, set in 2012 by China’s Ye Shiwen. Douglass led a Virginia 1-2 with Alex Walsh, Douglass out front by 1.55 seconds.

All the results from the first prelims sessions in Melbourne.

Women’s 400 freestyle

Neither the United States (Katie Ledecky) nor Australia (Ariarne Titmus) nor Canada (Summer McIntosh) fielded the leading distance stars whose names grace the record-board header, meaning the illness that has at least delayed Li Bingjie’s Worlds only further deprived the 400 free of much oomph.

The final will still boast a handful of Olympians, with an under-the-radar Oceania swimmer leading the way.

Erika Fairweather set the pace with a time of 3:58.2, the New Zealand teen setting a best time of 3:58.27. She’ll be after Lauren Boyle’s national record of 3:55.16 in finals. She was joined under four minutes by Lani Pallister, who went 3:59.50. Pallister will have a fellow Aussie in the final, with Leah Neale slipping into the eight spot, .06 up on China’s Liu Yaxin.

Both Americans are safely through, Erin Gemmell third in 4:00.49 and Leah Smith fourth in 4:00.71.

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Women’s 100 backstroke

Louise Hansson is in position to defend her title from Abu Dhabi, having led the way in prelims with a time of 56.04 seconds. Like in 2021, a Canadian is behind her, but a different one: Ingrid Wilm is the second seed in finals at 56.15. Her fellow Canadian and reigning silver medalist Kylie Masse tied for 10th in prelims in 57.01, even with the Netherlands’ Maaike de Waard.

It’s going to take an almighty battle to get into finals. Both Masse and Kaylee McKeown – the combined holders of five total Olympic and 12 Worlds individual backstroke medals – were outside the top eight. McKeown was 12th in prelims in 57.11. Just 1.07 seconds separated those top eight.

Behind Hansson and Wilm was the other Aussie, Mollie O’Callaghan, showing she’s more than just a freestyle sprinter. She is third in 56.35. Hanna Rosvall joins the Swedish sprint contingent in fourth, with Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands fifth. Both Americans – Isabelle Stadden in seventh in 56.85 and Claire Curzan ninth in 56.90 – are through to semis.

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Women’s 50 butterfly

Zhang Yufei led the way in the 50 fly, her time of 24.75 seconds besting the field. France’s Melanie Henique joined her under 25 seconds in 24.88, and the Swedish short-course sprint contingent showed itself again with Sara Junevik in third in 25.04.

The big hitters are lurking just below that. Torri Huske was fourth in prelims in 25.11, .02 up on Maggie MacNeil of Canada. Two swimmers pulled off doubles, with Maaike de Waard in 10th and Claire Curzan 11th. Both are safely into semis.

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Women’s 200 individual medley

Kate Douglass brought the heat from the very start. She was first in prelims in 2:04.39, clipping a quarter-second off the meet record (2:04.64 from Ye Shiwen in Istanbul in 2012). She’ll have the American record, set in 2020 by Mel Margalis at 2:04.06, in her sights in finals.

Second was fellow American Alex Walsh in 2:05.94. Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands grabbed the third seed, while Kaylee McKeown turned around well from the 100 back in the one straight-to-finals prelims of her opening day. She’s in the final as the fourth seed in 2:06.07. The most notable swimmer to miss the final is Japan’s Yui Ohashi, who finished 13th in 2:08.12.

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Women’s 400 free relay

All of the major favorites survived unscathed through semis, one with a record to their name.

A solid Australia squad that is likely to get at least one reinforcement for finals went 3:28.58. That’s an Australian and Oceania record for the foursome of Meg Harris, Madison Wilson, Leah Neale and Emma McKeon. The record had been 3:28.77 from the International Swimming League in 2019 (Holly Barratt, Minna Atherton, McKeon, Cate Campbell).

With Mollie O’Callaghan waiting in the wings for Neale (who at 53.28 was the only won over 52.11), that meet record (3:28.54) is a legal swim away from vanishing. The world record of the Dutch (3:26.53 from Qatar in 2014) is living on borrowed time.

The Dutch will want a say in the final, grabbing the second seed in 3:30.42. Canada was third in 3:30.69. The Americans were fourth in 3:11.11 with Erika Brown, Erin Gemmell, Natalie Hinds and Torri Huske. All four legs were between 52.70 and 52.83.

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Anna

1 year ago

Great article