World Championships, Day Four Semifinals: Summer McIntosh Nails Down Top Seed in 200 Butterfly
When Summer McIntosh stepped onto the blocks for Night Four of the World Championships, she already owned world titles in Singapore from the 400 freestyle and 200 individual medley. Her next target is gold in the 200 butterfly, where she is the No. 2 performer in history. That semifinal was part of the Night Four program.
In addition to semifinal action in the women’s 200 butterfly, there was also semifinal action in the men’s 100 freestyle and women’s 50 backstroke.
Here is how the Night Four semifinals unfolded:
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Men’s 100 Freestyle
The final of the 100 freestyle is set to be spectacular after the United States’ Jack Alexy and Romanian David Popovici cracked the 47-second barrier in the second semifinal, with Alexy clocking an American record of 46.81. Alexy’s time bettered the previous American mark of 46.96, held by Caeleb Dressel since 2019. Alexy was out in 22.45 and came home in 24.36 to clip Popovici, who registered a swim of 46.84. Popovici has been 46.71 this year and already won the 200 freestyle at Worlds.
Russian Egor Kornev (Neutral Athletes B) was third in the semifinals, going 47.29 to finish just ahead of Aussie Kyle Chalmers, a three-time Olympic medalist in the event. Chalmers won the first semifinal in 47.36. He was the only qualifier for the final from his semifinal and was followed as the No. 5 seed by France’s Maxime Grousset, who went 47.39.
Missing from the final will be China’s Pan Zhanle, the reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder. Pan was 10th in 47.81, a swim that left him .17 shy of the top eight.
Women’s 50 Backstroke
Coming off a silver medal in the 100 backstroke, where she clocked the third-fastest time of her career, Regan Smith surged to the top seed for the final of the 50 backstroke. Smith won the second semifinal in 27.23, which put her ahead of the 27.26 from Great Britain’s Lauren Cox in the opening semifinal. Cox had to survive a swimoff after the prelims to remain in contention, but has obviously found her groove.
American Katharine Berkoff, the No. 2 performer in history, advanced as the third seed and will try to complement her earlier bronze medal from the 100 backstroke. Berkoff touched the wall in 27.34 and was followed by China’s Wan Letian (27.44). The Canadian tandem of Ingrid Wilm (27.48) and Kylie Masse (27.50) also moved on.
Women’s 200 Butterfly
It was cruise control in the semifinals of the 200 butterfly for Canadian Summer McIntosh. The reigning Olympic champion and No. 2 performer in history, McIntosh went through her semifinal in 2:06.22, which was the second-quickest of the session. The top seed for the final was grabbed by Australian Elizabeth Dekkers, who went 2:06.13. Dekkers was a late addition to the Aussie squad for the World Champs after Abbey Connor was forced to withdraw.
Regan Smith, the Olympic silver medalist in Paris, moved on as the No. 3 seed, behind a swim of 2:06.96. Smith completed a double on Wednesday night, with the American taking the top seed in the 50 backstroke earlier in the session.
China’s Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old phenom who was fourth in the 200 IM earlier in the meet, squeezed into the final as the eighth seed. She went 2:07.95 and will be in an outside lane, as was the case in the 200 medley.
