World Championships, Day Six Semifinals: Cameron McEvoy Leads Jack Alexy in 50 Free Qualifying; Favorites Advance
There will be no margin for error in the men’s 50-meter freestyle, one of four semifinals to be contested on the sixth night of the World Championships in Singapore. A stacked field will jockey for position in the one-lap dash, where reigning Olympic champion Cameron McEvoy is the favorite, but American Jack Alexy is right behind him. The Australian was also the world champion in the event in 2023.
The women’s 50 butterfly also featured its semifinal rounds, along with the men’s 100 butterfly and women’s 200 backstroke. In the women’s 200 backstroke, Australia’s Kaylee McKeown and American Regan Smith will try to position themselves for their latest championship duel. Earlier in the week, McKeown and Smith won gold and silver medals, respectively, in the 100 backstroke.
Here is what unfolded during the Night Six semifinals:
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Men’s 100 Butterfly
The semifinals of the 100 butterfly featured widespread seed, as it required a sub-51 performance to advance to the final. Leading the way was Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, who prevailed in the second semifinal in 50.18 and is trying to back up the silver medal he won earlier in the meet in the 50 fly. Ponti’s time was just ahead of the 50.24 produced by Canadian Josh Liendo, the silver medalist in the event from last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Frenchman Maxime Grousset, already the gold medalist in the 50 fly, advanced as the No. 3 seed, going 50.25. He was followed by Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun, as the Canadian went 50.39. In fifth was Italian Thomas Ceccon, who touched the wall in 50.42. Ceccon has already won silver in the 100 backstroke and bronze in the 50 fly in Singapore.
Women’s 200 Backstroke
None of the favorites expended much energy in the women’s 200 backstroke semifinals. The top times came from the first semifinal, when 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Peng Xuwei jumped out to a big lead and held on to finish in 2:07.76. The Chinese swimmer was followed closely by Belarusian Anastasiya Shkurdai, competing as a neutral athlete, in 2:07.85.
Four swimmers posted marks in the 2:08-territory, including the group widely expected to sweep the medals. The United States’ Claire Curzan won the second semifinal ahead of Australia’s Kaylee Mckeown (2:08.36) and the United States’ Regan Smith (2:08.67). McKeown is the world-record holder, and she has won titles in this event at the past four major competitions, with Smith securing silver last year in Paris as well as at the 2023 World Championships.
It took a time of 2:09.09 to advance to the final, with Hungary’s Dora Molnar the last swimmer in.
Men’s 50 Freestyle
Australia’s Cameron McEvoy has dominated the 50 freestyle globally the past two years, but he is going to get a push this time from American Jack Alexy. The first semifinal matchup was a preview of what is to come Saturday as McEvoy held off a charging Alexy by two hundredths, 21.30 to 21.32. Those are the top-two times in the world this year. McEvoy ranks No. 4 all-time at 21.06 while Alexy improved his best time by six hundredths, remaining 15th all-time in the event and second among Americans behind Caeleb Dressel.
Serbia’s Andrej Barna took third in 21.45, with neutral athlete Egor Kornev fourth and Italy’s Leonardo Deplano fifth. Great Britain’s Ben Proud, a four-time Worlds medalist in this event and the Olympic silver medalist in Paris, came in sixth at 21.61 while journeyman Santo Condorelli, now representing the United States, took seventh in 21.68.
There was a tie for eighth between Israel’s Meiron Cheruti and Korea’s Ji Yuchan, with both men clocking 21.77, setting up a swim-off to determine the last spot in the final. They denied finals spots to Brazil’s Gui Caribe (21.78) and Croatia’s Jere Hribar (21.79).
Later in the evening, Ji defeated Cheruti in the swim-off by eight hundredths, 21.66 to 21.74.
Women’s 50 Butterfly
American Gretchen Walsh, who appears to have recovered from the illness that affected her earlier in the meet, was the class of the 50 butterfly semifinals. Walsh easily locked in the top seed for the final, with her swim of 25.09 almost a quarter-second faster than Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk (25.32). Walsh and Vanotterdijk were the gold and silver medalists in the 100 butterfly.
Advancing in the third spot was South Africa’s Erin Gallagher, who turned in a time of 25.39. Australia’s Alexandria Perkins was next in 25.52 and the fifth seed went to Russia’s Arina Surkova in 25.54.
