World Championships: Torri Huske Paces Prelims of 100 Butterfly; Zhang Yufei Lurking in Open Field

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World Championships: Torri Huske Paces Prelims of 100 Butterfly; Zhang Yufei Lurking in Open Field

When the podium of the women’s 100-meter butterfly is settled at the World Championships in Budapest, it will have a distinctly different look than the last edition of the competition. None of the medalists from 2019 are entered in the event, leaving the door open for several new faces at the awards ceremony.

Reigning world champion Maggie Mac Neil of Canada has opted to focus on her relay duties in Budapest, while Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom – a four-time world champion – is targeting the sprint-freestyle events and 50 butterfly at the Duna Arena. Meanwhile, Australian Emma McKeon, the bronze medalist at the last World Champs and Olympic Games in Tokyo, is bypassing the meet to focus on next month’s Commonwealth Games.

So, who will take advantage of the new landscape?

The silver medalist in the 100 fly at the Tokyo Games, China’s Zhang Yufei affirmed her status as one of the frontrunners for the world title. Zhang comfortably cruised to a prelims outing of 57.37, which was good for the third seed heading into the semifinals. Zhang trailed only American Torri Huske and France’s Marie Wattel in qualifying. Huske, who just missed a medal at the Tokyo Olympics with a fourth-place finish, was the only sub-57 performer of the morning, thanks to her time of 56.82. Wattel followed in 57.21.

Huske has been known to push the pace a bit more than the opposition during the early rounds of competition, and she displayed that approach en route to leading the prelims of the first of several events she will contest in Budapest.

American teenager Claire Curzan, who reached the semifinals of the event at the Olympic Games, qualified fourth in 57.48, with Sweden’s Louise Hansson going 57.53 for the fifth spot.

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