{"id":533364,"date":"2023-07-25T05:06:44","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T12:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=533364"},"modified":"2023-07-25T05:06:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T12:06:44","slug":"world-championships-day-three-semifinals-qin-haiyang-storms-to-front-of-50-breaststroke-in-dominant-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-three-semifinals-qin-haiyang-storms-to-front-of-50-breaststroke-in-dominant-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships, Day Three Semifinals: Qin Haiyang Storms to Front of 50 Breaststroke in Dominant Effort"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships, Day Three Semifinals: Qin Haiyang Storms to Front of 50 Breaststroke in Dominant Effort<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before this year’s World Championships,\u00a0Qin Haiyang<\/strong> had earned just two global-level medals in his career, both at the lesser-attended Short Course World Championships, both in the 200 breaststroke and never gold. But all the sudden this year, the 24-year-old Qin has become the world’s premier sprint breaststroker, having already captured gold in the 100 breast by more than a second over a trio of decorated veterans. Now, a second gold medal in the 50 breast looks like a foregone conclusion.<\/p>\n

Qin was dominant in the semifinals Tuesday, recording the top overall qualifying mark by more than a half-second as he powered to a time of 26.20. Qin’s prelims mark of 26.34 made him the fifth-fastest performer in history, and now he ranks second all-time, only a quarter-second off the pace of the great\u00a0Adam Peaty<\/strong>, the only man to ever eclipse 26 seconds. Qin’s time is the seventh-fastest swim in history behind six efforts from Peaty recorded between 2017 and 2019.<\/p>\n

But while Qin owns a huge advantage over the rest of the group, the rest of the field is separated by just three tenths. Italy’s\u00a0Nicolo Martinenghi<\/strong>, who owns the second-quickest best time in the field at 26.33, qualified second in 26.74, with Qin’s Chinese teammate\u00a0Sun Jiajun<\/strong> third in 26.78.<\/p>\n

Germany’s Lucas Matzerath<\/strong> (26.89) and Brazil’s\u00a0Joao Gomes<\/strong> (26.90) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, while the defending world champion will take on the final from lane seven. American\u00a0Nic Fink<\/strong> touched out Martinenghi for the gold last year in Budapest, and one day after he tied with Martinenghi and Arno Kamminga<\/strong> for silver in the 100 breast, Fink swam a time of 26.95 here.<\/p>\n

Slovenia’s\u00a0Peter Stevens<\/strong> (27.04) and Australia’s\u00a0Sam Williamson<\/strong> (27.06) earned the last two spots in the final, denying Italy’s\u00a0Simone Cerasuolo<\/strong> a spot in the final by one hundredth.<\/p>\n