{"id":533366,"date":"2023-07-26T18:28:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T01:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=533366"},"modified":"2023-07-26T18:28:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T01:28:27","slug":"world-championships-madison-wilson-aus-leah-smith-usa-leading-off-800-free-relay-teams-in-heats-lineups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-madison-wilson-aus-leah-smith-usa-leading-off-800-free-relay-teams-in-heats-lineups\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships: Madison Wilson (AUS), Leah Smith (USA) Leading Off 800 Free Relay Teams in Heats (Lineups)"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships: Madison Wilson (AUS), Leah Smith (USA) Leading Off 800 Free Relay Teams in Heats (Lineups)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The women’s 800 freestyle relay will conclude the program on day five of the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Australia enters as the favorite after setting a world record in the event at last year’s Commonwealth Games, and\u00a0Mollie O’Callaghan<\/strong> and\u00a0Ariarne Titmus<\/strong> just finished 1-2 in the women’s 200 free, with O’Callaghan beating\u00a0Federica Pellegrini’s<\/strong> 14-year-old world record while Titmus finished just off the old standard<\/a>. The primary to challenge for Australia will come from the defending world champion United States team, a group featuring Katie Ledecky<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Click here to view the full lineups for prelims<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both favored groups will rest their main stars in prelims. Australia will go with\u00a0Madison Wilson<\/strong>,\u00a0Lani Pallister<\/strong>,\u00a0Brianna Throssell<\/strong> and\u00a0Kiah Melverton<\/strong>. Wilson and Melverton joined O’Callaghan and Titmus on last year’s world-record relay. O’Callaghan and Titmus will surely return to the squad at night, with\u00a0Shayna Jack<\/strong> an option for the team after impressive relay performances so far in Fukuoka plus at least one from this prelims roster.<\/p>\n

As for the Americans,\u00a0Leah Smith<\/strong>,\u00a0Erin Gemmell<\/strong>,\u00a0Alex Shackell<\/strong> and\u00a0Anna Peplowski<\/strong> will race. Smith is racing at her fifth World Championships, and she has been part of three gold-medal 800 free relays plus a silver-medal-winning team in 2019, but the other three swimmers are all racing at their first senior-level international competition. Ledecky,\u00a0Bella Sims<\/strong> and\u00a0Claire Weinstein<\/strong> are likely to enter this group at night, although Weinstein became somewhat of a question mark after her 200 free semifinal time of 1:57.03 was almost two seconds off her best time from last month’s U.S. Nationals.<\/p>\n

Canada, the winners of bronze last year, will swim a totally different foursome to last year’s lineup, with\u00a0Katerine Savard<\/strong> on the anchor leg. 200 free Worlds bronze medalist\u00a0Summer McIntosh<\/strong> would join the squad assuming qualification for the final and likely\u00a0Taylor Ruck<\/strong> as well. China, the winners of Olympic gold in 2021, will have both of the country’s individual event entries,\u00a0Ai Yanhan\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Li Jiaping<\/strong>, racing in qualifying. We’ll see if any members of the gold-medal team from two years ago, including\u00a0Yang Junxuan<\/strong>,\u00a0Li Bingjie<\/strong> and Zhang<\/strong> Yufei<\/strong>, come in at night.<\/p>\n

Of note,\u00a0Marrit Steenbergen<\/strong> will anchor the Netherlands while 400 free bronze medalist\u00a0Erika Fairweather<\/strong> will swim the leadoff leg for New Zealand.<\/p>\n