{"id":619772,"date":"2025-08-02T04:44:34","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T11:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=619772"},"modified":"2025-08-02T05:27:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T12:27:53","slug":"world-championships-day-seven-semifinals-ruta-meilutyte-chasing-fourth-straight-title-in-50-breaststroke-lilly-king-advances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-seven-semifinals-ruta-meilutyte-chasing-fourth-straight-title-in-50-breaststroke-lilly-king-advances\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships, Day Seven Semifinals: Ruta Meilutyte Chasing Fourth Straight Title in 50 Breaststroke; Lilly King Advances"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships, Day Seven Semifinals: Ruta Meilutyte Chasing Fourth Straight Title in 50 Breaststroke; Lilly King Advances<\/strong><\/p>\n

The semifinals on Night Seven of the World Championships in Singapore were all about speed, with competition slated in the women’s 50-meter freestyle, men’s 50 backstroke and women’s 50 breaststroke. In the women’s 50 freestyle, the door is open for a new champion, as three-time reigning titlist Sarah Sjostrom<\/strong> of Sweden is taking the year off and expecting the birth of her first child.<\/p>\n

In the women’s 50 breaststroke, American Lilly King<\/strong> will try to extend her career into the final before retirement calls. King has medaled in the 50 breast at the World Championships on three occasions, capturing gold in 2017 and 2019. As for the men’s 50 backstroke, South African Pieter Coetze<\/strong> is chasing podium appearances in each backstroke event, having already won gold in the 100 backstroke and silver in the 200 backstroke.<\/p>\n

Here is what unfolded in the Night Seven semifinals:<\/p>\n