2024 SC World Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2024 Short Course World Championships

Good morning! Welcome to day 2 prelims at the 2024 Short Course World Championships.

Yesterday’s swims were electric. The day 1 finals session saw SIX new World Records, and two of the record breakers are back in action in the same event this morning.

We are starting the prelims session with the 100 freestyle, and American swimmers Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass are hot. They both set individual World Records yesterday, Walsh in the 50 fly and Douglass in the 200 IM. They also were a part of the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay World Record, where Douglass led off in 50.95 and Walsh anchored in 50.67.

They aren’t the only stars, however, as we will get to see Siobhan Haughey, a World Record holder in her own right, compete for the first time this morning in the same event.

The men’s 100 freestyle is missing many of their big name swimmers, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fast, as we saw yesterday. Americans Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano will take the water again, after swimming on the World Record breaking men’s 4×100 freestyle relay yesterday. Not to be ignored, is France’s Maxime Grousset who is seeded first going into the session. We will also see Jordan Crooks, who is coming off an excellent NCAA midseason, for the first time this meet.

The breaststrokers are also taking the pool for the first time, among them on the women’s side are China’s Tang Qianting, defending champion Lilly King, and current World Record holder Ruta Meilutyte.

The men’s breaststrokers include World Record holder Ilya Shymanovich, Qin Haiyang, and Kirill Prigoda, who are within 2 tenths of each other so far this season.

The Women’s 800 freestyle will also swim as a timed-finals event, with all but the fastest heat swimming in the morning session. None of the prelims swimmers are expected to make the podium, but anything can happen, and they are not out of contention.

The meet will end with the prelims of the Mixed 4×50 medley relay.

Women’s 100 Freestyle

• World Record: 50.25 – Cate Campbell, AUS (2017)
• World Junior Record: 51.45 – Kayla Sanchez, CAN (2018)
• World Championship Record: 50.77 – Emma McKeon, AUS (2022)
• 2022 World Champion: Emma McKeon, AUS – 50.77

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA)- 51.64
2. Siobhan Haughey (HKG)- 52.12
3. Freya Anderson (GBR)/Kate Douglass (USA)- 52.27
4. —
5. Daria Trofimova (NAB)- 52.30
6. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA)- 52.47
7. Sara Curtis (ITA)/Milla Jansen (AUS)- 52.51
8. —
9. Nina Holt (GER)- 52.73
10. Milou Van Wijk (NED)- 52.76
11. Snaefridur Sol Jorunnardottir (ISL)- 52.77
12. Katarzyna Wasick (POL)- 52.80
13. Sara Junevik (SWE)- 52.84
14. Daria Klepikova (NAB)- 52.97
15. Barbora Janickova (CZE)- 52.99
16. Sofia Morini (ITA)- 53.02

Maral Batsanal  started out the prelims session with a win in the first prelims heat of the 100 free for Mongolia, going 1:00.08. The second heat went to Eritrea’s Christina Raach in 58.74, and Sarah Mose from Kenya took heat 3 in 57.12. Heat 4 went to New Zealand’s Zoe Pedersen in 53.86.

Nina Holt qualified for the semi-final with her prelims swims outside of the circle seeded heats. Holt won heat 5 in 52.73 to qualify in 9th.

The first circle seeded saw Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey and Great Britian’s Freya Anderson neck-and-neck throughout the race, with Haughey passing her right at the end to win heat 6 in 52.12. Anderson took 2nd in 52.27 and Sara Curtis of Italy took 3rd in 52.51

Gretchen Walsh took the 2nd circle-seeded heat, and led from start to finish. Walsh was out in 24.59, and took the heat in 51.64 by just over seven tenths of a second over Beryl Gastaldello from France who came in 2nd at 52.47. Mila Jansen was 3rd in 52.51.

The last heat was a race, but ultimately went to American Kate Douglass in 52.27 over Daria Trofimova who came in at 52.30, but led the whole race until the very end. Sara Junevik rounded out the top 3 in 52.84.

Men’s 100 Freestyle

• World Record: 44.84 – Kyle Chalmers, AUS (2021)
• World Junior Record: 45.64 – David Popovici ROU (2022)
• World Championship Record:45.05 – Jack Alexy USA (2024) 
• 2022 World Champion:Kyle Chalmers, AUS – 45.16

Top 16 Qualifiers

1. Jordan Crooks (CAY)- 44.95 ***New Championship Record***
2. Chris Guiliano (USA)- 45.94
3. Maxime Grousset (FRA)- 46.01
4. Guilherme Santos (BRA)- 46.06
5. Egor Kornev (NAB)- 46.07
6. Shane Ryan (IRL)- 46.23
7. Youssef Ramadan (EGY)- 46.24
8. Heiko Gigler (AUT)- 46.45
9. Jack Alexy (USA)- 46.57
10. Jere Hribar (CRO)- 46.60
11. Dylan Carter (TTO)- 46.63
12. Tomas Navikonis (LTU)- 46.63
13. Rafael Miroslaw (GER)- 46.74
14. Alessandro Miressi (ITA)- 46.82
15. Kamil Sieradzki (POL)/Lamar Taylor (BAH)- 46.89
16. —

Jordan Crooks was out first and fast in the first circle seeded heat. He was 21.63 at the 50, and held on to that speed to go 44.95 breaking the Jack Alexy’s championship record from last night in the process. 2nd with to Guilherme Santos of Brazil, and 3rd place was Heiko Gigler of Austri in 46.45

Americans Chris Guiliano and Jack Alexy both swam in the 2nd circle seeded heat. Guliano took the heat in 45.94. Alexy cruised to 2nd in 46.57, over a second and a half off what he went last night. 3rd went to Alessandro Miressi of Italy in 46.82, and that was all of the qualifiers out of heat 7.

The final circle seeded heat was almost a dead tie through the first 50. Ultimately France’s Maxime Groussset won the heat in 46.01, just 6 tenths ahead of Neutral Athlete Egor Kornev who came in at 46.07. Ireland’s Shane Ryan took 3rd in 46.23. Dylan Carter also made the semi-final with 46.63 for 4th.

Heat 8 wasn’t technically circle seeded, but 3 swimmers qualified out of it for the final. Youssef Ramadan from Egypt was 1st in 46.24. Tomas Navikonis of Lithuania placed 2nd in 46.63, and Lamar Taylor was 3rd, ultimately tied for 15th in 46.89

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

• World Record: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)/Alia Atkinson, JAM (2014, 2016)
• World Junior Record: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)
• World Championship Record: 1:02.36 – Alia Atkinson, JAM (2014)
• 2022 World Champion: Lilly King, USA – 1:02.67

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Angharad Evans (GBR)- 1:03.45
2. Lilly King (USA)- 1:03.50
3. Qianting Tang (CHN)- 1:03.52
4. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU- 1:04.27
5. Eneli Jefimova (EST)- 1:04.34
6. Sophie Angus (CAN)/ Alina Zmushka (NAA)- 1:04.42
7. —
8. Rebecca Meder (RSA)- 1:04.57
9. Evgeniia Chikunova (NAB)- 1:04.61
10. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU)- 1:04.62
11. Kotomi Kato (JPN)- 1:04.67
12. Yulia Efimova (NAB)- 1:04.77
13. Kristyna Horska (CZE)/Dominika Sztandera- 1:04.78
14. —
15. Emma Weber (USA)- 1:04.81
16. Sophie Hansson (SWE)- 1:04.97

The circle-seeded heats were fast, and all 16 semi-finalists qualified out of the last 3 heats.

The top 3 qualifiers were in a league of their own, however, and they were separated by less than a tenth of a second. Angharad Evans from Great Britain took the top spot in 1:03.45 from heat 6, winning her heat by over 8 tenths of a second over world record holder Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania.

The 2nd and 3rd seeds both came out of heat 7, and they were separated by only 2 one hundredths of a second. American swimmer Lilly King came out on top in 1:03.50. Qianting Tang from China took 2nd in 1:03.52. The 3rd swimmer in the heat was over a second behind them with Kotomi Kato of Japan coming in at 1:04.67.

There are seventy-five one hundredths between the 3rd and 4th qualifiers. To put this into perspective, the exact same amount of time separates every other swimmer in the semi-final. There are exactly seventy-five one hundredths between 4th place swimmer Ruta Meilutyte and 16th place swimmer Sophie Hansson of Sweden.

The race looks like it will be incredibly tight tonight in tonight’s semi-final, both for the top seed and for the 8 qualifying spots.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

• World Record: 55.28 – Ilya Shymanovich, BLR (2021)
• World Junior Record: 56.66 – Simone Cerasuolo, ITA (2021)
• World Championship Record: 55.70 – Ilya Shymanovich, BLR (2021)
• 2022 World Champion: Nic Fink, USA – 55.88

Top 16 Qualifiers: 

1. Kriill Prigoda (NAB)- 55.82
2. Haiyang Qin (CHN)- 56.39
3. Taku Taniguchi (JPN)- 56.59
4. Denis Petrashov (KGZ)/Ilya Shymanovich (NAA)- 56.65
5. —
6. Casper Corbeau (NED)- 56.71
7. Ludovico Blu Art Viberti (ITA)- 56.86
8. Alexander Zhigalov (NAB)- 56.90
9. Joshua Yong (AUS)- 56.99
10. Carles Coll Marti (ESP)- 57.07
11. Simone Cerasuolo (ITA)/ Jan Kalusowski (POL)- 57.23
12. —
13. Yamato Fukasawa (JPN)- 57.26
14. Dongyeol Choi (KOR)- 57.29
15. Bernhard Reitshammer (AUT)- 57.34
16. Chris Smith (RSA)- 57.38

The men’s 100 breast this morning was lonely at the top for Kirill Prigoda, a Neutral Athlete. He was the only swimmer under 56 seconds this morning, going 55.82 to win the first circle seeded heat by over a second over fellow Neutral Athlete Alexander Zhigalov who came in at 56.90.

The next fastest qualifier was Haiyang Qin from China at 56.39 from the final heat, which is over half a second behind. The rest of the semi-final is similar to the women’s side with less than a second separating Qin at 2nd from South African Chris Smith at 16th in 57.38.

There were 9 swimmers under 57 this morning, with Australia’s Joshua Young just barely squeaking in under that mark at 56.99. Also under the 57 mark was 2022 champion, Neutral Athlete, Ilya Shymanovich who tied for 4th at 56.55 with Kyrgyzstan’s Denis Petrashov.

Michael Andrew, the only American man in the event, missed out on the final placing 19th in 57.57.

Women’s 800 Freestyle

• World Record: 7:57.42 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2022)
• World Junior Record: 7:59.44 – Li Bingjie, CHN (2018)
• World Championship Record: 8:02.90 – Li Bingjie, CHN (2021)
• 2022 World Champion: Lani Pallister, AUS  – 8:04.07

Top 8 Prelims Swims:

1. Ajna Kesely (HUN)- 8:18.04
2. Ching Hwee Gan (SGP)- 8:18.85
3. Sofia Diakova (NAB)- 8:18.93
4. Eve Thomas (NZL)- 8:20.08
5. Amelie Blocksidge (GBR)- 8:21.47
6. Gabrielle Roncatto (BRA)- 8:22.45
7. Vivien Jackl (HUN)- 8:22.79
8. Artemis Vasilaki (GRE)- 8:27.23

Anja Kesely from Hungary set the time to beat for the finals tonight at 8:18.04. She swam in the final heat of the morning, and beat 2nd place swimmer Sofia Diakova’s 8:18.93 by 9 tenths of a second. This time was 7 tenths faster than she was seeded at 8:18.73, but even if she was seeded with this time, she would not have made the top 8.

Ching Hwee Gan won heat 2 in 8:18.85, squeaking in between Diakova and Kesely to take the 2nd fastest time going into tonight’s heat.

Eve Thomas from New Zealand took 4th from the final heat, just barely over the 8:20 barrier at 8:20.08.

Mixed 4×50 Medley Relay

• World Record: 1:35.15 – United States (2022)
• World Championship Record: 1:35.15 – United States (2022)
• 2022 World Champion: United States – 1:35.15