2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup – Incheon: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – INCHEON

DAY 2 FINALS START LIST

Buckle up for day 2 of the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Incheon, Korea as we have a full lineup of events about to unfold.

The likes of Leon Marchand of France, Daiya Seto of Japan, Kate Douglass of the United States and teammate Regan Smith will all be diving in chasing World Cup titles and cash this evening.

The host nation of South Korea will be cheering on its contenders, including Jo Hyunju in the women’s 200m free, Song Jaeyun in the women’s 100m back, Choi Dongyeoi in the men’s 50m breast, and a trio of men in the 100m free featuring Hwang Sunwoo.

Women’s 400m Individual Medley – FASTEST HEAT

GOLD – Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN), 4:26.23
SILVER – Yu Yiting (CHN), 4:27.81
BRONZE – Tara Kinder (AUS), 4:29.02

The first win of the night went to 25-year-old Mary-Sophie Harvey of Canada, hitting an impressive outing of 4:26.23 to take this woman’s 400m IM.

This is Harvey’s 2nd consecutive World Cup victory in this event, having topped the podium last week in Shanghai. She was much quicker this time around with her previous effort checking in at 4:28.03.

Her time tonight represents a new lifetime best, beating her previous PB of 4:26.42 registered back in 2016. She remains Canada’s 5th-fastest performer in history.

Runner-up status went to Yu Yiting of China who notched 4:27.81 while Australia’s Tara Kinder rounded out the podium in 4:29.02. The Aussie’s result sliced nearly a second off her previous career-quickest of 4:29.78 put up at last month’s Australian Short Course Championships.

As for Yu, the 19-year-old’s result is also a new PB, easily overtaking the 4:29.74 logged in 2022. She’s now the #2 Chinese performer in history, sitting only behind national record holder Ye Shiwen and her monster Asian Record of 4:23.33 from 2012.

Men’s 50m Backstroke – FINAL

• World Record: 22.11 — Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2022)
• World Cup Record: 22.58 — Isaac Cooper, AUS (2024)
• World Junior Record: 22.52 — Isaac Cooper, AUS (2022)

GOLD – Pieter Coetze (RSA), 22.80
SILVER – Isaac Cooper (AUS), 23.10
BRONZE – Thierry Bollin (SUI), 23.20

It was a mild upset tonight in this men’s 50m back as South Africa’s Pieter Coetze got to the wall first ahead of last week’s winner and World Cup record-setter Isaac Cooper of Australia.

20-year-old Olympic finalist Coetze’s time of 22.80 here registered a new South African national record and African continental record of 22.84 put up at the 2022 Short Course World Championships where he finished 5th.

Cooper settled for silver this evening in 23.10, well off the 22.58 WC Record set in Shanghai while Swiss swimmer Thierry Bollin rocketed up from his 7th seed to land on the podium in 23.20 for bronze. Bolliin’s result was only .10 shy of his national record.

Women’s 200m Freestyle – FINAL

• World Record: 1:49.63 — Siobhan Haughey, HKG (2021)
• World Cup Record: 1:50.32 — Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
• World Junior Record: 1:52.59 —  Bella Sims, USA (2022)

GOLD – Siobhan Haughhey (HKG), 1:51.02
SILVER – Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS), 1:54.11
BRONZE – Milla Jansen (AUS), 1:54.98

With top-seed Harvey dropping the final, the water was clear for 26-year-old Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong to have her way with this women’s 200m free final.

Haughey blasted a huge 1:51.02 to come within a second of the World Cup Record of 1:50.32 Sweden’s Olympic champion Sarah Sjostrom logged in 2017. Haughey of course owns the World Record outright with a PB of 1:49.63 from 2021.

Haughey repeated as winner from Shanghai where she was a tad slower in 1:51.46.

A pair of Aussies wrangled up the minor medals, with Brittany Castelluzzo turning in a time of 1:54.11 while 17-year-old Milla Jansen also impressed with 1:54.98 as the only other sub-1:55-second swimmer of the field.

Tea Tree Gully’s Castelluzzo’s result erased her former PB of 1:54.82 from last month’s Australian SC Championships while Bond’s Jansen also reaped a new personal best with her time tonight.

In fact, Jansen’s 1:54.98 checks in as a new Aussie Age Record for 17-year-old girls, overtaking Kylie Palmer’s mark of 1:55.11 from 2007.

Men’s 200m Individual Medley – FINAL

• World Record: 1:49.63 — Ryan Lochte, USA (2012)
• World Cup Record: 1:50.30 — Leon Marchand, FRA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 1:51.45 — Matthew Sates, RSA (2021)

GOLD – Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:50.91
SILVER – Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:51.25
BRONZE – Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:52.36

The reigning Olympic champion in this 200m IM, Leon Marchand of France, did not disappoint, putting up a super solid time of 1:50.91 to deny 2 other Olympic medalists the gold.

The former Arizona State University champion was 3rd after the opening 50 but worked his magic to overtake Great Britain’s Duncan Scott and Daiya Seto of Japan to score his 2nd consecutive victory.

Last week in Shanghai the Frenchman registered a quicker 1:50.30 for a new World Cup, French and European and he remains the sole swimmer under 1:51 in the event so far.

Scott’s 1:51.25 this evening was just a hair slower than the 1:51.08 which garnered him identical silver last week. He owns the British Record of 1:50.98 put up at the 2023 European Short Course Championships.

Seto is making his World Cup debut, hitting 1:52.36 to snag the bronze. Look for Seto to give Marchand a run for his money in the 400m IM tomorrow.

Of note, newly-minted 50m fly World Record holder Noe Ponti of Switzerland was originally entered in this 2IM but scratched the prelims.

Women’s 100m Backstroke – FINAL

• World Record: 54.56 — Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2024)
• World Cup Record: 54.89 — Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 55.74 —  Bella Sims (2022)

GOLD – Regan Smith (USA) – 54.41 *WORLD RECORD
SILVER – Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 56.14
BRONZE – Beata Nelson (USA), 56.41

And our first World Record of the night went down, courtesy of American Olympic multi-medalist Regan Smith.

Smith ripped a lifetime best of 54.41 to slice .15 off Kaylee McKeown‘s former mark of 54.56 put on the books last month at the Australian Short Course Championships.

Tonight Smith split 12.96/13.71/13.83/13.91 to make her statement swim and earn backstroke queen status at this World Cup. As a reminder, McKeown raced on day one of Shanghai last week after making the decision to withdraw from the remainder of the entire circuit due to mental health reasons.

Canada’s Ingrid Wilm scored silver tonight in 56.14 while fellow American Beata Nelson earned bronze in 56.41.

Men’s 50m Breaststroke – FINAL

• World Record: 24.95 — Emre Sakci, TUR (2021)
• World Cup Record: 25.25 — Cameron van der Burgh  (2009)
• World Junior Record: 25.85 —  Simone Cerasuolo (2021)

GOLD – Qin Haiyang (CHN), 25.76
SILVER – Ilya Shymanovich (NIA), 25.78
BRONZE – Choi Dongyeol (KOR), 26.05

Slower than last week in Shanghai, 25-year-old Qin Haiyang of China still managed to repeat as gold medalist in this men’s 50m breaststroke.

This evening the LCM 200 breaststroke World Record holder stopped the clock at 25.76 whereas his time of 25.38 last week scored a new Chinese national record.

Ilya Shymanovich of Belarus, racing as an independent athlete here, snagged silver in 25.78, also slower than the 25.51 from stop #1. Shymanovich was the top seed out of this morning’s heats in 25.68.

Korea captured its first medal of the evening, with Choi Dongyeol bagging bronze in 26.05, a new national record. The prior standard stood at the 26.37 Moon Jae-kwon put on the books at the 2021 Short Course World Championships.

Women’s 50m Butterfly – FINAL

• World Record: 24.38 — Therese Alshammar, SWE (2009)
• World Cup Record: 24.38 — Therese Alshammar, SWE (2009)
• World Junior Record: 24.55 —  Claire Curzan, USA (2021)

GOLD – Kate Douglass (USA), 24.73
SILVER –  Sara Junevik (SWE) 25.27 & Lily Price (AUS), 25.27
BRONZE –

American Kate Douglass ran away with the victory in this women’s 50m fly, registering the sole time of the field under the 25-second threshold.

The newly-minted 200m breaststroke World Record holder from last night showed her versatility with strong performance of 24.73

Last week in Shanghai, 22-year-old Douglass produced a time of 24.54, slicing .01 off of countrywoman Claire Curzan‘s national record of 24.55 logged in 2021. That performance slid Douglass into slot #4 among the top women’s SCM 50 butterfly performers in history.

21-year-old Lily Price of Australia earned a new personal best of 25.27 en route to silver, tying Swedish ace Sara Junevik who turned in an identical time.

Top 5 Women’s SCM 50 Fly Performers All-Time

1. Therese Alshammar (SWE) – 24.38, 2009
2. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) – 24.44, 2021
3. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 24.50, 2021
4. Kate Douglass (USA) – 24.54, 2024
5. Claire Curzan (USA) – 25.55, 2021

Men’s 100m Freestyle – FINAL

• World Record: 44.84 — Kyle Chalmers, AUS (2021)
• World Cup Record: 44.84 — Kyle Chalmers, AUS (2021)
• World Junior Record: 45.64 —  David Popovici (2022)

GOLD – Jamie Jack (AUS), 46.48
SILVER – Hwang Sunwoo (KOR), 46.60
BRONZE – Pieter Coetze (RSA), 46.74

Australian Jamie Jack put up a new personal best of 46.68 to grab the gold in this men’s 100m free final.

Splitting 10.50/11.76/12.25/11.97, the Aussie hacked nearly a half second off his previous career-quickest performance of 46.91 from last month’s Australian SC Championships. That previous effort represented the St. Peters Western swimmer’s first-ever foray under the 47-second barrier.

After barely making it into tonight’s final as the 8th seed (47.42), Olympian Hwang Sunwoo of the host nation soared up to the runner-up position, clocking 46.60. He owns the Korean national record at 46.34, a time he produced at the 2021 Short Course World Championships.

Coetze of South Africa collected his 2nd medal of the evening after winning the men’s 50m back. Coetze clocked 46.74, just off his PB of 46.59 from last week at the Shanghai stop.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – FINAL

• World Record: 1:02.36 — Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013) / Alia Atkinson, JAM (2014/2016)
• World Cup Record: 1:02.36 — Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013) / Alia Atkinson, JAM (2016)
• World Junior Record: 1:02.36 — Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)

GOLD –
SILVER – 
BRONZE –

Men’s 200 Butterfly – FINAL

• World Record: 1:46.85 — Tomoru Honda, JPN (2022)
• World Cup Record: 1:48.56 — Chad le Clos, RSA (2013)
• World Junior Record: 1:49.61 — June Chen, CHN (2022)

GOLD –
SILVER – 
BRONZE –