Gretchen Walsh, Regan Smith close out short course Worlds with world records

USA’s Gretchen Walsh and Regan Smith closed out the 2024 World Aquatics Short Course Swimming World Championships (25m) in Budapest, Hungary, with world records on Sunday (15 December).

Two-time Olympic champion Walsh swam 22.83 in the women’s 50m freestyle final, earning her sixth gold and setting her 10th world record at the competition. Compatriot Kate Douglass (23.05) and Poland’s Katarzyna Wasick (23.37) completed the podium.

The women’s 200m backstroke final saw Smith face off with Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh. Smith came out on top, powering to a 1:58.04 world-record time. McIntosh was 1.92 seconds back to take the silver while Anastasiya Shkurdai won the bronze medal.

McIntosh leaves Budapest with three gold medals, a silver, and a bronze.

Other women’s champions included Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte in the 50m breaststroke and Hong Kong China’s Siobhan Haughey in the 200m freestyle.

In the men’s competition, Jordan Crooks of the Cayman Islands swam a 20.19 to capture the 50m freestyle title.

Hungarian Hubert Kos won the men’s 200m backstroke in a European and championship record time of 1:45.65, while the People’s Republic of China’s Qin Haiyang outraced the competition in the 50m breaststroke.

The final men’s individual title in the 200m freestyle went to USA’s Luke Hobson, who swam a 1:38.61 to set the world record in the event.

Competition in Budapest closed with the men’s and women’s 4x100m medley finals.

The U.S. women set a world record (3:40.41) for gold, while Miron Lifintsev, Kirill Prigoda, Andrei Minakov and Egor Kornev captured the men’s title with a world record of their own (3:18.68