2017 FINA World Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Sunday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 30th
• Budapest, Hungary
• LCM (50m)
• Full Competition Schedule
• Meet Info
• Psych Sheets
• Omega Results
• Pick ’em Contest
• Event-by-Event Previews

Swimmers are getting ready for day 2 finals at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Tonight, we’ll see swimmers compete for medals in the men’s 100 breast, women’s 100 fly, men’s 50 fly, and women’s 200 IM. We’ll also see semifinals of the men’s 100 back, women’s 100 breast, women’s 100 back, and men’s 200 free.

Several World Record holders will compete in their respective events tonight, including Great Britain’s Adam Peaty (100 breast), Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom (100 fly), Team USA’s Ryan Murphy (100 back), Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte (100 breast), and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (200 IM).

You can read a full preview of tonight’s event here.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – FINALS

• World Record: Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.13, 2016
• Championship Record: Adam Peaty, 57.75, 2017
• Junior World Record: Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 59.23, 2017

1. GOLD: Adam Peaty, GBR, 57.47
2. SILVER: Kevin Cordes, USA, 58.79
3. BRONZE: Kirill Prigoda, RUS, 59.05

Adam Peaty took down his own Championship Record from the semifinals, dominating the field to take gold in 57.47. That was the 2nd fastest performance in history in the event behind only his World Record 57.13 from Rio. The only other man in the field to break 59 was Kevin Cordes, who was slightly off his American Record with a 58.79 for silver.

Russia’s Kirill Prigoda held off a late charge from Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki (59.10) and the USA’s Cody Miller (59.11) for bronze.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – FINALS

• World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, 55.48, 2016
• Championship Record: Sarah Sjostrom, 55.64, 2015
• Junior World Record: Penny Oleksiak, 56.46, 2016

1. GOLD: Sarah Sjostrom, SWE, 55.53
2. SILVER: Emma McKeon, AUS, 56.18
3. BRONZE: Kelsi Worrell, USA, 56.37

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom was out like a light with a 25.6 split at the 50. Though she was well under World Record pace on the front half, she fell off the mark on the 2nd 50, but still held on for gold by a long shot with a new Championship Record of 55.53.

Australia’s Emma McKeon (56.18) set a new Commonwealth and Australian Record for silver, while American Kelsi Worrell (56.37) shaved down her personal best time to win her first major international medal individually with a 3rd place finish.

FInishing just off the podium was Canadian Olympic medalist Penny Oleksiak, the Junior World Record holder, in 56.94. Oleksiak used her back half speed to run down Korea’s An Sehyeon (57.07) and was able to hold off Japanese junior star Rikako Ikee (57.08).

MEN’S 100 BACK – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Ryan Murphy, 51.85, 2016
• Championship Record: Aaron Peirsol, 52.19, 2009
• Junior World Record: Kliment Kolesnikov, 53.65, 2016

TOP 8:

1. Xu Jiayu, CHN, 52.44
2. Ryan Murphy, USA, 52.95
3. Matt Grevers, USA, 52.97
4. Ryosuke Irie, JPN, 53.02
5. Grigory Tarasevich, RUS, 53.06
6. Mitch Larkin, AUS, 53.19
7. Guilherme Guido, BRA, 53.71
8. Corey Main, NZL, 53.76

China’s Xu Jiayu was out like a rocket, flipping under World Record pace with a 25.01 en route to his 52.44. He was within reach, but appeared to back way off on the 2nd 50, cruising into the wall to take the top seed by half a second. American’s Ryan Murphy (52.95) and Matt Grevers (52.97) were safely into the final in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Defending World Champion Mitch Larkin of Australia qualified 6th for the final in a season best 53.19. Junior World Record holder Kliment Kolesnikov was within 2 tenths of his record, but missed out on the final as he tied for 9th with China’s Li Guangyuan in 53.84.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Ruta Meilutyte, 1:04.35, 2013
• Championship Record: Ruta Meilutyte, 1:04.35, 2013
• Junior World Record: Ruta Meilutyte, 1:05.21, 2014

TOP 8:

1. Yuliya Efimova, RUS, 1:04.36
2. Lilly King, USA, 1:04.53
3. Ruta Meilutyte, LTU, 1:05.06
4. Katie Meili, USA, 1:05.48
5. Shi Jinglin, CHN, 1:06.47
6. Jessica Vall, ESP, 1:06.62
7. Kierra Smith, CAN, 1:06.62
8. Sarah Vasey, GBR, 1:06.81

Russia’s Yuliya Efimova was over a half second shy of World Record pace at the 50, but flew through the back half to miss the mark by just a hundredth with her 1:04.36 in semifinal 1. Lilly King answered in the next heat with a personal best 1:04.53 to miss the American Record by hundredths.

World Record holder Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania put up a 1:05.06, marking her fastest performance in this event since she 2013. Those 3 are shaping up to be the favorites for the medals in this race, but the USA’s Katie Meili (1:05.48) is also in the conversation after qualifying 4th in a new best time.

MEN’S 50 FLY – FINALS

• World Record: Rafael Munoz, 22.43, 2009
• Championship Record: Milorad Cavic, 22.67, 2009
• Junior World Record: Evgeny Sedov, 23.28, 2014

1. GOLD: Ben Proud, GBR, 22.75
2. SILVER: Nicholas Santos, BRA, 22.79
3. BRONZE: Andrii Govorov, UKR, 22.84

Great Britain’s Ben Proud rocked a new British Record time of 22.75 to edge out Brazilian veteran Nicholas Santos (22.79) for gold. Team USA’s Caeleb Dressel and the Ukraine’s Andrii Govorov were stroke-for-stroke into the finish, but Govorov got his hand to the wall for bronze in 22.84 ahead of Dressel’s 22.89.

Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, the Olympic 100 fly champ, was just 2 hundredths shy of his own Asian Record and Singaporean Record from semis. Schooling touched in 22.95 for 5th place.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Gemma Spofforth, 58.12, 2009
• Championship Record: Gemma Spofforth, 58.12, 2009
• Junior World Record: Minna Atherton, 59.34, 2016

TOP 8:

1. Kylie Masse, CAN, 58.18
2. Emily Seebohm, AUS, 58.85
3. Kathleen Baker, USA, 59.03
4. Olivia Smoliga, USA, 59.07
5. Anastasiia Fesikova, RUS, 59.26
6. Simona Baumrtova, CZE, 59.65
7. Daria Ustinova, RUS, 59.74
8. Kathleen Dawson, GBR, 59.82

Canada’s Kylie Masse came up just .06 short of the World Record, throwing down a new Canadian Record time of 58.18 to lead semis. The only other woman to break 59 in semis was defending World Champion Emily Seebohm (58.85) of Australia.

Americans Kathleen Baker (59.03) and Olivia Smoliga (59.07) qualified 3rd and 4th respectively in 59.0. Though Maase is now the heavy favorite for gold, there’s a chance both Americans could wind up on the podium since the race for 2nd and 3rd with Seebohm is shaping up to be a close one.

China’s Fu Yuanhui, who tied for bronze in Rio with Masse, missed out on the final as she finished 13th in 1:00.39.

MEN’S 200 FREE – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Paul Biedermann, 1:42.00, 2009
• Championship Record: Paul Biedermann, 1:42.00, 2009
• Junior World Record: Alexei Sancov, 1:47.00, 2017

TOP 8:

1. Duncan Scott, GBR, 1:45.16
2. James Guy, GBR, 1:45.18
3. Sun Yang, CHN, 1:45.24
4. Townley Haas, USA, 1:45.43
5. Alexander Krasnykh, RUS, 1:45.47
6. Mikhail Dovgalyuk, RUS, 1:45.74
7. Dominik Kozma, HUN, 1:45.87
8. Park Tae Hwan, KOR, 1:46.28

Hungary’s Dominik Kozma had a huge swim in semifinal 1, taking 8 tenths off his best to finish 3rd in the heat with a 1:45.87. Defending World Champion James Guy of Great Britain won that heat with a 1:45.18, followed by the USA’s Townley Haas in 1:45.43.

In semifinal 2, Great Britain’s Duncan Scott roared to a 1:45.16, finishing just .02 off Guy’s National Record in the event. China’s Sun Yang took it out smoothly, flipping 8th at the 100, but made his usual comeback on the 2nd half to take 2nd in that heat with a 1:45.24.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINALS

• World Record: Katinka Hosszu, 2:06.12, 2015
• Championship Record: Katinka Hosszu, 2:06.12, 2015
• Junior World Record: Rikako Ikee, 2:09.98, 2017

1. GOLD: Katinka Hosszu, HUN, 2:07.00
2. SILVER: Yui Ohashi, JPN, 2:07.91
3. BRONZE: Madisyn Cox, USA, 2:09.71

As expected, Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu dominated the race in front of the home crowd, leading from start to finish with the 6th fastest time in history as she touched in 2:07.00 for her first gold of the meet. Japan’s Yui Ohashi became the 6th fastest performer ever in this event with her 2:07.91 for silver.

Team USA’s Madisyn Cox came out of nowhere at the end, flying through the final 50 to take bronze in 2:09.71, just out-touching teammate Melanie Margalis (2:09.82). Olympic silver medalist Siobhan-Marie O’Connor of Great Britain was in the running for bronze through the breaststroke leg, but fell off the pace to finish 7th in 2:10.41.

Fans were also in for a bit of a shock when Canada’s Sydney Pickrem, who was seeded 3rd and considered one of the favorites to medal, got out of the pool on the butterfly lap.