2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships: Day 8 Preview

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
• Meet site
• Competition Schedule
• FinaTV Live Stream
• Entry Lists
• Results

The 2019 FINA World Championships have just one day left of competition to go. The final prelims session of the meet will feature the men’s and women’s 400 IM followed by the men’s and women’s 4×100 medley relays.

Day 8 Prelims Events:

• Men’s 400 IM- Preliminaries
• Women’s 400 IM- Preliminaries
• Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay- Preliminaries
• Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay- Preliminaries

With the meet shifting in a different direction after the sudden burst from the Americans, many medley relay could have member switch-ups to get the prime order. One of the big debates is who will swim backstroke for the American women’s medley relay. Kathleen Baker and Olivia Smoliga were the top 2 Americans in the 100 back, however, Regan Smith has been heavily considered to join the relay after her world record performance in the 200 back.

Day 8 Morning Session Top Storylines to Follow:

• After winning the 200 IM, Japan’s Daiya Seto is primed to gain his 3rd 400 IM world title after winning back-to-back in 2013 and 2015. Do not count out American Chase Kalisz, who is the defending world champion in this event. In the 200 IM, Kalisz was dethroned by Seto and will definitely have bad blood to defend another title of his.
• Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu will be in pursual of her 4th-consecutive 400 IM world title. If she wins the final later in the evening, she will become undefeated in the IM events since 2013.
• 2012 Olympic champion Ye Shiwen has revamped her former success and climbing back to the top after her silver medal in the 200 IM. Ye will chase down her second medal of these championships in the 400 IM and aim to become the first Chinese event medalist since 1998.
• Sydney Pickrem has picked up 2 medals thus far at these championships in the 200 IM and 200 breast. Pickrem will become one of the most decorated Canadian females in swimming if she can repeat a medal in the 400 IM.
• Coming back to defend their 2017 world title and world record will be the American women’s 4×100 medley relay. We should expect to see Lilly King on breast, Kelsi Dahlia on fly, and Simone Manuel on free. Yet after Regan Smith‘s 200 back world record, could Kathleen Baker‘s spot from the world record performance be swapped with the 17-year-old phenom?
• Continuing their momentum will be the American men as they will shoot for their 3rd-consecutive 4×100 medley relay title and 14th title ever. Caeleb Dressel will be a weapon for the Americans as one of three men in 100 fly history to swim under 50 seconds from a flat start. Ryan Murphy and Andrew Wilson should fill in the back/breast spots and will need to work hard to cushion Dressel. The anchor leg will be down to Zach Apple, who went 46.86 in the free relay, veteran Nathan Adrian, or 100 free US National champ Blake Pieroni.