2019 World Junior Championships: Day 3 Prelims Preview

7TH FINA WORLD JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

• 50-Meter Course
• Duna Arena, Budapest (Hungary)
• Pool swimming: Tuesday, August 20 – Sunday, August 25, 2019
• Heats 9:30am GMT+2 (3:30 am EDT / 12:30 am PDT)/ Semifinals and Finals 5:30pm GMT+2 (11:30am EDT / 8:30am PDT)
• Meet site
• Entries book
• FinaTV Live Stream (subscription required)
• Live results

It’s day three in Budapest. Here are the storylines to watch this morning:

Ceccon goes sweep-hunting in 50 back

Italy’s Thomas Ceccon won the 100 back last night in a tight race over Russia’s Nikolay Zuev. Ceccon will look for a sprint backstroke sweep starting with this morning’s 50 back heats. The 18-year-old Ceccon is the top seed by a tenth over Zuev, though both are well off the meet record.

Pilato vs van der Merwe rematch in 100 breast

Another one of last night’s finals that came down to fingernails was the girls 50 breast. Italy’s Benedetta Pilato won by just three tenths over Great Britain’s Kayla van der Merwe. We’ll get a treat on day 3 as the two are lined up in side-by-side lanes in heats of the 100 back. They’ll battle in the final heat, with van der Merwe seeded at 1:07.12 and Pilato 1:08.22.

Youth reigns in girls 200 back

In the girls 200 back, the three circle-seeded heats are led by girls no older than 16. The top seed in the first heat is Great Britain’s Honey Osrin, 16. The next two heats are led by 14-year-olds born on the exact same day in 2004: Erika Gaetani of Italy and Rye Ulett of the United States.

Curzan Looks for multi-stroke medals

Last night’s 100 back silver medalist was American 15-year-old Claire Curzan. She’ll look to show off her  versatility this morning as the #2 seed into the 50 butterfly. Curzan is entered in a team-high four individual events: the 50 back, 50 fly, 100 back and 100 fly.