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
Xu Jiayu, the world’s third-fastest 200 backstroker this season, scratched the second semifinal Thursday night at the 2019 FINA World Championships last-minute, moving Canada’s Markus Thormeyer into the race. Xu scratched at 6:36 p.m. local time and the session started at 8.
Thornmeyer was 17th in prelims with a 1:58.16 and went 1:56.96 in the first semifinal, breaking a decade-old Canadian record.
Jiayu was 1:57.15 in prelims, good for the No. 5 seed qualifying for finals; he cruised to that time, easing up over the final length. Jiayu’s best time this season is 1:55.24, from April. That time sits behind only Russian Evgeny Rylov (1:54.00) and Australian Mitch Larkin (1:55.03) in the 2018-2019 season.
Earlier in the meet, he took gold in the 100 back in 52.43 and was 52.17 in semifinals. He likely is opting to conserve energy for the 4×200 relay Friday, in which China has a shot to make the podium.
Interesting…seems the commies are scared of the All-American Man, Ryan Murray!
I don’t know about that considering how the 100 back went, but is interesting and not sure I buy the saving himself for the relay.
Rumor said he was dating Katie.
Why?
As the article says, likely to save himself for the 4×200 relay.