2022 Commonwealth Games: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

• Friday, July 29 – Wednesday, August 3, 2022
• Birmingham, England
• Sandwell Aquatic Center
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 10:30 am local / 5:30 am ET
  • Finals: 7:00 pm local / 2:00 pm ET
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Event Schedule
• Entry List (PDF)
• Live Results

The 2022 Commonwealth Games kicks off with a star-studded lineup of 10 events on Friday.

Four of the morning heats — the men’s 50-meter butterfly, women’s 50 breaststroke, men’s 100 backstroke, and women’s 100 fly — have semifinal rounds before finals on Saturday night. The other six — the men’s 400 freestyle, women’s 400 IM, women’s 200 free, women’s 100 free S9, men’s 200 breast, and mixed 4×100 free relay — will skip ahead straight to the final during Friday’s evening session.

With recent record setters Ariarne Titmus, Summer McIntosh, and Zac Stubblety-Cook competing on Day 1, it might not be long before we see some records start falling in Birmingham. Stick around to see some early indications of the women’s 100 fly showdown brewing tonight between Canada’s Maggie MacNeil and Australia’s Emma McKeon. Follow along for live updates as the results trickle in:

Men’s 400 Free Prelims

• CG Record: 3:40.08, Ian Thorpe (AUS), 2002

1. Daniel Wiffen, Northern Ireland, 3:47.43
2. Mack Horton, Australia, 3:47.54
3. Elijah Winnington, Australia, 3:48.32
4. Sam Short, Australia, 3:48.46
5. Luke Thomas Turley, England, 3:49.61
6. Matthew Sates, South Africa, 3:49.69
7. Hoe Yean Khiew, Malaysia, 3:50.03
8. Daniel Jervis, Wales, 3:50.13

Daniel Wiffen will take the top qualifying spot heading into tonight’s finals with a 3:47.43, shaving more than a second off his previous best from April to edge Mack Horton by .11 seconds. It marks a new Irish record for Wiffen. Elijah Winnington won the third heat with a 3:48.32 held off a late surge by Sam Short while Daniel Jervis barely snuck into the final with the last qualifying spot.

Women’s 400 IM Prelims

• CG Record: 4:31.76, Hannah Miley (SCO), 2014

1. Summer McIntosh, Canada, 4:36.72
2. Kiah Melverton, Australia, 4:41.44
3. Ella Jansen, Canada, 4:42.02
4. Freya Colbert, England, 4:42.64
5. Tessa Cieplucha, Canada, 4:42.99
6. Mya Rae Rasmussen, New Zealand, 4:43.87
7. Katie Shanahan, Scotland, 4:46.19
8. Jenna Forrester, Australia, 4:46.28

Summer McIntosh cruised to a victory in 4:36.72, finishing three seconds shy of the time that won her gold at Worlds last month. The 15-year-old Canadian phenom was nearly five seconds clear of runner-up Kiah Melverton, who was less than two seconds off her personal best from Australian Trials. Only 10 swimmers competed across the two heats, so only two cuts had to be made heading into the tonight’s final.

Women’s 200 Free Prelims

• CG Record: 1:54.81, Taylor Ruck (CAN), 2018

1. Ariarne Titmus, Australia, 1:55.68
2. Mollie O’Callaghan, Australia, 1:56.65
3. Madison Wilson, Australia, 1:56.93
4. Freya Anderson, England, 1:57.59
5. Erika Fairweather, New Zealand, 1:58.18
6. Katrina Bellio, Canada, 1:59.78
7. Victoria Catterson, Northern Ireland, 1:59.86
8. Lucy Hope, Scotland, 2:00.01

Ariarne Titmus eased into the top qualifying spot with a 1:55.68, a couple seconds off her personal best as she gears up for a potentially record-breaking swim in tonight’s finals. Frederica Pelligrini’s 1:52.98 from 2009 is one of only two world records remaining from the super suit era.

The Aussies went 1-2-3 in the prelims with Mollie O’Callaghan and Madison Wilson winning the third and second heats, respectively. England’s Freya Anderson will try to break up the all-Aussie podium as she was less than a second behind Wilson and O’Callaghan. Victoria Catterson snapped an Irish record that had been held by Michelle Smith since 1997 — before she was born.

Women’s 100 free S9 Prelims

1. Sophie Pascoe, New Zealand, 1:03.38
2. Toni Shaw, Scotland, 1:04.28
3. Ellie Cole, Australia, 1:04.87
4. Emily Beecroft, Australia, 1:05.93
5. Ashleigh McConnell, Australia, 1:06.76
6. Katarina Roxon, Canada, 1:07.26
7. Alice Tai, England, 1:09.72
8. Tupou Neiufi, New Zealand, 1:15.97

Top seed Sophie Pascoe claimed the top qualifying spot ahead of 18-year-old Toni Shaw, who took fifth place at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Aussie trio of Ellie Cole, Emily Beecroft, and Ashleigh McConnell grabbed the next three spots in order.

Men’s 50 Fly Prelims

• CG Record: 22.93, Ben Proud (ENG), 2014

1. Kyle Chalmers, Australia, 23.45
2. Ben Proud, England, 23.46
3. Dylan Carter, Trinidad and Tobago, 23.59
4. Jacob Thomas Taylor Peters, England, 23.64
5. Matthew Temple, 23.70
6. Lewis Fraser, Wales, 23.73
7. Mikkel Lee, Singapore, 23.79
8. Chad le Clos, 23.80
9. Joshua Liendo Edwards, Canada, 23.82
10. Cody Simpson, Australia, 23.84
11. Tzen Wei Teong, Singapore, 23.88
12. Gregor Swinney, Scotland, 23.91
13. Adam Barrett, England, 23.98
14. Cameron Gray, New Zealand, 24.02
15. Finlay Knox, Canada, 24.14
16. Clayton Jimmie, 24.17

Saturday night’s 50 fly final is shaping up to be a tight race after Kyle Chalmers edged Ben Proud by .o1 seconds for the top qualifying spot heading into tonight’s semifinal. No. 3 seed Dylan Carter was less than a second off his personal best. Cody Simpson made the semifinal with a 23.84 after being promoted to swim the event in the absence of fellow Aussie Isaac Cooper.

Women’s 50 Breast Prelims

• CG Record: 30.17, Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2014

1. Lara van Niekerk, South Africa, 29.82 *CG record
2. Imogen Louise Clark, England, 30.26
3. Chelsea Hodges, Australia, 30.66
4. Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa, 30.76
5. Jenna Strauch, Australia, 30.77
6. Kara Aline Hanlon, Scotland, 30.99
7. Kaylene Corbett, South Africa, 31.07
8. Abbey Harkin, Australia, 31.48
9. Sophie Angus, Canada, 31.55
10. Sarah Vasey, England, 31.65
11. En Yi Letitia Sim, Singapore, 31.67
12. Laura Kinley, Isle of Man, 32.34
13. Lanihei Connolly, Cook Islands, 32.77
14. Jinq En Phee, Malaysia, 32.80
15. Laura le Cras, Guernsey, 33.09
16. Lillian Louise Higgs, Bahamas, 33.18

Lara van Niekerk crushed the first Commonwealth Games record of the meet with a 29.82, swimming .35 seconds faster than Alia Atkinson‘s previous mark and just a tenth of a second off her personal best from April. That record likely won’t last long as the 19-year-old South African appears on track to set a personal best in tonight’s semifinals or tomorrow’s finals. England’s Imogen Louise Clark was just .22 off her personal best, not far away from the meet record herself and a full four-tenths of a second clear of the remaining field.

Men’s 100 Back Prelims

• CG Record: 53.12, Chris Walker-Hebborn (ENG), 2014

1. Pieter Coetze, South Africa, 53.91
2. Brodie Williams, England, 54.49
3. Bradley Woodward, Australia, 54.54
4. Luke Greenbank, England, 54.55
5. Srihari Nataraj, India, 54.68
6. Andrew Jeffcoat, New Zealand, 54.79
7. Mitch Larkin, Australia, 54.85
8. Joshua Edwards-Smith, Australia, 54.97
9. Javier Acevedo, Canada, 54.99
10. Martyn Walton, Scotland, 55.01
11. Craig McNally, Scotland, 55.09
12. Joe Small, Wales, 55.13
13. Zheng Wen Quah, Singapore, 55.67
14. James David McFadzen, 55.75
15. Liam White, Wales, 55.90
16. Harry Shalamon, Jersey, 56.07

Pieter Coetze was less than three-tenths of a second slower than his personal best from last April to secure the top seed in the men’s 100 back heats. The 18-year-old South African reached the wall more than half a second ahead of the field, which featured defending champion Mitch Larkin (No. 7 seed). Twenty-three-year-old Englishman Brodie Williams was Coetze’s closest challenger this morning, clocking in just .26 seconds slower than his personal best from 2019.

Women’s 100 Fly Prelims

• CG Record: 57.22, Madeline Groves (AUS), 2018

1. Emma McKeon, Australia, 57.34
2. Maggie MacNeil, Canada, 57.94
3. Brianna Throssell, Australia, 58.40
4. Alex Perkins, Australia, 58.55
5. Katerine Savard, Canada, 58.56
6. Rebecca Smith, Canada, 58.89
7. Alys Margaret Thomas, Wales, 59.11
8. Harriet Jones, Wales, 59.25
9. Erin Gallagher, South Africa, 59.29
10. Holly Hibbott, England, 59.33
11. Helena Gasson, New Zealand, 59.37
12. Jing Wen Quag, Singapore, 59.51
13. Keanna Louise Macinnes, Scotland, 59.56
14. Tain Bruce, Scotland, 59.77
15. Dune Coetzee, South Africa, 1:00.19
16. Trinity Hearne, South Africa, 1:00.42

After sitting out the World Championships, Emma McKeon got off to a strong start in Birmingham with a top-seeded time of 57.34, edging Canadian Olympic champ Maggie MacNeil by six-tenths of a second. MacNeil was the only non-Aussie in the top four as Brianna Throssell and Alex Perkins earned the third and fourth seeds, respectively. The Canadian duo of Katerine Savard and Rebecca Smith also finished sub-59 in the heats.

Men’s 200 Breast Prelims

• CG Record: 2:07.30, Ross Murdoch (SCO), 2014

1. Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia, 2:09.88
2. Ross Murdoch, Scotland, 2:11.35
3. James Wilby, England, 2:11.76
4. Matthew Wilson, Australia, 2:12.02
5. Maximillian Wei Ang, Singapore, 2:12.27
6. James Dergousoff, Canada, 2:14.36
7. Greg Butler, England, 2:15.01
8. Ryan Maskelyne, Papa New Guinea, 2:15.91

Will Zac Stubblety-Cook break his own world record tonight? His prelims swim bodes well as he posted a 2:09.88 this morning to take the top qualifying spot by about a second and a half over Commonwealth Games record holder Ross Murdoch. When Stubblety-Cook set the world record back in May, he went 2:10.14 in the prelims the morning before, .26 seconds slower than his time this morning. Maximillian Wei Ang and Ryan Maskelyne were both less than a second off their national records, which could go down tonight.

Men’s 4×100 Free Relay Prelims

• CG Record: 3:12.72, AUS, 2018

1. Australia, 3:22.14
2. England, 3:28.03
3. Canada, 3:28.20
4. Wales, 3:29.66
5. Scotland, 3:31.09
6. Singapore, 3:33.71
7. Jersey, 3:42.92
8. Kenya, 3:45.36

Flynn Southam (49.21), Zac Incerti (48.02), Meg Harris (52.59), and Madison Wilson (52.32) teamed up for Australia’s prelims round. The Aussies have plenty of options for combinations of their final lineup tonight. Meanwhile, Kenya snuck into the final qualifying spot after South Africa was disqualified from the final heat.