2022 Short Course World Champs: Day Six Finals Live Recap

2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, December 13 to Sunday, December 18, 2022
• Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre, Melbourne, Australia
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Day 6 Finals Heat Sheets

The final session of the 2022 SC World Championships in Melbourne has arrived. We’ve seen a ton of phenomenal racing this week and it comes to a close tonight. The final session will feature finals of the 100 fly, 50 breast, 200 back, 200 free, and 4×100 medley relays.

The women’s 100 fly final ought to be an awesome race. Maggie MacNeil and Torri Huske tied for gold in the w0men’s 50 fly earlier in the meet and they’ll be racing right next to each other in the middle of the pool tonight. Louise Hansson is also in the middle, having swum a 55-point in semifinals.

Ruta Meilutyte bounced back from a disappointing DQ in the women’s 100 breast final by breaking the World Record in the women’s 50 breast in semifinals last night. She enters tonight’s final as the top seed by a wide margin, with only Lilly King having swum under 29 seconds as well.

The women’s 200 back prelims were very tight this morning, seeing Claire Curzan clock the top time with a 2:02.05. Ingrid Wilm was the last swimmer to make it into tonight’s final, having swum a 2:03.57 this morning.

Ryan Murphy will be looking to close out his men’s backstroke sweep tonight. Murphy has already earned gold medals in the men’s 50 and 100 back this week and he was one of four swimmers to go 1:49 this morning in prelims.

Great Britain’s Tom Dean was exceptional this morning in the men’s 200 free prelims, swimming a 1:40.98.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

• World Record: 54.59, Kelsi Dahlia (USA), 2021
• World Junior Record: 55.39, Claire Curzan (USA), 2021
• Championship Record: 54.61, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2014
• 2021 Champion: 55.04, Maggie MacNeil (CAN)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Maggie MacNeil (Canada) – 54.05 (World Record)
2. SILVER: Torri Huske (United States) – 54.75
3. Louise Hansson (Sweden) – 54.87
4. Angelina Kohler (Germany) – 56.20
5. Ai Soma (Japan) – 56.27
6. Alexandria Perkins (Australia) – 56.34
7. Maaike de Waard (Netherlands) – 56.52
8. Katerine Savard (Canada) – 56.87

Maggie MacNeil took down her second World Record of the meet, opening this session with a stunning 54.05 to win the 100 fly. She absolutely shattered the previous World Record of 54.59, which was set last year. Additionally, she won gold tonight by a massive 0.70-second margin. Incredibly, MacNeil was out 0.70 seconds slower than Torri Huske on the first 50, but came home shockingly fast on the final 50.

Huske was out in 25.08, leading the field by over half-a-second at the halfway point. She came home in 29.67, fading into second behind MacNeil, and narrowly holding on for silver over Louise Hansson.

Hansson clocked a 54.87, touching second at the 50m turn, then was passed by MacNeil on the back half. There was a huge gap between the top three and the rest of the field in tonight’s final.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

• World Record: 47.78, Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2020
• World Junior Record: 49.53, Li Zhuhao (CHN), 2017
• Championship Record: 48.08, Chad le Clos (RSA), 2016
• 2021 Champion: 48.87, Matteo Rivolta (ITA)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Chad le Clos (South Africa) – 48.59
2. SILVER: Ilya Kharun (Canada) – 49.03
3. BRONZE: Marius Kusch (Germany) – 49.12
4. Noe Ponti (Switzerland): 49.25
5. Matteo Rivolta (Italy) – 49.32
6. Simon Bucher (Austria) – 49.39
7. Matthew Temple (Australia) – 49.67
8. Youssef Ramadan (Egypt) – 49.84

Chad le Clos got the job done tonight, speeding to a 48.59 and a gold medal in the men’s 100 fly final. The swim was 0.51 seconds off le Clos’ Championship Record of 48.08, which he set back in 2016, but he still managed to win tonight by nearly half a second. Le Clos was out the fastest, splitting 22.50 on the first 50, but really pulled away from most of the field on the second 50.

Canada’s Ilya Kharun finished second in 49.03, setting a new World Junior Record in the event. In fact, Kharun smashed the previous WJR of 49.53, taking half-a-second off that mark. Kharun was phenomenal on the back half, splitting 25.92 on the second 50 after swimming a 23.11 on the first 50.

Marius Kusch won his first World Championships medal of his career, swimming a 49.12 for bronze tonight. Switzerland’s Noe Ponti was out faster than Kusch, but Kusch came home faster, pulling into third place on the final 25m.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• World Record: 28.37, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2022
• World Junior Record: 28.81, Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 2020
• Championship Record: 28.37, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2022
• 2021 Champion: 29.34, Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Ruta Meilutyte (Lithuania) – 28.50
2. SILVER: Lara van Niekerk (South Africa) – 29.09
3. BRONZE: Lilly King (United States) – 29.11
4. Tang Qianting (China) – 29.22
5. Anna Elendt (Germany) – 29.30
6. Imogen Clark (Great Britain) – 29.47
7. Benedetta Pilato (Italy) – 29.48
8. Veera Kivirinta (Finland) – 29.84

Ruta Meilutyte won the women’s 50 breast final decisively tonight, touching in 28.50 as the only swimmer in the field under 29 seconds. She was just off her World Record performance of 28.37 from semifinals, but won her third SC World Champs gold medal in the 50 breast of her career. Meilutyte also won silver in the 50 breast at the 2018 SC World Champs.

South Africa’s Lara van Niekerk sped past Lilly King on the second half of the race, finishing in a new African Record of 29.09. This performance marks van Niekerk’s first SC World Champs medal of her career.

Lilly King was off her semifinals time, touching third in 29.11. Tonight, she was unable to match Meilutyte’s speed on either 25m of the race, and couldn’t match van Niekerk’s speed on the second 25m.

China’s Tang Qianting came in fourth place, touching in 29.22, which is just off her Asian Record of 29.19.

MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• World Record: 24.95, Emri Sakci (TUR), 2021
• World Junior Record: 25.85, Simone Cerasuolo (ITA), 2021
• Championship Record: 25.41, Cameron van der Burgh (RSA), 2018
• 2021 Champion: 25.53, Nic Fink (USA)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Nic Fink (United States) – 25.38 (Championship Record)
2. SILVER: Nicolo Martinenghi (Italy) – 25.42
3. BRONZE: Simone Cerasuolo (Italy) – 25.68
4. Qin Haiyang (China) – 25.82
5. Michael Andrew (United States) – 25.92
6. Adam Peaty (Great Britain) – 25.99
7. Yan Zibei (China) – 26.06
8. Huseyin Sakci (Turkey) – 26.09

Nicolo Martinenghi was out the fastest on the first 25m tonight, but Nic Fink was able to edge ahead on the back half of the race, touching first in a new Championship Record of 25.38. Additionally, that swim marks a new American Record in the events.

Martinenghi came in second with a 25.42, just 0.04 seconds behind Fink. It was a great showing for Italy tonight, as Simone Cerasuolo won bronze with a 25.68.

Breaststroke superstar Adam Peaty came in sixth tonight, swimming a 25.99.

Huseyin Sakci, the World Record holder in the event, swam a 26.09, finishing last in tonight’s final. Sakci’s World Record stands at 24.95, a time which he swam last December.

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – FINALS

• World Record: 1:58.94 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2020
• World Junior Record: 2:00.03 – Missy Franklin (USA), 2011
• Championship Record: 1:59.23 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014
• 2021 Champion: 2:01.58, Rhyan White (USA)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Kaylee McKeown (Australia) – 1:59.26
2. SILVER: Claire Curzan (United States) – 2:00.53
3. BRONZE: Kylie Masse (Canada) – 2:01.26
4. Ingrid Wilm (Canada) – 2:01.78
5. Margherita Panziera (Italy) – 2:02.18
6. Peng Xuwei (China) – 2:02.39
7. Pauline Mahieu (France) – 2:03.21
8. Kira Toussaint (Netherlands) – 2:05.20

World Record holder Kaylee McKeown was in the lead from the start tonight, swimming a 1:59.26 for gold. She was just off her own World Record of 1:58.94, as well as the Championship Record of 1:59.23. She was the fastest in the field tonight on both halves of the race, splitting 58.26 on the first 100, then coming home in 1:01.00 on the second 100.

Claire Curzan finished second in 2:00.53. She was out with McKeown, splitting 58.39 on the first 100, but didn’t have the same staying power as McKeown and ended up over a second behind McKeown.

Kylie Masse won her first medal of these SC World Championships tonight, earning bronze with a 2:01.26. Masse’s Canadian teammate, Ingrid Wilm, came in fourth with a 2:01.78.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINALS

• World Record: 1:45.63 – Mitch Larkin (AUS), 2015
• World Junior Record: 1:48.02 – Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2017
• Championship Record: 1:46.68 – Ryan Lochte (USA), 2010
• 2021 Champion: 1:48.68 – Radoslaw Kawecki (POL)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Ryan Murphy (United States) – 1:47.41
2. SILVER: Shaine Casas (United States) – 1:48.01
3. BRONZE: Lorenzo Mora (Italy) – 1:48.45
4. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (France) – 1:49.23
5. Luke Greenbank (Great Britain) – 1:49.79
6. Mewen Tomac (France) – 1:49.93
7. Radoslaw Kawecki (Poland) – 1:50.33
8. Ryota Naito (Japan) – 1:51.67

Ryan Murphy won the men’s 200 back tonight in 1:47.41, completing his sweep of the men’s backstroke events at these World Championships. Murphy moved into the lead on the second 50 of the race tonight and never looked back, continuing to expand his lead up until the final 25m. With this performance, Murphy has won his tenth SC World Championships medal of his career.

Shaine Casas made it a 1-2 punch for the Americans tonight, taking second in 1:48.01. Casas was briefly in the lead at the beginning of the race, but once Murphy took over the lead, Casas stayed in second the rest of the way.

Lorenzo Mora picked up a bronze medal for Italy, swimming a 1:48.45 for third. Mora was in sixth at the halfway mark, splitting 54.13 on the first 100. He then even-split the race, swimming a 54.32 on the second 100, which propelled him into third place.

France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard finished just off the podium, clocking a 1:49.23 for fourth.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – FINALS

• World Record: 1:50.31 – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 2021
• World Junior Record: 1:52.59 – Bella Sims (USA), 2022
• Championship Record: 1:50.31 – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 2021
• 2021 Champion: 1:50.31, Siobhan Haughey (HKG)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong) – 1:51.65
2. SILVER: Rebecca Smith (Canada) – 1:52.24
3. BRONZE: Marrit Steenbergen (Netherlands) – 1:52.28
4. Erin Gemmell (United States) – 1:52.56
5. Barbora Seemanova (Czech Republic) – 1:52.66
6. Leah Neale (Australia) – 1:52.84
7. Taylor Ruck (Canada) – 1:52.88
8. Madi Wilson (Australia) – 1:53.39

Siobhan Haughey ended up winning the final of the women’s 200 free by a significant margin, posting a 1:51.65. The time was well off Haughey’s World Record of 1:50.31. Haughey pulled into the lead on the second 25m of the race and never looked back, expanding her lead as she went.

Canada’s Rebecca Smith swam a 1:52.24, sitting in second for practically the entire race. Smith was out just 0.11 seconds slower than Haughey on the first 100m, but fell further behind on the back half.

Marrit Steenbergen came in third tonight after leading prelims this morning. Steenbergen swam a 1:52.28, inching towards Smith on the final 25m, but ended up touching just 0.04 seconds behind Smith.

American 18-year-old Erin Gemmell clocked a 1:52.56 for fourth place. Gemmell was in eighth place at the 100m turn, splitting a 55.18 on the first 100. She then came home in 57.38 on the second 100, passing four people in the process.

MEN’S 200 FREE – FINALS

• World Record: 1:39.37 – Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009
• World Junior Record: 1:40.65 – Matt Sates (RSA), 2021
• Championship Record: 1:40.95 – Danas Rapsys (LTU), 2018
• 2021 Champion: 1:41.60, Hwang Sunwoo (KOR)

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: Sunwoo Hwang (South Korea) – 1:39.72 (Championship Record)
2. SILVER: David Popovici (Romania) – 1:40.79
3. BRONZE: Tom Dean (Great Britain) – 1:40.86
4. Drew Kibler (United States) – 1:41.44
5. Thomas Neill (Australia) – 1:41.55
6. Maxime Grousset (France) – 1:41.56
7. Danas Rapsys (Lithuania) – 1:41.74
8. Katsuhiro Matsumoto (Japan) – 1:41.91

Sunwoo Hwang had a phenomenal performance tonight, swimming a 1:39.72 to win the men’s 200 free by over a second. Hwang’s performance marks a new Championship Record, as well as an Asian Record. He absolutely shattered the Championship Record, which stood at 1:40.95 from Danas Rapsys in 2018. Coincidentally, Rapsys came in seventh place tonight with a 1:41.74.

Hwang was in second at the 100m mark, swimming a 48.88. He then came home in 50.84, pulling into the lead by a huge margin.

It was Tom Dean, who led prelims this morning, who was in the lead at the 100m turn, flipping in 48.81. Dean ended up earning a bronze medal with a 1:40.86.

David Popovici narrowly missed the World Junior Record of 1:40.65, taking second in 1:40.79. Popovici was the fastest swimmer in the field on the second half, where he split a 51.67.

Drew Kibler came in fourth tonight, swimming a 1:41.44.

WOMEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINALS

• World Record: 3:44.52 – USA, 2020
• Championship Record: 3:45.58 – USA, 2018
• 2021 Champion: 3:46.20 – Sweden

RESULTS:

1. United States – 3:44.35
2. Australia – 3:44.92
3. Canada – 3:46.22
4. Netherlands – 3:47.70
5. Sweden – 3:47.84
6. France – 3:50.28
7. China – 3:51.44
8. Japan – DQ

The Americans put together a World Record performance in the women’s 4×100 medley relay, beating Australia thanks in large part to Lilly King. King Split 1:02.88 on the breaststroke leg, which was 1.61 seconds faster than Australian breaststroker Jenna Strauch. Kate Douglass was also fantastic on the anchor for the U.S., swimming a 50.47, which again was faster than her Australian counterpart, Meg Harris (50.76). Claire Curzan led the U.S. team off in 56.47, and Torri Huske had a great fly split, swimming a 54.53.

The Australians broke the Oceanic Record with their silver medal performance of 3:44.92. Kaylee McKeown led off in 55.74, while Emma McKeon was incredible on the fly leg, splitting 53.93.

Canada picked up another relay medal, swimming a 3:46.22 for third place. Ingrid Wilm was excellent on the lead-off, swimming a 55.36.

MEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINALS

• World Record: 3:19.16 – RUS, 2009
• Championship Record: 3:19.76 – Italy, 2021
• 2021 Champion: 3:19.76 – Italy

RESULTS:

1. GOLD: United States – 3:18.98 (WORLD RECORD)
2. GOLD: Australia – 3:18.98 (WORLD RECORD)
3. BRONZE – Italy – 3:19.06
4. Japan – 3:22.70
5. Germany – 3:23.04
6. Canada – 3:23.44
7. China – 3:25.15
8. Czech Republic – 3:26.37

The United States and Australia finished the 2022 Short Course World Championships by tying for Gold in the men’s 4×100 medley relay, breaking the World Record in the process.

The Americans got out to a big early lead, with Ryan Murphy leading off in 48.96 and Nic Fink splitting 54.88 on breaststroke. The U.S. hit the 200m exchange at 1:43.84, well ahead of Australia at 1:46.01. Australia had Isaac Cooper swimming a 49.46 lead-off, while Joshua Yong split 56.55 on breast.

The Australians were better on the back half, however. Matthew Temple split 48.34 on fly and Kyle Chalmers was electric on the anchor, roaring home in 44.63. For the U.S., Trenton Julian split 49.19 on fly and Kieran Smith was 45.95 on the anchor.

Both teams dipped under the previous World Record of 3:19.16. Italy was also under the previous World Record, swimming a 3:19.06 for third. Italy’s performance does, however, mark a new European Record in the event. Lorenzo Mora (49.48), Nicolo Martinenghi (55.52), Matteo Rivolta (48.50), and Alessandro Miressi (45.56) teamed up to make it happen.