2023 World Championships: Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 23 to 30, 2023
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• LCM (50m)
• WORLD CHAMPS WATCH PARTY – DAILY
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results (Omega)
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap

Day 5 Finals Start List

Women’s 4×200 Free Finals Relay Lineups

We’re moving right along, and it’s the fifth session of finals at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. It’s sort of a semifinal heavy session, but there are several exciting finals that you won’t want to miss.

Order of Events

• Women’s 200 Butterfly — Final
• Women’s 100 Freestyle — Semifinals
• Men’s 100 Freestyle — Final
• Women’s 50 Backstroke — Final
• Men’s 200 Breaststroke — Semifinals
• Men’s 200 IM — Final
• Women’s 200 Breaststroke — Semifinals
• Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay — Final

The session kicks off with the final of the women’s 200 butterfly. Regan Smith and Summer McIntosh are the two big favorites here. That said, there should be an exciting race for bronze between Lana Pudar, Elizabeth Dekkers, and Helena Bach. If Pudar wins a medal, she’ll win Bosnia & Herzegovina’s first World Championships medal.

Then, it’s onto the men’s 100 freestyle final where we’re set for a tight race. Matt Richards has been on fire here in Fukuoka, and he leads the way after setting a British record in both prelims and semifinals. He’ll have his hands full with Kyle Chalmers and world record holder David Popovici. Pan Zhanle could get into the mix, as well as short-course star Jordan Crooks.

The women’s 50 backstroke final will be Smith’s second swim of the night. She led the way in prelims with a new American record of 27.10. Kaylee McKeown is following close behind her and all of the 2022 medalists–Kylie Masse, Katharine Berkoff, and Analia Pigree–are all in this field as well.

Will it be Marchand Madness again in the 200 IM? The Frenchman is looking for his third gold of the meet, and after posting the top time in semifinals (shortly after the 200 fly final) he looks like he’s in a strong position to repeat as world champion. Carson Foster and Daiya Seto are looking to get back on the podium. Tokyo silver medallist Duncan Scott shouldn’t be overlooked, and neither should his teammate Tom Dean. Both are 200 freestylers, so watch for them to come flying home.

Then, we’ve got the session’s relay: the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay. Bella Sims provided last minute heroics in 2022, anchoring the U.S. to the gold. But, after Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus went 1-2 in the individual 200 free–with O’Callaghan setting a world record–it’s the Australians who look like the team to beat. Watch for China to get involved in the action as well.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Final

• World Record: Liu Zige, China – 2:01.81 (2009)
• World Junior Record: Summer McIntosh, Canada – 2:04.70 (2023)
• Championship Record: Jess Schipper, Australia – 2:03.41 (2009)
• 2022 World Champion: Summer McIntosh, Canada – 2:05.20
• 2022 Time to Medal: 2:06.32

Top 8:

1. Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 2:04.06 (WORLD JUNIOR RECORD)
2. Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS) — 2:05.46
3. Regan Smith (USA) — 2:06.58
4. Lana Pudar (BIH) — 2:07.05
5. Airi Mitsui (JPN)/Helena Bach (DEN) — 2:07.15
6. (tie)
7. Laura Stephens (GBR) — 2:07.27
8. Lindsay Looney (USA) — 2:07.90

This race was all Summer McIntosh. The 16-year-old took the race by the horns, taking the lead on the opening 50 with a 27.73. She just kept going from there, building on her lead with 31.24/32.50/32.59 splits over the last three 50s. She hit the wall in 2:04.06, setting new world junior record.

This is McIntosh’s first gold medal of the meet, and follows up nicely on the 200 free bronze she won in another world junior record time. It’s another positive step for McIntosh: the 400 free is now firmly behind her as she climbs onto the podium for the second time this meet.

It’s two teenagers who top the podium, as behind McIntosh it was Elizabeth Dekkers who earned the silver medal. The 2:05.46 is just off her personal best from Australian Trials. The 19-year-old built herself into the race; she was seventh at the first turn, but moved herself up to fifth at the 100 mark and third at the 150. She outsplit Regan Smith on the way home, 32.52 to 33.56 to move ahead of her in the podium.

In her first final of the night, Smith took bronze. She swam a 2:06.58, off her personal best–the 2:03.87 that she swam at an ASU meet. She didn’t blast out the way that she did in the semifinals, but she still got caught by Dekkers in the closing meters of the race.

Lana Pudar finished fourth in 2:07.05, off the time she put up in semifinals. In front of a home nation crowd, Airi Mitsui tied with Helena Bach for fifth.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – Semifinals

• World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden – 51.71 (2017)
• World Junior Record: Penny Oleksiak, Canada – 52.70
• Championship Record: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden – 51.71 (2017)
• 2022 World Champion: Mollie O’Callaghan, Australia – 52.67
• 2022 Time to Final: 53.82

Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Marrit Steenbergen (NED) — 52.82
2. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) — 52.86
3. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) — 52.90
4. Emma McKeon (AUS) — 53.00
5. Abbey Weitzeil (USA) — 53.36
6. Kate Douglass (USA) — 53.38
7. Michelle Coleman (SWE) — 53.41
8. Yang Junxuan (CHN) — 53.67

Marrit Steenbergen jumped on the race in the first semifinal. She’s become the go-to freestyler for the Dutch women, and she proved why here–dropping a personal best 52.82 to lead the field into the final tomorrow night. Steenbergen clocked a 52.82, which Mollie O’Callaghan just missed in the second semifinal with a 52.86.

O’Callaghan is the defending world champion in the event, and there’s a lot of hype following her after her 200 free world record. She was one of the swimmers in this field (Kate Douglass being another) who cruised through the heats. But, she turned the gas on here a little more in the semifinal, out-touching Siobhan Haughey and Emma McKeon. 

Haughey and McKeon are both safely through to the final as well, with times of 52.90 and 53.00. Like the Australians, the Americans put two women into the final. Abbey Weitzeil swam a controlled race in the first semifinal, hitting 53.36 to finished second behind Steenbergen. Douglass–who has the 200 breast semi later–clocked a 53.38 in the second semifinal.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – Final

• World Record: David Popovici, Romania – 46.86 (2022)
• World Junior Record: David Popovici, Romania – 46.86 (2022)
• Championship Record: Cesar Cielo, Brazil – 46.91 (2009)
• 2022 World Champion: David Popovici, Romania – 47.58
• 2022 Time to Medal: 47.71

Top 8:

1. Kyle Chalmers (AUS) — 47.15
2. Jack Alexy (USA) — 47.31
3. Maxime Grousset (FRA) — 47.42
4. Pan Zhanle (CHN) — 47.43
5. Matt Richards (GBR) — 47.45
6. David Popovici (ROU) — 47.83
7. Jordan Crooks (CAY) — 47.94
8. Nandor Nemeth (HUN) — 48.17

King Kyle has now completed his collection; he earned his first 100 free World Championship title here in Fukuoka, getting his hand on the wall in 47.15. Kyle Chalmers came roaring home. He was tied for seventh at the first 50, flipping in 23.04. He fired off a 24.11 back-half, blazing through the field and catching up to Jack Alexy, who had ripped a 22.48 to lead the field through the turn.

We had outside smoke on both sides of the pool, as the silver and bronze medallists came from the outside lanes. Alexy snuck into this final by .02 and now he’s the silver medallist in a huge personal best of 47.31, which makes him the #2 American performer all-time in the event. He’s behind only Caeleb Dressel now, as he eclipses Dave Walters‘ 47.33 from 2009.

Out in lane 1, Maxime Grousset held on against a charging Pan Zhanle for bronze. It was Grousset’s front end speed that helped him hang onto that medal, he split 22.67/24.75, just holding off Pan who came home in 24.39.

Finishing in fifth, Matt Richards lowered the British record for the third time at this meet, swimming 47.45. World record holder David Popovici took sixth in 47.83.

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – Final

• World Record: Liu Xiang, China – 26.98 (2018)
• World Junior Record: Minna Atherton, Australia – 27.49 (2016)
• Championship Record: Zhao Ling, China – 27.06 (2009)
• 2022 World Champion: Kylie Masse, Canada – 27.31
• 2022 Time to Medal: 27.40

Top 8:

1. Kaylee McKeown (AUS) — 27.08
2. Regan Smith (USA) — 27.11
3. Lauren Cox (GBR) — 27.20
4. Kylie Masse (CAN) — 27.28
5. Katharine Berkoff (USA) — 27.38
6. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) — 27.41
7. Wang Xueer (CHN) — 27.99
8. Analia Pigree (FRA) — 28.04

Kaylee McKeown makes it 2-for-2 in the backstroke events here in Fukuoka. McKeown fired off a 27.08 to win gold here, becoming the #3 performer all-time and taking down the Oceanic record. McKeown got the better of Smith by .03 seconds, as Smith earned silver in 27.11. That puts her back on the podium for the second time this session, and is just .01 off the American record she swam during the semfinals.

Despite having all three of the 2022 medallists in the field, we’ve got complete turnover on the medal podium. Great Britain’s Lauren Cox got onto the podium with a new personal best of 27.20. Now, she’s just .01 seconds off Kathleen Dawson‘s British record.

Though she finished off the podium, Kylie Masse took fourth in 27.28, which is faster than what she went to win gold in 2022.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – Semifinals

• World Record: Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia – 2:05.95
• World Junior Record: Dong Zhihao, China – 2:08.83 (2023)
• Championship Record: Anton Chupkov, Russia – 2:06.12 (2019)
• 2022 World Champion: Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia – 2:07.07
• 2022 Time to Final: 2:09.69

Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) — 2:07.27
2. Qin Haiyang (CHN) — 2:07.70
3. Matt Fallon (USA) — 2:07.90
4. Dong Zhihao (CHN) — 2:08.47 (WORLD JUNIOR RECORD)
5. Caspar Corbeau (NED) — 2:08.49
6. Josh Matheny (USA) — 2:09.04
7. Anton McKee (ISL) — 2:09.19
8. Ippei Watanabe (JPN) — 2:09.50

The top four qualifiers all came from the first semifinal. There, it was world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook who nabbed the win, coming from behind in his usual style to qualify with a 2:07.27. Stubblety-Cook took over at the 150-meter mark, beating the likes of Qin Haiyang, Matt Fallon, and Dong Zhihao. All three of those men made it safely through into the final.

Caspar Corbeau took the win in the first semifinal, ahead of Josh Matheny. They are sitting fifth and sixth for the final. The only other man from the first semi to qualify is Ippei Watanabe, meaning that Arno Kamminga misses out on the final.

Like the United States, China got two men into the final, including Dong who lowered his own world junior record with a 2:08.47.

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – Finals

• World Record: Ryan Lochte, United States – 1:54.00 (2011)
• World Junior Record: Hubert Kos, Hungary – 1:56.99 (2021)
• Championship Record: Ryan Lochte, United States – 1:54.00 (2011)
• 2022 World Champion: Leon Marchand, France – 1:55.22
• 2022 Time to Medal: 1:56.22

Top 8:

1. Leon Marchand (FRA) — 1:54.82
2. Duncan Scott (GBR) — 1:55.95
3. Tom Dean (GBR) — 1:56.07
4. Shaine Casas (USA) — 1:56.35
5. Carson Foster (USA) — 1:56.43
6. Daiya Seto (JPN) — 1:56.70
7. Hugo Gonzalez (ESP) — 1:57.37
8. So Ogata (JPN) — 1:57.82

If it wasn’t clear already, Marchand Madness has continued in Fukuoka. Leon Marchand collected his third gold medal of these championships, winning gold in the 200 IM. He swam a new European record of 1:54.82, breaking Laslo Cseh‘s record of 1:55.18 from 2009.

Marchand was third after the butterfly and second after backstroke. As expected, he made his move on the back half of the race, splitting 32.94 on breaststroke. That put him in the lead, and then his final turn distanced him from everyone else in the race and coming home in a 28.28.

As fast as he was on the freestyle, he was still only the third fastest split on freestyle. That’s because there were the British 200 freestyle specialists Duncan Scott and Tom Dean in the field. The two closed hard, especially Dean, who closed like a freight train in 27.12 to come out of nowhere–well, seventh at the final turn–blitz through the field, and earn bronze.

Scott closed a second slower in 28.12, but he had been fifth after backstroke (29.31) and third after breast (33.33) so he didn’t have as much ground to make up. Scott earned silver in 1:55.95, while Dean took bronze in a personal best 1:56.07. Dean has now figured in both races at this meet where the British men got two swimmers on the podium.

It was the Americans who animated the race at the start, with Shaine Casas in lane 8 taking it out in the fly under world record pace (24.37). It was him and then Carson Foster, and Foster–the defending silver medalist–was leading after the backstroke leg (28.54). By the end of breaststroke, he had slipped to fourth (34.60). Casas finished just off the podium in fourth with a 1:56.35, and Foster took fifth in 1:56.43.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – Semifinals

• World Record: Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia – 2:17.55 (2023)
• World Junior Record: Viktoria Gunes, Turkey – 2:19.64 (2015)
• Championship Record: Rikke Pedersen, Denmark – 2:19.11 (2013)
• 2022 World Champion: Lilly King, United States – 2:22.41
• 2022 Time to Final: 2:25.09

Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) — 2:21.31
2. Tes Schouten (NED) — 2:21.71
3. Kate Douglass (USA) — 2:21.99
4. Lilly King (USA) — 2:22.68
5. Thea Blomsterberg (DEN) — 2:23.19
6. Abbey Harkin (AUS) — 2:23.65
7. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU) — 2:24.12
8. Kelsey Wog (CAN) — 2:24.16

The Tokyo Olympic champion and former world record holder Tatjana Schoenmaker earned the top seed for the 200 breaststroke final. She won the first semifinal ahead of Lilly King, clocking 2:21.31. King qualifies in third, as the Netherlands’ Tes Schouten won the second semifinal in 2:21.71, beating the 2:21.99 King posted.

The Americans got both King and Kate Douglass into the final, so they will both try to get back on the podium after their gold and bronze medal performances last year in Budapest. Douglass executed her 100 free/200 breast double well, safely qualifying for both finals. We’ll wait to see how that double plays out when both are finals tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Thea Blomsterberg and Abbey Harkin also made it through to the final, and last year’s fourth place finisher Kelsey Wog snuck in with a 2:24.16 for eighth.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – Semifinals

• World Record: Aaron Peirsol, United States – 1:51.92 (2009)
• World Junior Record: Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia – 1:55.14 (2017)
• Championship Record: Aaron Peirsol, United States – 1:51.92 (2009)
• 2022 World Champion: Ryan Murphy, United States – 1:54.52
• 2022 Time to Final: 1:57.12

Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Roman Mityukov (SUI) — 1:55.85
2. Benedek Kovacs (HUN) — 1:55.89
3. Hubert Kos (HUN) — 1:55.99
4. Ryan Murphy (USA) — 1:56.02
5. Mewen Tomac (FRA) — 1:56.05
6. Bradley Woodward (AUS) — 1:56.16
7. Daiki Yanagawa (JPN) — 1:57.23
8. Hugo Gonzalez (ESP) — 1:57.28

Switzerland’s Roman Mityukov earned the fastest time in the men’s 200 backstroke semis, securing lane 4 for the final. The 21-year-old swam a new personal best of 1:55.85 to win the first semifinal, getting under 1:56 for the first time in his career.

He’ll be flanked by two Hungarians in the final, as Benedek Kovacs and Hubert Kos qualified second and third. The two are separated by just a tenth, as Kos took the second semifinal in 1:55.99, just off what Kovas swam for second the heat prior.

The top six swimmers are separated by just .31 seconds, which means that while the defending champion Ryan Murphy (4th, 1:56.02) is still the favorite for the gold medal, really all of the medals are wide open heading into the final.

While he’s sitting a bit further back, Hugo Gonzalez did sneak into the final in eighth. He had what might have been the toughest double of the session, as the men’s 200 IM final was just two events before this one. Expect him to move up and be right in the middle of the action in the final.

WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – Finals

• World Record: Australia – 7:39.29 (2022)
• Championship Record: United States – 7:41.45 (2022)
• 2022 World Champion: United States – 7:41.45
• 2022 Time to Medal: 7:44.76

Top 8:

1. Australia (O’Callaghan, Jack, Throssell, Titmus) — 7:37.50 (WORLD RECORD)
2. United States (Gemmell, Ledecky, Sims, Shackell) — 7:41.38
3. China (Li, Li, Ai, Liu) — 7:44.40
4. Great Britain — 7:46.63
5. Canada — 7:49.98
6. Netherlands — 7:52.93
7. Hungary — 7:54.65
8. Brazil — 7:59.10

The Australian women have won both women’s relays in world record fashion. They were the favorites coming in and the team of Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Brianna Throssell, and Ariarne Titmus, who all train together under Dean Boxall at St. Peter’s Western, combined for a new world record of 7:37.50. They broke the old record–which they set just last year–by 1.79 seconds.

200 free world record holder Mollie O’Callaghan led off in 1:53.66, getting the Australians out to a lead. Shayna Jack split 1:55.63, then Brianna Throssell swam 1:55.80. They were well ahead of world record pace, but pushed further ahead as Titmus, their anchor, got started. Titmus anchored in a massive 1:52.41, which is the fastest relay split of all-time. She’s the first woman to split sub-1:53.

All-Time Top Relay Splits, Women’s 4×200 Free Relay:

1. Ariarne Titmus, Australia — 1:52.41 (2023)
2. Ariarne Titmus, Australia — 1:52.82 (2022)
3. Federica Pellegrini, Italy – 1:53.45 (2009)
4. Sarah Sjostsrom, Sweden – 1:53.64 (2014)
5. Katie Ledecky, United States – 1:53.67 (2022)
6. Katie Ledecky, United States – 1:53.74 (2016)
7. Katie Ledecky, United States – 1:53.76 (2021)
8. Katie Ledecky, United States – 1:53.84 (2018)
9. Summer McIntosh, Canada — 1:53.97 (2023)
10. Katie Ledecky, United States – 1:54.02 (2017)

On paper, it looks like the Australians ran away with it, but the Americans kept them honest, especially through the middle 400. Erin Gemmell swam a personal best 1:55.97 to lead-off. Katie Ledecky swam second, and she split 1:54.39, pulling the U.S. closer to the Aussies. Then, Bella Smith dove in. Sims dazzled with her relay split in 2022 and she was right on that split from last year with a 1:54.64.

Sims actually put the U.S. into the lead heading into the final leg, as she passed Throssell and hit the wall ahead of her by nine-hundredths. That wasn’t a big enough gap for the youngster Alex Shackell to hold off Titmus, but the U.S. takes silver in 7:41.38, under their old championship record time.

The Chinese squad of Li Bingjie (1:55.83), Li Jiaping (1:57.54), Ai Yanhan (1:55.57), and Liu Yaxin (1:55.46) held on for bronze, shaking off a challenge from Great Britain during the middle part of the race to win that medal comfortably in 7:44.40.

Also of note, Summer McIntosh swam second for Canada, and she split a 1:53.97, which stands up as the ninth fastest relay split of all-time. She joins Titmus, Pellegrini, Sjostrom, and Ledecky as the only women to split faster than a 1:54.