2023 World University Games: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2023 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES

Day 4 of the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu has arrived. This morning’s prelims session will be the shortest one yet, set to last about 90 minutes.

DAY 4 PRELIMS SCHEDULE

  • Women’s 200 Breast – Prelims
  • Men’s 100 Free – Prelims
  • Women’s 100 Fly – Prelims
  • Men’s 800 Free – Prelims
  • Women’s 4×200 Free Relay – Prelims

The men’s 100 free is seeded very tightly at the top. Brazilians Pedro Spajari and Lucas Peixoto are the top 2 seeds, entering with times of 48.80 and 48.81 respectively. They don’t have much breathing room at all, however, as Poland’s Kamil Sieradzki is the #3 seed with a 48.85 and Italy’s Giovanni Carraro coming in at #4 with a 48.90.

China’s Zhang Yufei, who has already won gold in the women’s 50 fly and 100 free in Championship Record fashion this week, comes into this morning as the top seed in the women’s 100 fly. Yufei is the heavy favorite here, as she won gold in the event last week at the World Championships in Fukuoka. She also will all but certainly take down the WUGS Record of 57.63, which Canadian Katerine Savard currently holds.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

  • World Record: Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia – 2:17.55 (2023)
  • WUGS Record: Rie Kaneto, Japan – 2:22.32 (2009)

TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:

  1. Kaylene Corbett (South Africa) – 2:28.80
  2. Kotryna Teterevkova (Lithuania) – 2:30.18
  3. Haruna Ogata (Japan) – 2:30.83
  4. Bente Fischer (Germany) – 2:30.86
  5. Jiwon Yang (South Korea) – 2:31.45
  6. Zhu Leiju (China) – 2:32.04
  7. Alessia Ferraguti (Italy) – 2:33.31
  8. Zheng Muyan (China) – 2:33.61
  9. Emily Lundgren (United States) – 2:33.99
  10. Yukino Miyasaka (Japan) – 2:35.00
  11. Eliza Brown (United States) – 2:35.06
  12. Yujuan Chang (Hong Kong) – 2:36.28
  13. Klara Thormalm (Sweden) – 2:36.34
  14. Kate Meyer (South Africa) – 2:36.50
  15. Maria Erokhina (Cyprus) – 2:37.84
  16. Beatriz Lysy (Brazil) – 2:38.78

South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett kicked off this morning’s prelims by clocking the top time of the morning in the women’s 200 breast. Corbett, the bronze medalists in this event at last summer’s Commonwealth Games, swam a 2:28.80, which was the only time under 2:30 in the field this morning. With a career best of 2:22.06, Corbett could scare the Championship Record of 2:22.32 down the line.

Kotryna Teterevkova, the champion in the women’s 100 breast from last night, came in 2nd this morning in 2:30.18. She was only out in 1:13.03 on the first 100m this morning, so we know she has more to give on that front half moving forward.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

  • World Record: David Popovici, Romania – 46.86
  • WUGS Record: Vlad Morozov, Russia – 47.62 (2013)

TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:

  1. Pedro Spajari (Brazil) – 49.25
  2. Giovanni Carraro (Italy) – 49.59
  3. Juran Mizohata (Japan) – 49.62
  4. Srihari Nataraj (India) – 49.80
  5. Caden Duncan (United States) – 49.85
  6. Lucas Peixoto (Brazil) – 49.87
  7. Mateusz Chowaniec (Poland) – 49.93
  8. Adilbek Mussin (Kazakhstan) – 49.96
  9. Zhao Xinchen (China) – 50.01 (TIE)
  10. Yusuke Suda (Japan) – 50.01 (TIE)
  11. Paolo Bonin (Italy) – 50.09
  12. Chen Mingjie (China) – 50.12 (TIE)
  13. Kamil Sieradzki (Poland) – 50.12 (TIE)
  14. Luca Armbruster (Germany) – 50.12 (TIE)
  15. Ronny Brannkarr (Finland) – 50.30
  16. Bengt Holmquist (Sweden) – 50.35

Entering as the top seed in the event, Brazil’s Pedro Spajari led the way in prelims of the men’s 100 free this morning. In a pretty quick prelims, Spajari clocked a 49.25 to post the fastest time in the field by 0.34 seconds. He was the fastest out front this morning, splitting 23.48 on the opening 50m, which was the fastest 1st 50 split in the field.

There were a total of 8 men under 50 seconds this morning, which shows just how tight the event was, as it took a 50.35 to qualify for the semifinals.

Italy’s Giovanni Carraro had quite a bit of speed behind him this morning as well, getting out to a 23.76 on the first 50m of the race. Carraro ended up taking 2nd overall this morning in 49.59.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

  • World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden – 55.58 (2016)
  • WUGS Record: Katerine Savard, Canada – 57.63 (2013)

TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:

  1. Zhang Yufei (China) – 58.39
  2. Natsuko Hiroshita (Japan) – 59.37
  3. Jing Shangbeihua (China) – 59.56
  4. Viola Scotto (Italy) – 59.60
  5. Dalma Sebestyen (Hungary) – 59.65
  6. Kinge Zandringa (Netherlands) – 59.67
  7. Chiho Mizuguchi (Japan) – 1:00.03
  8. Wiktoria Piotrowska (Poland) – 1:00.04
  9. Callie Dickinson (United States) – 1:00.10
  10. Dora Hathazi (Hungary) – 1:00.15
  11. Giulia D’Innocenza (Italy) – 1:00.30
  12. Abby Daniel (United States) – 1:00.40
  13. Cheuk Kan (Hong Kong) – 1:00.41
  14. Emilie Beckmann (Denmark) – 1:00.44
  15. Erin Gallagher (South Africa) – 1:00.63
  16. Chiok Yeo (Singapore) – 1:00.68

As expected, World Champion Zhang Yufei led the field in this morning’s prelims of the women’s 100 fly. Yufei was way ahead of the field this morning, swimming a 58.39 to post the top time by nearly a full second. With the 58.39 this morning, it seems quite likely Yufei takes down the Championship Record of 57.63 tonight in semifinals.

Italian Viola Scotto, who earned the bronze medal in the women’s 50 fly a few days ago, came in 4th this morning with a 59.60.

Of note, 50 fly silver medalist Erin Gallagher, who broke the South African Record in that event a few days ago, came in 15th this morning with a 1:00.63. Gallagher has been swimming very well so far in Chengdu, so we have to assume this morning’s swim was just a bit too relaxed for her. Gallagher holds the women’s 100 fly South African Record at 57.67, and given she shattered the SA Record in the 50 fly a few days ago, Gallagher will likely be much faster in semifinals tonight.

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

  • World Record: Zhang Lin, China – 7:32.12 (2009)
  • WUGS Record: Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy – 8:45.76 (2017)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

  1. Matteo Lamberti (Italy) – 8:04.67
  2. Kaito Tabuchi (Japan) – 8:05.45
  3. Eduardo de Moraes (Brazil) – 8:05.87
  4. Shui Kurokawa (Japan) – 8:06.32
  5. Jack Hoagland (United States) – 8:07.01
  6. Ivan Giovannoni (Italy) – 8:07.88
  7. Chris Nagy (United States) – 8:09.53
  8. Thiago Ruffini (Brazil) – 8:10.50

Italian Matteo Lamberti posted the top time of the morning in the men’s 1500 free, swimming an 8:04.67. Coming in 2nd this morning was 1500 free silver medalist Kaito Tabuchi out of Japan.

Italy’s Ivan Giovannoni, who won the men’s 1500 free convincingly last night, came in 6th this morning. He clocked an 8:07.88, which will put him outside of the middle lanes in the final tomorrow night.

Chris Nagy (USA), the bronze medalist in the men’s 1500 free last night, had a close call this morning. Nagy took 7th this morning with an 8:09.53, so he will be swimming in an outside lane in tomorrow night’s final.

WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – PRELIMS

  • World Record: Australia – 7:37.50 (2023)
  • WUGS Record: United States – 7:53.88 (2015)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

  1. Japan – 8:08.80
  2. China – 8:17.17
  3. South Africa – 8:20.93
  4. United States – 8:20.96
  5. Brazil – 8:22.63
  6. South Korea – 8:22.77
  7. Singapore – 8:29.59
  8. Switzerland – 8:32.59

Only 10 teams competed in the women’s 4×200 free relay prelims this morning. Japan clocked the top time of the morning, swimming an 8:08.80. Yoshi Momoka (2:01.56), Kanon Nagao (2:02.32), Hazuki Yamamoto (2:03.14), and Ichika Kajimoto (2:01.78) teamed up to make it happen.

Dune Coetzee was fantastic on the lead-off leg for South Africa this morning, swimming a 2:00.41, which was the fastest lead-off split in the field.

Italy was disqualified for a false start this morning.

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