2023 World University Games: Day 6 Prelims Live Recap

2023 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES

• August 1-7, 2023
• Dong’an Lake Sports Park Swimming and Diving Hall, Chengdu, China
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Page
• Live Results + Schedule
• Live Stream Schedule (All Sports)
• 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 Prelims Live Recap | Day 5 Finals Live Recap

Day 6 of the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu is underway. This morning’s prelims session will be the shortest one yet, set to last right about one hour. Three of the five events this morning are 50s.

DAY 6 PRELIMS EVENT SCHEDULE

• Women’s 50 Breast – Prelims
• Men’s 50 Free – Prelims
• Women’s 200 Fly – Prelims
• Women’s 50 Free – Prelims
• Men’s 4×200 Free Relay – Prelims

The women’s 50 breast has Brazil’s Jhennifer Conceicao coming in as the top seed, entering with a 30.51. Conceicao will have her work cut out for her, however, as Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova is also in the field. Teterevkova has already won the women’s 100 and 200 breast this week in Chengdu, so she’s 2/3 of the way to a sweep.

In the men’s 50 free, Brazil’s Pedro Spajari enters as the top seed. As was the case in the 100 free, Spajari’s teammate, Lucas Peixoto, is the #2 seed. Spajari came in 8th in the men’s 100 free final last night, however, in prelims, semifinals, and finals, he posted the fastest first 50 split in the field, so it looks like he’s in good shape for the 50 free.

Japan’s Kina Hayashi comes into today as the top seed in the women’s 200 fly by a wide margin. Hayashi is entered at 2:06.41, making her the only swimmer in the field seeded under 2:08.

Meanwhile, the women’s 50 free will be Chinese star Zhang Yufei‘s last individual event of the meet. Yufei has already won gold in the women’s 50 fly, 100fly, and 100 free, breaking the Championship Records in all 3 events. The 50 free may prove to be Yufei’s biggest challenge of the week in terms of breaking records, however. The Championship Record is pretty quick, sitting at 24.48. While Yufei has been considerably faster than that, having earned the bronze medal in the event at the World Championships last week with a 24.15, fatigue may start to play a role. At this point, Yufei has been racing for 2 weeks straight. That much racing can start to take its toll on anyone, even a swimmer as great as Yufei.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• World Record: Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania – 29.16 (2023)
• Championship Record: Yulia Efimova, Russia – 30.12 (2013)

TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:

1. Jhennifer Conceicao (Brazil) – 31.44
2. Anna Sztankovics (Hungary) – 31.51
3. Kotryna Teterevkova (Lithuania) – 31.59
4. Adelaida Pchelintseva (Kazakhstan) – 31.74
5. Klara Thormalm (Sweden) – 31.97
6. Kaylene Corbett (South Africa) – 32.15 (TIE)
7. Eva Carlson (United States) – 32.15 (TIE)
8. Yukino Miyasaka (Japan) – 32.19
9. Dominika Sztandera (Poland) – 32.22
10. Pei-Wun Lin (Taipei) – 32.23
11. Haruna Ogata (Japan) – 32.30
12. Alexandre Froissart (Switzerland) – 32.50
13. Chieh-Yu Hung (Taipei) – 32.63
14. Kate Meyer (South Africa) – 32.64
15. Alessia Ferraguti (Italy) – 32.79
16. Jiwon Yang (South Korea) – 32.91

Brazil’s Jhennifer Conceicao led the way through prelims of the women’s 50 breast this morning. The top seed coming into the event, Conceicao clocked a 31.44, narrowly leading Hungary’s Anna Sztankovics, who was 2nd-fastest with a 31.51.

Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova was 3rd this morning in 31.59. Teterevkova has already won the women’s 100 breast and 200 breast this week.

South African Kaylene Corbett, the silver medalist in both the 100 and 200 breast, came in 6th this morning with a 32.15. She tied for 6th with American Eva Carlson.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• World Record: Cesar Cielo, Brazil – 20.91 (2009)
• Championship Record: Vlad Morozov, Russia – 21.67

TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:

1. Giovanni Izzo (Italy) – 22.44
2. Pedro Spajari (Brazil) – 22.48
3. Lucas Peixoto (Brazil) – 22.50
4. Wang Yi (China) – 22.59
5. Jokubas Keblys (Lithuania) – 22.60
6. Piotr Ludwiczak (Poland) – 22.67
7. Chen Mingjie (China) – 22.75
8. Juran Mizohata (Japan) – 22.76
9. Jack Armstrong (United States) – 22.82 (TIE)
10. Christos Papadopoulos (Greece) – 22.82 (TIE)
11. Yusuke Suda (Japan) – 22.83
12. Luca Armbruster (Germany) – 22.86
13. Nicolo Franceschi (Italy) – 22.91
14. Julian Berol (France) – 22.94
15. Srihari Nataraj (India) – 23.02
16. Andrei Ungur (Romania) – 23.05

Prelims of the men’s 50 free was very tight at the top this morning. Italy’s Giovanni Izzo led the way with a 22.44. Brazilians Pedro Spajari and Lucas Peixoto were right behind Izzo, swimming 22.48 and 22.50 respectively. Spajari and Peixoto were both finalists in the men’s 100 free earlier in the meet as well.

India’s Srihari Nataraj made it through to the semifinals, marking one of the only semifinalists for India so far in the meet.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• World Record: Liu Zige, China – 2:01.81 (2009)
• Championship Record: Audrey Lacroix, Canada – 2:05.83 (2007)

TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:

1. Antonella Crispino (Italy) – 2:12.00
2. Dora Hathazi (Hungary) – 2:12.47
3. Chiho Mizuguchi (Japan) – 2:13.07
4. Tabatha Avetand (France) – 2:13.15
5. Dalma Sebestyen (Hungary) – 2:13.71
6. Megan Van Berkom (United States) – 2:13.80
7. Jing Shangbeihua (China) – 2:13.84
8. Anna Pirovano (Italy) – 2:14.70
9. Hee Eun Lee (South Korea) – 2:14.82
10. Aleksandra Knop (Poland) – 2:15.25
11. Jung Hwa Hong (South Korea) – 2:15.41
12. Kina Hayashi (Japan) – 2:15.96
13. Fan Toh (Singapore) – 2:16.07
14. Callie Dickinson (United States) – 2:16.20
15. Maria Pessanha (Brazil) – 2:16.23
16. Lizanne Viljoen (South Africa) – 2:21.64

Italy’s Antonella Crispino led prelims of the women’s 200 fly this morning in 2:12.00. Crispino was in control of the race from the start, splitting 1:01.74, which was the fastest first 100 split in the field.

Hungary’s Dora Hathazi was also a 2:12 this morning, taking 2nd overall with a 2:12.47.

Japan’s Kina Hayashi, the top seed coming into the event, came in 12th this morning with a 2:15.41. That swim was very far off Hayashi’s personal best, which stands at 2:06.41 from 2022.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden – 23.61 (2023)
• Championship Record: Aliaksa Herasimenia, Belarus – 24.48 (2013)

TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:

1. Zhang Yufei (China) – 24.85
2. Erin Gallagher (South Africa) – 25.30
3. Kalia Antoniou (Cyrpus) – 25.43
4. Mei-Chien Huang (Taipei) – 25.49
5. Kornelia Fiedkiewicz (Poland) – 25.62
6. Viola Scotto di Carlo (Italy) – 25.73
7. Fanny Teijonsalo (Finland) – 25.78
8. Riru Kubota (Japan) – 25.79
9. Sonia Laquintana (Italy) – 25.82
10. Shiho Matsumoto (Japan) – 25.87
11. Inge Weidemann (South Africa) – 25.96
12. Luanna Oliveira (Brazil) – 26.00
13. Luo Youyang (China) – 26.07
14. Chiok Sze Yeo (Singapore) – 26.13
15. Hannah Kuchler (Germany) – 26.15 (TIE)
16. N. Chan (Singapore) – 26.15 (TIE)

China’s Zhang Yufei clocked the fastest time of the morning by a wide margin in the women’s 50 free prelims. Yufei blasted a 24.85, finishing almost half-a-second ahead of South Africa’s Erin Gallagher, who came in 2nd with a 25.30. Yufei and Gallagher have had a bit of a rivalry so far this week. Yufei has already won gold in the women’s 50 fly, 100 fly, and 50 free, while Gallagher has earned the silver medals in the 50 fly and 100 fly.

Gallagher also broke the African Record in the women’s 100 fly last night.

MEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – PRELIMS

• World Record: United States – 6:58.55 (2009)
• Championship Record: Russia – 7:05.49 (2013)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Brazil – 7:20.83
2. China – 7:23.78
3. Japan – 7:25.49
4. Italy – 7:25.68
5. United States – 7:26.12
6. Poland – 7:28.24
7. South Africa – 7:31.91
8. South Korea – 7:32.69

Brazil posted the top time of the morning by a wide margin in the men’s 4×200 free relay. Of course, we need to take into account that when it comes to relays at this type of meet, there will be quite a bit of turnover in the rosters for each country’s relay from prelims to finals. Even so, the Brazilian team looked quite formidable this morning.

Breno Correia (1:49.51), Kaique Alves (1:50.55), Eduardo Moraes (1:49.22), and Vini Assuncao (1:51.55) teamed up to post a 7:20.83.

Other notable splits in the field include Japan’s Ikki Imoto, who swam a 1:49.81 on the 2nd leg of their relay.