2024 World Championships Day 1 Prelims Preview: Douglass Looks To Repeat In 200 IM

2024 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 11th – February 18th (pool swimming)
• Doha, Qatar
• LCM (50m)
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The 2024 World Championships will get underway on Sunday morning in Doha, Qatar. The opening prelims session features a packed schedule of six individual events and two relays.

DAY 1 PRELIMS EVENTS:

• Women’s 200 IM
• Men’s 400 free
• Women’s 100 fly
• Men’s 50 fly
• Women’s 400 free
• Men’s 100 breast
• Women’s 4×100 freestyle relay
• Men’s 4×100 freestyle relay

Kicking things off will be the women’s 200 IM, which is led by defending World Champion Kate Douglass. Douglass is one of two medalists from 2023 that return this year, as she is joined by bronze medalist Yu Yiting from China. Douglass has been as fast as 2:07.89 so far this season, but Yu holds a slight edge over Douglass with a 2:07.75 from September.

The men’s 400 free looks to be to be one of the deepest of the events at this year’s meet, with all but one of the 2023 finalists competing. Notably absent is defending champion Sam Short, which leaves Ahmed Hafnaoui as the favorite. This race will serve as Hafnaoui’s first since  making the move to California to train with Mark Schubert.

Leading the way in the women’s 100 fly is Claire Curzan, who was absent from the 2023 World Championships after narrowly missing the U.S. team. Her time of 56.61 from the U.S. trials would have tied for bronze at last year’s meet, however the the top four finishers are not in Doha which leaves the event wide open.

The men will swim the 50 fly on Sunday. Highlighting the field is World Junior record holder Diogo Ribeiro, who won his first senior World Championship medal when he took silver in this event last summer. Michael Andrew will be looking for redemption after missing the U.S. World’s team in 2023, and is seeded 2nd with a 22.85.

It looks to be Erika Fairweather‘s race to lose in the women’s 400 freestyle. Fairweather captured bronze in 2023 with a 3:59.59, and is the only swimmer in the field this year to own a sub-4:00 career best time.

As with the men’s 400 free, the men’s 100 breast is shaping up to be one of the more competitive events in Doha. Current World Record holder Adam Peaty is set to race, along with all three of the silver medalists from 2023 (Arno Kamminga, Nicolo Martinenghi, and Nic Fink). Fink is entered 1st , however, Kamminga owns the fastest season best time of this group at 58.68.

Rounding out day one’s events is the 4×100 freestyle relay. In the women’s race, Australia will be in the hunt to defend their title with only one of their finalists returning from 2023, while Britain will look to redeem themselves on the men’s side after getting DQ’ed in prelims of this event last year.