2024 World Championships: Day 3 Finals Preview

2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 11th – February 18th
• Doha, Qatar
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Official Entries
• 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 Heat Sheet

DAY 3 FINALS SCHEDULE

• Men’s 200 free final
• Women’s 1500 free final
• Men’s 50 breast semi-finals
• Women’s 100 back final
• Men’s 100 back final
• Women’s 200 free semi-finals
• Men’s 200 fly semi-finals
• Women’s 100 breast final

The third night of finals from Doha will be action-packed with five medal events and three sets of semis on the docket at the 2024 World Championships.

• Day 3 Finals Heat Sheet

Rapsys Seeks Redemption In Men’s 200 Free Final

Leading things off will be the final of the men’s 200 free, where Lithuanian Danas Rapsys has a chance to win his first LC World Championship medal, and potentially the title, after he appeared to win gold back in 2019 before he was disqualified for a false start.

In the semis, Rapsys clocked 1:44.96, the second-fastest of his career and quickest since 2019, but he faces a loaded final that includes South Korean Hwang Sunwoo, the reigning short course world champion who has stood on the podium in each of the last two LC World Championships, along with Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Duncan Scott lurking out in Lane 8.

The rest of the contenders are all in the hunt as well, with Hwang (1:45.15), Lukas Märtens (1:45.21) and Luke Hobson (1:45.53) all within striking distance of Rapsys.

Quadarella Aims For Second World Title In Women’s 1500

In 2019, Simona Quadarella took advantage of a Ledecky-less field in the women’s 1500 free to win the world title, and after claiming silver behind the world record holder in the event last year, she’s in position to earn a second title tonight.

Quadarella qualified 1st into the final in 16:02.96, well clear of the rest of the field with Isabel Gose (16:10.60) and Li Bingjie (16:13.61) sitting 2nd and 3rd.

Of course, the top contenders were cruising in the heats, but Quadarella ranked 2nd to Ledecky last year with her time of 15:43.31. Li (15:45.71) and Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (15:48.53) were 2nd and 3rd however, making them legitimate challengers.

Curzan In Cruise Control In 100 Back

After winning silver in the 100 fly, Claire Curzan is in position to win her first individual world title in the women’s 100 back, having qualified #1 out of the semis in 58.73.

Curzan was 4th in the world last year in 58.35 and if she maintains the 58-mid form she’s consistently shown, the race is hers.

The rest of the field vying for medals is led by Canada’s Ingrid Wilm, a consistent threat who went 58.80 last year, while there’s also some youth (Iona Anderson, Jaclyn Barclay) and veterans (Kira Toussaint, Kathleen Dawson) in contention.

Armstrong Has Hands Full In Men’s 100 Back

Hunter Armstrong was the clear favorite coming in in the men’s 100 back, but he’s got a strong field to contend with in tonight’s final.

Though he qualified 1st out of the semis in 53.04, the other seven finalists were all within seven-tenths, led by South African stud Pieter Coetze (53.07) who ranked #5 in the world last year with a PB of 52.78, one spot shy of Armstrong who was 4th (52.33).

Armstrong had a solid opening leg on the U.S. men’s 400 free relay relay in the prelims, and he’s still the man to beat after leading the semis, but he’ll need to be at the top of his game.

Tang Qianting Eyes History In Women’s 100 Breast

Tang Qianting was on fire in the semis of the women’s 100 breast, firing off a personal time of 1:05.36 to fall just shy of the super-suited Chinese Record (1:05.32) and the Asian Record of 1:05.19 held by Reona Aoki.

Defending champion Ruta Meilutyte was a sizeable favorite coming in, but after she missed the semis, Tang has distanced herself from the field, now with a chance to become China’s first champion in the event since 2003.

There’s also a chance we see the first all-Asian podium in the event, with China’s Yang Chang (1:06.27) and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey (1:06.41) qualifying 3rd and 5th overall.

SEMI-FINAL SLATE

• Men’s 50 Breast
  • SF 1 Lane 4 – Ilya Shymanovich (26.66)
  • SF 2 Lane 4 – Nic Fink (26.66)
• Women’s 200 Free
  • SF 1 Lane 4 – Erika Fairweather (1:57.40)
  • SF 2 Lane 4 – Li Bingjie (1:57.16)
• Men’s 200 Fly
  • SF 1 Lane 4 – Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 1:56.10
  • SF 2 Lane 4 – Kregor Zirk (EST), 1:55.58