2025 World Championships: Day 4 Finals Preview

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

DAY 4 FINALS HEAT SHEET

Day 4 Finals Event Lineup

• Men’s 800 free final
• Women’s 200 free final
• Men’s 100 free semis
• Women’s 50 back semis
• Men’s 200 fly final
• Men’s 50 breast final
• Women’s 200 fly semis
• Men’s 200 IM semis
• Mixed 4×100 medley relay final

Tonight closes out the first half of the 2025 World Championships. In this session, many top stars take on their second or third event of the meet, and they look to either ride the wave of momentum or level up from a previous result. Plus, we get to see the sport’s biggest male star, Leon Marchand, in his first night session.

We kick things off with the clash of men’s distance titans in the 800 freestyle final. Only five seconds separate the field top to bottom, beginning with Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi and closing off with reigning Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen. Among the names in between are pacing extraordinaire Bobby Finke and the dangerous Deutschland duo, Lukas Martens and Sven Schwarz. This event is truly anyone’s game.

Following that up is the only women’s final of the night, the 200 freestyle. Claire Weinstein gave her crowded field of opponents whiplash by rocking a new 1:54.6 lifetime best in the semi-final after scratching the 400 amid Team USA illness. Maintaining the #1 seed will be a tall order for Weinstein, as she’ll have to fend off 2024 Olympic Champion and former world record holder Mollie O’Callaghan. Kiwi Erika Fairweather is another woman to watch. She seems to be in the shape of her life and will look to avenge a brutal 400 freestyle disqualification.

Two semifinals come next. First up, only eight of a stacked field of 16 men’s 100 freestylers will move on. The 2022 and 2023 World Champions in this event, David Popovici and Kyle Chalmers, will swim in the middle lanes of the semifinals. No one would be surprised to see Pan Zhanle, who came out of the heats 6th, make a move towards the top spots. On the outside lanes, accomplished sprinters such as Jack Alexy and Gui Caribe will have to find some more speed to make it into the final.

North Americans have the spotlight for the women’s 50 back semifinal. Kylie Masse leads after the first round of competition. Americans Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff also have middle lanes for round two after finishing 5th and 3rd, respectively. Berkoff’s 26.96 Americas record could fall to any one of these three ladies.

After that, we pick back up with another final. If he expended his energy well, the odds point in favor of American Luca Urlando. He hit 1:52 to come out on top of each of the first two rounds. Two new national record holders, Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland and Chen Juner of China will be breathing down Urlando’s neck on either side. Carson Foster has never medalled in this event, but tonight there’s a chance he could.

Next, Qin Haiyang has a great shot at being the meet’s first double winner on the men’s side as he leads the 50 breaststroke final (though Martens could also beat him to the chase). He’ll race two recent national record breakers in Ivan Kozhakin (NAB) and Koen de Groot (NED).

After a brief rest period post-50 back, Regan Smith will complete her semi-final double in the 200 fly. She’ll be in a center lane in the second heat with the event’s favorite, Summer McIntosh, and 12-year-old phenom Zidi Yu, making the semifinal must-watch television.

In the last individual event of the night, we get to see what Leon Marchand has in store for round 2 in the men’s 200 IM. He should have a full tank, as he dropped the 200 butterfly and led the heats with a smooth 1:57.63. By contrast, Carson Foster and Alberto Razzetti will be doubling up with this event after the 200 fly final, an obstacle as they gun for the top 8.

To close out the session, we have the sport’s most strategic event: the mixed 4×100 medley relay. The 2024 Olympic Champions, the United States, sent shockwaves through the swimming community by failing to advance to the final this morning. Even in their absence, there’s no shortage of competition. Italy came out on top in the morning without even using Olympic Champions Thomas Ceccon and Nicolo Martinenghi, so they’re sure to be in the mix. China can never be counted out of this relay, especially with Qin Haiyang in top form. Australia has a lethal back-end duo option in Alexandria Perkins and Mollie O’Callaghan. At the time of publication, relay line-ups were not yet out.