Molly Hannis Out of SC Worlds Due To Death in Family

2018 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, December 11th – Sunday, December 16th
• Hangzhou, China
• Tennis Centre, Hangzhou Olympic & International Expo Center
• SCM (25m)
• Prelims: 9:30 am local, 8:30 pm ET / Finals: 7:00 pm* local, 6:00* am ET
• *The final night of finals will be one hour earlier, starting at 6:00 pm local and 5:00 am ET

American breaststroker Molly Hannis has returned home from China after learning that her father had died unexpectedly, according to TV commentator Rowdy Gaines.

Gaines was calling the first day of the 2018 Short Course World Championships when he revealed the news. Hannis had traveled to China and was slated to swim the 50 breaststroke on day 1 in Hangzhou, and was considered a likely medalist. But she scratched the event and is now not expected to swim the rest of the meet, which would have included the 100 breast and likely multiple medley relays. Hannis’s season- and lifetime-best of 29.51 would have qualified first into the finals of the 50 breast.

Team USA’s other breaststroker is Katie Meili, who qualified 5th into tomorrow’s 50 breast final. Meili is a 2016 Olympian who had a solid summer but declined her 2019 World Champs berth as she’s in the midst of law school. Meili should take over both women’s medley relays in Hannis’s absence.