Kasia Wasick Becomes 1st Polish Woman to Make 50 Free Finals, Sets National Record

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Budapest, Hungary
• Duna Arena
• LCM (50-meter format)
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WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: 23.67, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017 World Championships
• Championship Record: 23.67, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Emma McKeon (AUS), 23.81
• 2019 World Champion: Simone Manuel (USA), 24.05

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Kasia Wasick (POL), 24.11
2. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 24.15
3. Meg Harris (AUS), 24.39
4. Erika Brown (USA), 24.59
5. Anna Hopkin (GBR) / Zhang Yufei (CHN), 24.60
6. –
7. Torri Huske (USA), 24.63
8. Julie Kepp Jensen (DEN), 24.86

30-year-old Polish swimmer Kasia Wasick lowered her own national record in the 50 free with a top-seeded time of 24.11 in Friday’s semifinals, in the process becoming the first Polish woman to make the final in the event at Worlds.

Wasick’s previous Polish record was also set in Budapest, Hungary, a 24.17 from the European Championships in May of 2021. The USC graduate has held the national mark since March of 2019, when she became the first Polish woman sub-25 in the event (Aleksandra Urbanczyk-Olejarczyk had previously held the record with a 25.01 from the 2013 World Championships). Now Wasick is approaching the 24-second mark, a feat that only 11 women have ever accomplished. 

Wasick qualified first for the finals after entering the semis as the second seed behind Swedish world record holder Sarah Sjostrom, who has dipped under the 24-second mark more than anyone else in history. Saturday’s final is shaping up to be an exciting battle between two veteran sprint specialists who are both four-time Olympians. Sjostrom might just have to swim sub-24 again in order to hold off Wasick and return atop the podium in the event after taking home a silver medal in 2019. 

Last December, Wasick picked up her first short course Worlds medal with a bronze in the 50 free. She’s looking to win her first long course Worlds medal in Saturday’s 50 free final, where she’ll be the oldest swimmer in the field. 

It’s been an impressive career turnaround for Wasick, who retired following the 2016 Olympics due to injury. She started swimming again with the Las Vegas Masters team in 2018 before competing in the inaugural season of the International Swimming League the following year. During three of the past four years, she’s rebounded to reset the Polish record in the 50 free. 

Friday’s swim also shaved .20 seconds off her time that tied for 5th place in the 50 free at the Tokyo Olympics. Wasick owns the short course and long course national records in both the 50 free and 100 free. 

It marked the third Polish record broken this week after Ksawery Masiuk set new national standards in the 50 back and 100 back.