2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, December 13 to Sunday, December 18, 2022
- Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre, Melbourne, Australia
- SCM (25m)
- Prize Money
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- Psych Sheets (Updated)
- Live Results
- Day 3 Finals Live Recap
The third night of finals from Melbourne was capped off with a pair of tantalizing battles in the 200 freestyle relay, and both Australian teams delivered.
Although the women’s team fell shy of victory, the quartet of Meg Harris (23.98), Madi Wilson (23.51), Mollie O’Callaghan (24.01) and Emma McKeon (22.73) combined to win the silver medal and crack the Commonwealth Record in a time of 1:34.23, also lowering the Oceanian and Australian Records in the process.
The men’s team brought the crowd to its feat with an epic come-from-behind gold medal victory, as Isaac Cooper (21.25), Matt Temple (20.75), Flynn Southam (21.10) and Kyle Chalmers (20.34) came together to produce a winning time of 1:23.44, downing the four-year-old Commonwealth and Australian Record of 1:23.92.
AUSSIE WOMEN’S RECORD
The women’s team finished in a time of 1:34.23 to erase the previous Commonwealth Record of 1:35.00, set by Canada in 2016, and they also re-broke the Oceanian and Australian Record of 1:36.14 set by the prelim squad.
In the heats, Harris, Alexandria Perkins, Brittany Castelluzzo and O’Callaghan clocked 1:36.14 to lower the previous mark of 1:36.34 set in 2018.
Split Comparison – Aussie & Oceanian Records
| Australia, 2018 SC Worlds | Australia, 2022 SC Worlds (prelims) | Australia, 2022 SC Worlds (final) |
| Holly Barratt – 24.04 | Meg Harris – 23.85 | Meg Harris – 23.98 |
| Emily Seebohm – 24.10 | Alexandria Perkins – 24.10 | Madi Wilson – 23.51 |
| Minna Atherton – 24.02 | Brittany Castelluzzo – 24.29 | Mollie O’Callaghan – 24.01 |
| Carla Buchanan – 24.18 | Mollie O’Callaghan – 23.90 | Emma McKeon – 22.73 |
| 1:36.34 | 1:36.14 | 1:34.23 |
Split Comparison – Commonwealth Records
| Canada, 2016 SC Worlds | Australia, 2022 SC Worlds |
| Michelle Williams – 24.07 | Meg Harris – 23.98 |
| Sandrine Mainville – 23.62 | Madi Wilson – 23.51 |
| Taylor Ruck – 23.77 | Mollie O’Callaghan – 24.01 |
| Penny Oleksiak – 23.54 | Emma McKeon – 22.73 |
| 1:35.00 | 1:34.23 |
McKeon’s anchor leg of 22.73 was one of the fastest in history, with only Ranomi Kromowidjojo (22.70) having been faster.
The Aussies took second to the Americans, who won gold in a new Championship Record of 1:33.89, thanks in part to a 22.77 anchor leg from Kate Douglass.
AUSSIE MEN’S RECORD
The Australian men’s winning time of 1:23.44 broke the Commonwealth, Oceanian and National Record of 1:23.92, set at the 2018 SC World Championships.
The 2018 squad was made up of Cameron McEvoy, Cameron Jones, Grayson Bell and Louis Townsend, who placed fourth in the final.
Split Comparison – Commonwealth, Oceanian & Australian Records
| Australia, 2018 SC Worlds | Australia, 2022 SC Worlds |
| Cameron McEvoy – 21.09 | Isaac Cooper – 21.25 |
| Cameron Jones – 20.75 | Matt Temple – 20.75 |
| Grayson Bell – 20.95 | Flynn Southam – 21.10 |
| Louis Townsend – 21.13 | Kyle Chalmers – 20.34 |
| 1:23.92 | 1:23.44 |
Chalmers’ anchor leg brought Australia up from fifth at the final exchange into the gold medal position when all was said and done, as he out-touched the Italians by a mere four one-hundredths of a second.
The Japanese men also set a new Asian Record en route to placing fourth, as Kosuke Matsui (21.26), Masahiro Kawane (20.79), Takeshi Kawamoto (20.79) and Katsumi Nakamura (20.96) combined for a time of 1:23.80 to lower their mark of 1:24.17 set in the prelims.
Where does Chalmers’ 20.34 split rank all time?
There’s no accurate list of relay splits (especially since splits in mixed events aren’t factored in usually), but it’s outside the top 15. Would be 17th on USA Swimming’s list here: https://www.usaswimming.org/times/data-hub/all-time-relay-splits
Manaudou (20.04), Cielo (20.08) and Dressel (20.09) have all been sub-20.1, while Fred Bousquet and Amaury Leveaux were also sub-20 suited back in November 2008.