Fukuoka 2023, North America Day 3: Two Veterans Win Gold, But Teenagers Also Shine

• July 23 to 30, 2023
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• LCM (50m)
• WORLD CHAMPS WATCH PARTY – DAILY
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• 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 Live Recap

The two gold medals won by North America on day 3 of the 2023 World Championships came from two seasoned veterans of the sport: Katie Ledecky and Ryan Murphy.

Ledecky’s gold medal was a routine win—it was her fifth 1500 free gold since she first started winning World titles in the event in 2013. Individual gold is still somewhat of a new phenomenon for Murphy though, as even though he has competed at every World Championships since 2015 and held the 100 back World Record from 2016 to 2022, his 100 back title on Tuesday was his first-ever World title in the event. It was also just his second individual World title overall.

There was very different history behind their gold medal wins, but Ledecky and Murphy had the same contribution to Team USA—they brought their country’s gold medal count up to three, which ranks them second in the medal table behind Australia. After Kate Douglass got things started on Monday by winning Team USA’s first gold, it’s only fitting that two of the most experienced and accomplished swimmers in the United States got to continue the momentum.

However, even though North American veterans topped the podium, most of the impressive swims on day 3 from the continent came from teenagers.

After unexpectedly missing the podium in the 400 free, 16-year-old Summer McIntosh rebounded in the 200 free, posting strong swims throughout prelims and semi-finals. In semis, she posted an impressive 1:54.67, which has her slotted as the second overall seed headed into finals—just 0.03 seconds behind top seed Ariarne Titmus. If she keeps up her momentum, she should be a favorite for the podium.

Early on throughout the meet, there was some talk about the struggles of the Sandpipers of Nevada. 18-year-old Bella Sims didn’t match her season-best in the 400 free, 17-year-old Katie Grimes finished eighth in the 1500 free final, and 16-year-old Claire Weinstein missed the final of the 200 free. However, immediately after Weinstein’s semis swim, Sims and 18-year-old Ilya Kharun sparked a narrative of redemption.

Sims swam a massive best time of 1:55.45 in her 200 free semi-final, being able to hang on with heavyweights Titmus and Mollie O’Callagna throughout her race. She dropped considerable time from her personal best of 1:56.08, and is now the third-fastest American of all-time in the 17-18 age group. Later on, Kharun posted a 1:54.28 200 fly in the semi-finals to qualify for finals as the third seed and take down his own Canadian record time of 1:54.49.

However, it wasn’t just McIntosh and Kharun that swam well. 16-year-old Thomas Heilman handed his first senior international races very well, posting a 1:54.57 that is just 0.03 seconds off his best time and also qualifies him for the final. Then, 19-year-old Lydia Jacoby finished third in the 100 breast, getting on her first-ever World Championships podium.

Yes, there were a few rough patches on Day 3, such as Grimes’ 1500 free swim and Lilly King adding over a second from trials and finishing off the podium in the 100 breast. However, the future still looks bright for North America, while seasoned veterans like Murphy and Ledecky continue to get the job done time and time again.

Other North American Highlights:

• America’s Regan Smith lost a tight matchup with Australia’s Kaylee McKeown in the 100 back, but she still took silver in a time of 57.78. Smith’s teammate Katharine Berkoff won bronze in a time of 58.25. Canada’s Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm finished fourth and fifth respectively with times of 59.09 and 59.31. This year marks the first time since 2015 that Masse finished off an international 100 back podium.
• America’s Carson Foster broke 1:54 in the 200 fly for just the second time ever, clocking a 1:53.85 to take the top overall seed in the event headed into finals.
• America’s Luke Hobson and Kieran Smith finished fifth and seventh in the 200 free final with times of 1:45.09 and 1;46.10 respectively.
• America’s Nic Fink finished sixth in the 50 breast semi-final with a time of 26.95, qualifying for the final.
• In the 100 back final, Hunter Armstrong pulled through to take bronze in a time of 52.58 after barely qualifying for the final and semi-final rounds.

North America Medal Table: