2024 SC World Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2024 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 10-15, 2024
• Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
• SCM (25m)
• Meet Central
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• Live Results
• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1

Jó napot! Good Afternoon my friends, or good morning, good evening, or good [insert your time of day here].

After a raucous and exciting first preliminary session started the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) 2024, it looks like much of the same momentum will be carried over into tonight. We look to crown our very first champions this evening, and we have six finals and four semifinals on tap.

Day 1 Finals Schedule & Heat Sheet

• Women’s 400 Freestyle – Finals
• Women’s 50 Butterfly – Semifinals
• Men’s 50 Butterfly – Semifinals
• Women’s 200 IM – Finals
• Men’s 200 IM – Finals
• Women’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinals
• Men’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinals
• Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay -Final
• Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay -Final
• Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay -Final

The first session starts off with a bang as Summer McIntosh looks to win her first SC Worlds medal in the 400 free. She was 3:57.55 in the prelims session as was defending Champions Lani Pallister, but one should expect them both to be faster. Flanking the pair on either side are the American duo of Claire Weinstein and Paige Madden, who were each less than a second and a half back of McIntosh.

From the 400 free, we quicken our pace up as we head to the semifinals of the 50s Fly. Both the Women’s and Men’s events are on World Record Watch as the USA’s Gretchen Walsh already broke it this morning, and Swiss star Noe Ponti is just .03 off of his own WR as both he and Nyls Korstanje broke the Championships record this morning.

Alternating Finals and Semifinals means that the next two events are looking to crown some champions. The Women’s 200 IM will see Kate Douglass looking to earn a repeated trip to the top of the podium, but it won’t be an easy task as she was just third this morning and will have to pass the top-seed Brit Abbie Wood and Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey, who will be contesting her second individual final of the session. On the men’s side, the USA’s Shaine Casas posted the top time this morning, the only swimmer under 1:52, but with all of the other finalists under 1:53.6 and with the likes of Daiya Seto, Finlay Knox, Alberto Razzetti, and Carson Foster in the field Casas will need to be faster if he hopes to win.

The 100 back, like the 50 fly, is a semifinal, but that by no means diminishes its excitement level. Multiple Olympic medalists will compete against each other for a spot in the Women’s final tomorrow. Regan Smith leads the charge, but Katharine Berkoff and Kylie Masse are close behind. Australia’s Iona Anderson and Neutral Athlete Anastasiya Shkurdai lead the first semifinal.

On the men’s side, home nation’s Hubert Kos will walk out to large partisan support as the Hungarian is the top seed and occupies lane 4 in the second semifinal, with Poland’s Kacper Stokowski leading the first semi.

The last and fastest heat of the 1500 for the men concludes the individual races and top seed Zalan Sarkany hopes that the enthusiasm for Kos carries over to him as the Hungarian will look to win his first championship gold medal.

We conclude with the 400 free relays, where Italy put up the only sub 3:30 time this morning on the women’s side, and their men will be chasing after the top-seeded USA as the Italian men look to defend their title.

Women’s Relay Line-Ups & Men’s Relay Line-Ups

Women’s 400 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 3:51.30 – Li Bingjie, CHN (2022)
• World Junior Record: 3:52.80 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2022)
• World Championship Record: 3:53.92 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2018)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Lani Pallister, AUS – 3:55.04

Podium

1. Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 3:50.25 ***NEW EVERYTHING RECORD***
2. Lani Pallister (AUS) – 3:53.73 ***NEW OCEANIAN RECORD***
3. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 3:54.88
4. Paige Madden (USA) – 3:55.12
5. Claire Weinstein (USA) – 3:56.12
6. Isabel Gose (GER) – 3:56.84
7. Leah Neale (AUS) – 4:01.45
8. Sofia Diakova (NAB) – 4:02.27

Not unexpected Canada’s Summer McIntosh was out fast in 55.14, more than a second under WR pace, but Australia’s Lani Pallister was sitting less than a body length away was also under WR pace as well. By the 200 mark, McIntosh, 1:53.53, had opened up the lead by over a body length.

With a 100 left, the teenager was 2.58 under WR pace and had a massive lead on Pallister, who started to fall off the pace and slipped back from the WR line. The line started to catch up with the Canadian, but her blistering pace was so much at the start that she still crushed the WR as she hit the wall in 3:50.25, cutting 1.05 off of the old record.

Pallister was also under WR pace for the first 200, but the 14 high/15 low 25s saw him slip back off the pace. However, Pallister’s time was still a massive PB and over a second faster than her winning time in Melbourne. Her 3:53.73 would have erased the Championship record had McIntosh not done it, but her time does erase Ariarne Titmus‘s national and continental records.

McIntosh’s teammate, Mary-Sophie Harvey, took the bronze. Known for amazing backhalfs, the Canadian was 6th at the 200 mark, 1:57.63, and came home in 1:57.15, negative splitting the race to record a new PB in 3:54.88.

The two Americans, Paige Madden and Claire Weinstein, were just off the podium finishing in 4th and 5th with times of 3:55.12 and 3:56.12.

In comparison to 2022, Lani Pallister won gold in 3:55.04, meaning all of the top three were faster this evening. Leah Smith won the bronze in 3:59.78 in Melbourne, which would have been 7th this evening.

Women’s 50 Butterfly – Semifinals

• World Record: 24.02 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 24.55 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
• World Championship Record: 24.44 – Ranomi Kromowidjojo, NED (2021)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Torri Huske, USA & Maggie MacNeil, CAN – 24.64

Top 8

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 23.94 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 24.67
3. Tessa Giele (NED) – 24.68
4. Arina Surkova (NAB) – 24.71
5. Maaike de Waard (NED) – 24.76
6. Alexandria Perkins (AUS) – 24.89
7. Melanie Henique (FRA) – 24.93
8. Lily Price (AUS)/Silvia di Pietro (ITA) -25.13 ***SWIM-OFF***

The first heat was a tight affair but went the way of lane 6’s Beryl Gastaldello. The Frenchwoman, who was 25.36 this morning, was out much faster as she hit the 25 wall in 11.34. Closing in 13.33, Gastaldello got her hands on to the wall first in the heat in a new PB of 24.67, .04 ahead of Surkova, who was the 2nd fastest this morning.

As for the second heat…

23.94. It bears repeating 23.94.

Gretchen Walsh, with an absolutely perfect swim, became the first woman in history to break the 24-second barrier in the 50 fly, a barrier which, before this morning’s 24.04 performance, seemed perhaps a step too far.

Out in 11.01, which was less than.3 ahead of Maaike de Waard, Walsh did her damage on the back 25, as she was the only swimmer to come home in under 13 seconds, with her 12.93 the fastest last 24 by .4 of a second. On live stream, the line seemed to be getting away from the UVA swimmer, but with her long arms, Walsh secured her second WR of the day and her 2nd bonus check of the day.

Walsh was .74 ahead of Tessa Giele, who was second in the heat with her 24.68 but was a massive drop from her 25.01 prelims swims this morning.

Coincidentally, 25.13 was also the 2022 8th place time.

UPDATE: Australia’s Lily Price won the swim-off (see bottom) in 25.07 and will advance to tomorrow final.

Men’s 50 Butterfly- Semifinals

• World Record: 21.50 – Noe Ponti, SUI (2024)
• World Junior Record: 22.28 – Ilya Kharun, CAN (2022)
• World Championship Record: 21.53 – Noe Ponti, SUI (2024)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Nicholas Santos, BRA – 21.78

Top 8

1. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 21.43 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Nyle Korstanje (NED) – 21.81
3. Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 21.93
4. Marius Kuscj (GER) – 21.99
5. Tzen Wein Teong (SGP) – 22.04
6. Grigor Perkarski (NAB) – 22.05
7. Michele Busa (ITA) – 22.08
8. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) – 22.09

Well, then, that’s three events and three world records.

This event was perhaps the easiest of the three so far to predict to be broken, as Noe Ponti had already done so in the World Cup series. Ponti, who recorded a mark of 21.50 in Singapore, was calm and collected this evening as he sliced .07 off his own record to set a new standard at 21.43.

Ponti, out 9.87, which was the second fastest in the field, like Walsh, used a strong back 25 to break the record. The Swiss star came home at 11.56, which was the fastest in the field, .15 to earn himself a bonus check worth $25,000.

Nyls Korstanje, who swam in the first heat, was out the fastest, 9.85, but as was the case in all the World Cup Series, the Dutch star faded on the back 25 and hit the wall in 21.81.

Canadian star and double Olympuc bronze medalist Ilya Kharun in the butterfly events was 2nd in the 2nd semifinal, but his 21.93 is a full half a second away from Ponti and the WR that Kharun had targetted as his goal.

The USA’s one semifinalist, Dare Rose, was 12th overall in a time of 22.25.

Women’s 200 IM – Finals

• World Record: 2:01.86 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2014)
• World Junior Record: 2:04.48 – Yu Yiting, CHN (2021)
• World Championship Record: 2:01.86 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2014)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Kate Douglass, USA – 2:02.12

Podium

1. Kate Douglass (USA) – 2:01.63 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Alex Walsh (USA) – 2:02.65
3. Abbie Wood (GBR) – 2:02.75
4. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 2:04.30
5. Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 2:05.52
6. Rebecca Meder (RSA) – 2:05.61
7. Emma Carrasco (ESP) – 2:07.62
8. Tamara Potocka (SVK) – 2:08.00

OK, this is getting ridiculous

Four for Four on World Records

But boy, was this race close. The USA’s Kate Douglass, who was the 3rd seed from this morning, defended her title and, in the process, broke the 10-year-old record of Katinka Hosszu. Out in 26.04, Douglass led at the 50 but had to endure the strengths of top-seeded Abbie Wood, who powered past the American in the backstroke to build a half-a-second lead at the 100, 57.04 to 57.61.

Douglass clawed a little of the time back in the breaststroke to cut the deficit to just .09 and set up the freestyle to be a drag race to the finish. Douglass, who is also entered in the 50 free, came home in 28.72 to take the win and WR in 2:01.63, cutting over half as a second off her PB.

Her USA and UVA teammate, Alex Walsh, was 8th after the first 50 but used her middle 100 strength to inch up to 3rd place, a position she remained in until the last 25, when she closed in 13.96 and passed Wood to take the silver in 2:02.65.

After claiming bronze in the 400 free, Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey‘s back half wasn’t enough to get her onto the podium, as she had to settle for 4th in a time of 2:04.30.

Men’s 200 IM – Finals

• World Record: 1:48.88 — Leon Marchand, FRA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 1:51.45 – Matt Sates, RSA (2021)
• World Championship Record: 1:49.63 — Ryan Lochte, USA (2012)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Matt Sates, RSA — 1:50.15

Podium

1. Shaine Casas (USA) – 1:49.51 *** NEW CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD***
2. Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 1:50.88
3. Finlay Knox (CAN) – 1:50.99
4. Carson Foster (USA) – 1:51.32
5. David Schlicht (AUS) – 1:52.81
6. Ilia Borodin (NAB) – 1:52.87
7. Berke Saka (TUR) – 1:53.29
8. Daiya Seto (JPN) – 1:54.01

It’s an odd day when a Championship and new American record doesn’t get the hype, but that’s what happens when there are four World Records preceding it.

The men’s race was a different tale from the women’s as the USA’s Shaine Casas led from start to finish in a commanding performance. Out in 23.13, and with a lead of .79 Casas never looked back as he swam his race. His teammate, Carson Foster, closed the gap on the backstroke to just .54, but Casas, with an improved breaststroke, used the 3rd 50 to expand the lead to 1.63.

The field, led by Italy’s Alberto Razzetti and Canada’s Finlay Knox, tried their best to close the gap, but Casas’s lead was just too much as the American recorded the only sub 1:50 time, hitting the wall in 1:49.51. His time, not only a new personal best, now stands as the new American record, erasing the 12-year-old mark set by Ryan Lochte.

Foster, who was in the position to medal after the breaststroke, couldn’t match the change in pace on the freestyle and faded to 4th as Razzetti and Knox claimed the silver and bronze medals in 1:50.88 and 1:50.90, respectively.

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinals

• World Record: 54.27 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 55.75 – Bella Sims, USA (2022)
• World Championship Record: 55.03 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2014)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Kaylee McKeown, AUS – 55.49

Top 8

1. Regan Smith (USA) – 55.05
2. Katharine Berkoff (USA) – 55.37
3. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 55.85
4. Iona Anderson (AUS) – 55.99
5. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 56.06
6. Anastasiya Shkurdai (NAA) – 56.07
7. Carmen Weiler Sastre (ESP) – 56.09
8. Louise Hansson (SWE) – 56.17

When the dust settled after the semifinals of the women’s 100 backstroke, recent World Record breaker Regan Smith found herself in pole position for tomorrow’s final. Out in 26.59, the fastest in the field, Smith would hit the wall in 55.05.

Her teammate and the Olympic bronze medalist in the event, Katharine Berkoff, was slower going out (26.99), but came home .08 faster than Smith. Berkoff, who won bronze in this event in 2021, will be the second seed tomorrow but will need to hold off the likes of Ingrid Wilm, Iona Anderson and Kylie Masse.

2021 World Champion Louise Hansson, who is more known as a butterflier in the long course, snuck into the final in 8th place with a time of 56.17.

As compared to 2022, these semifinals have been much faster, with 8th place in 2022 being 56.54.

Men’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinals

• World Record: 48.33 – Coleman Stewart, USA (2021)
• World Junior Record: 48.90 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2017)
• World Championship Record: 48.50 – Ryan Murphy, USA (2022)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Ryan Murphy, USA – 48.50

Top 8

1. Hubert Kos (HUN) – 49.03
2. Miron Lifintsev (NAB) – 49.07
3. Kacper Stokowski (POL) – 49.20
4. Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 49.54
5. Pavel Samusenko (NAB) – 49.88
6. Ruard van Renen (RSA) – 49.89
7. Isaac Cooper (AUS) – 50.01
8. Blake Tierney (CAN) – 50.03

Kacper Stokowski put together a strong performance in the first heat to post a time of 49.20. The Pole was just 6th at the 50 but surged home in the last 50 split of 25.05, to pass five other swimmers. Lorenzo Mora, used a similar strategy and moved through the field on the last 50, coming home in 25.48 to take second in the heat with a time of 49.54.

The second semifinal was a faster affair overall as both Hubert Kos and Miron Lifintsev attached the race in a very different manner. The pair were out fast with Lifintsev, a neutral athlete from Russia, under the WR pace at the 50 as he flipped in 23.42, with Kos not that far back with a time of 23.63.

Kos, the top seed from this morning, used a strong last turn and 25 to go over the top of Lifintsev to take the the semifinal win in 49.03, a time that stands as a new  Hungarian record. Lifintsev settled for second, just .04 back with his time of 49.03.

The lone American semifinalist, Jack Aikins, dropped time from this morning, going from 50.64 to 50.46, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for the final as he finished just in 13th place.

In 2022, 50.01 was the last time to qualify for the finals.

Men’s 1500 Freestyle – Timed Final (Last Heat)

• World Record: 14:06.88, Florian Wellbrock, GER – 2021
• World Junior Record: 14:27.78 – Gregorio Paltrinieri, ITA (2012)
• World Championship Record: 14:06.88, Florian Wellbrock, GER – 2021
• 2022 SC World Champion: Gregorio Paltrinieri, ITA – 14:16.88

Podium

1. Ahmed Jaouadi (TUN) – 14:16.40
2. Florian Wellbrock (GER) – 14:17.27
3. Kuzey Tuncelli (TUR) – 14:20.64 ***NEW WORLD JUNIOR RECORD***
4. Damien Joly (FRA) – 14:22.12
5. Sven Shwarz (GER) – 14:22.29
6. Luca de Tullio (ITA) – 14:28.44
7. Kirill Martynychev (NAB) – 14:28.56
8. Zalan Sarkany (HUN) – 14:32.10

The early leader at the 200 meter mark was Kirill Martynychev who flipped in 1:50.15 ahead of Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi. Remember that as a timed final, any of the swims from this morning could potentially medal. For reference, Florian Wellbrock, who swam this morning, was 1:50.86.

After the 2oo meter mark, Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi took charge of the race and was a man alone. In his heat by the 400 meter mark, Jaoudi had opened a slight lead on Martynychev, 3:45.06 to 3:45.66, but by the 800 it had ballooned out to four seconds with the Tunisian splitting 7:34.36.

From that point on Jaoudi was in a virtual race with Wellbrock, who was 3:45.58 at the 400 and 7:35.79 at the 800. As the race progressed into its closing stages, the Tunisian started a very slow slide back down towards Wellbrock, as by 1200, the Jaouadi was just .33 ahead.

While his cap was slowly slipping off, the Tunisian stemmed the time loss and, with just 100 left, was still leading by .24 and out split the German on the last 50, coming home in 26.13 compared to Wellbrock’s 26.97.

With the win, Jaouadi continues the strong Tunisian tradition of excellence in distance freestyle, adding his name to the likes of Ous Mellouli and Ahmed Hafnoui.

While a teenager, Jaouadi is too old to be eligible for the World Junior Record, but Turkiye’s Kuzey Tuncellli is not. The 17-year-old, who was swimming in lane 1, smashed the WJR by over seven seconds as he finished the race in a new PB of 14:20.64

Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay -Final

• World Record: 3:25.43, Australia (2022)
• World Championship Record: 3:25.43 – Australia (2022)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Australia, 3:25.43

Podium

1. USA (K. Douglass, K. Berkoff, A. Shackell, G. Walsh) – 3:25.01 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Australia (M. Harris, M. Jansen, A. Perkins, L. Pallister) – 3:28.25
3. Canada (M-S. Harvey, S. McIntosh, I. Wilm, P. Oleksiak) – 3:28.44
4. Neutral Athletes B – 3:28.73
5. Italy – 3:29.58
6. Sweeden – 3:29.81
7. Hungary – 3:30.10
8. Germany – 3:30.77

A third World Record for Gretchen Walsh on the day and a second for Kate Douglass. WOW

The USA Quartet was let off by Douglass, who swam the 200 IM around an hour ago, led off in a swift 50.95, a time that would have placed third in the individual final in 200. From Douglass, the US went to Katharine Berkoff, who posted the 2nd fastest 100 back time in the semis. Berkoff split 51.38 and gave the US a lead of .99 over the Neutral Athletes team.

Alex Shackell, a teenager who made the Olympics in the 200 fly had the third leg and split a swift 52.01, the second fastest 3rd leg in the field, and the USA’s lead grew to 1.55, but over the Australians, as Alexandria Perkins 51.68 brought them from tied for 4th at the 200 to sole possession of 2nd.

Gretchen Walsh anchored for the Americans and posted the fastest split in the field, 50.67. While it wasn’t near Emma McKeon’s 49.96 from Melbourne, the Americans had built such a large lead that their final time of 3:25.01 more than eclipsed the Australian’s former world record.

The Aussies got off to an uncharacteristically slow start, finishing 6th after the first leg. However, two sub-52 splits on the middle legs brought them back into the medal hunt, and they ultimately won the silver in 3:28.25.

The Neutral Athletes from Russia started out with a bang with a sub-52 lead-off from Daria Klepikova (51.96), just one of two in the field, but the third leg from Milana Stepanova (53.27) wasn’t enough to keep them on the podium as the Canadians surged past them for the bronze.

Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay – Final

• World Record: 3:02.75 – Italy (2022)
• World Championship Record: 3:02.75 – Italy (2022)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Italy, 3:02.75

Podium

1. USA (J. Alexy, L. Hobson, K. Smith, C. Guiliano) – 3:01.66 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Italy (A. Miressi, L. Deplano, L. Zazzeri, M. Frigo) – 3:03.65
3. Poland (K. Sieradzki, J. Majerski, K. Masiuk, K. Stokowski) – 3:04.46
4. Neutral Athletes B – 3:04.62
5. Brazil – 3:04.84
6. Spain – 3:05.57
7. Croatia – 3:05.68
8. Australia – 3:05.76

Rolling stone gather no moss, and the USA kept on rolling, claiming yet another World Record. Jack Alexy got this off to an electric start as the Cal Bear was out lighting fast, splitting 21.23, the only sub-21.6 split in the field, and kept on powering through to a new individual championship record of 45.05, eclipsing the mark set by Kyle Chalmers in 2022 of 45.16.

.89 ahead of the next closest team, 200 swimmers Luke Hobson and Kieran Smith built upon the lead created by Alexy, with the pair splitting 45.18 and 46.01, respectively to hand things off to Chris Guiliano.

At this point the US led by 1.68 over the Italians who took over the presumptive silver medal from the Neutral Athletes after the 200 meter mark, and built the lead even more as Guiliano closed in 45.42 to stop the clock in 3:01.66, making the United States foursome the only team to ever break the 3:02.00 barrier.

The Italians remained in second and claimed the silver in 3:03.65, and from a strong 3rd leg by Ksawery Masiuk (45.64), the Polish team, who was 4th this morning, climbed one spot into 3rd and won the bronze medal in 3:04.46 erasing their previous national record from this morning of 3:06.88.

Women’s 50 Butterfly – SWIM OFF

• World Record: 23.94 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 24.55 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
• World Championship Record: 23.94–- Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Torri Huske, USA & Maggie MacNeil, CAN – 24.64

Results

1. Lily Price (AUS) – 25.07
2. Silvia di Pietro (ITA) – 25.26

The pair tied for 8th in the semifinals of the 50 fly with a time of 25.13. In the first swim, the Italian di Pietro was out quicker of the two, 11.50 to 11.72, and it was the same in the swim-off but Price was much closer, 11.63 to 11.54, and used a strong backhalf and a better finish to close in 13.44. Price, with a final time of 25.07, shaved .06 off her time from earlier in the session and booked herself lane 8 in tomorrow’s final, joining compatriot Alexandria Perkins in the final.