2025 World University Games: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2025 World University Games

• July 17th-23rd, 2025
  • Prelims: 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EST)
  • Finals: 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. EST)
• Berlin, Germany
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Meet Central
• Entries List
• Live Results
• Livestream
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

The third heats session of the 2025 World University Games is about to get underway. The meet spans seven days and runs through Wednesday, July 23.

This morning’s session features five events: the men’s 200 butterfly, the women’s 100 backstroke, the men’s 200 breaststroke, the men’s 1500 freestyle, and the mixed 4×100 medley relay. Semifinals for the 200 fly, 100 back, and 200 breast are tonight, while the top eight from the 1500 free automatically advance to tomorrow night’s final.

The mixed medley relay final will be contested tonight, with the top eight fastest teams advancing from this morning’s heats.

Follow along for real-time updates below.

Men’s 200 Butterfly — Heats

• World Record: 1:50.34 — Kristof Milak, HUN (2022)
• World Junior Record: 1:53.79 — Kristof Milak, HUN (2017)
• World University Games Record: 1:53.90 — Nao Horomura, JPN (2017)

Top-16 Advancing to Semifinals:

1. Jack Dahlgren (USA) – 1:56.82
2. Mason Laur (USA) – 1:57.47
3. Benjamin Loewen (CAN) – 1:57.70
4. Patrick Hussey (CAN) – 1:58.00
5. Keigo Fukuda (JPN) – 1:58.27
6. Gustavo Francisco Saldo (BRA) – 1:58.36
7. Wang Kuan-hung (TPE) – 1:58.39
8. Polat Uzer Turnali (TUR) – 1:58.49
9. Ihor Troianovskyi (UKR) – 1:58.62
10. Björn Kammann (GER) – 1:58.63
11. Anton Kocsu (HUN) – 1:58.65
12. Adrian Pawel Jaskiewicz (POL) – 1:58.69
13. Claudio Antonino Faraci (ITA) – 1:59.23
14. Vasco Alves Morgado (POR) – 1:59.46
15. Ilan Gagnebin (SUI) – 1:59.49
16. Heorhii Lukashev (UKR) – 1:59.62

The first of three circle-seeded heats was taken by American Jack Dahlgren, who posted the quickest mark of the morning. The 25-year-old Mizzou alum hit the wall in 1:56.82 to win the heat by 1.45 seconds, with Keigo Fukuda of Japan hitting 1:58.27 for 2nd and Brazil’s Gustavo Francisco Saldo producing a time of 1:58.36 for 3rd.

Dahlgren owns a personal best of 1:55.18 in this event, which he notched at Nationals last month in prelims before hitting the wall 7th in the final with another sub-1:56 result of 1:55.97.

The second of the circle-seeded heats was much more hotly contested, with just three-tenths separating the top four finishers. Chinese Taipei’s Wang Kuan-hung (1:58.39) emerged victorious ahead of Turkey’s Polat Uzer Turnali (1:58.49), Ukraine’sIhor Troianovskyi (1:58.62), and Poland’s Adrian Jaskiewicz (1:58.69).

Wang, at his best, is a class above the field. His best time and national record sits at 1:54.44, which he popped at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he ranked 2nd out of prelims before adding over a second to miss the final in 13th.

The final 200 fly heat of the session was secured by Team USA’s Mason Laur, who just wrapped up his undergraduate campaign at Florida this past March. He touched 6th in this event at U.S. Nationals last month, logging 1:55.63 after hitting his current best time of 1:54.97 in prelims. He was 3rd in the 200 fly at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, where he was a painstaking 0.29 shy of an Olympic berth.

Behind the Gator, Canadian duo Benjamin Loewen (1:57.70) and Patrick Hussey (1:58.00) rounded out the top three, with Germany’s Björn Kammann (1:58.63) also dipping under 1:59.

Women’s 100 Backstroke — Heats

• World Record: 57.13 — Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 57.57 — Regan Smith, USA (2019)
• World University Games Record: 59.29 — Katharine Berkoff, USA (2019)

Top-16 Advancing to Semifinals:

South Korea’s Lee Eunji (1:01.14) staked her claim on the first circle-seeded heat win, with Italy’s Francesca Pasquino (1:01.80) the only other competitor to dip under 1:02. Poland’s Natalia Janiszewska logged 1:02.04 to sneak through to the semifinals in 15th.

The next heat was won by a familiar face, Team USA’s Kennedy Noble, last night’s silver medalist in the 200m distance. The NC State swimmer flipped through the first 50 in 29.22 to lead the heat by nearly four-tenths before closing in 31.01, winning by 1.36 seconds. Her season best remains the 59.08 she produced at Nationals prelims last month, where she went on to touch the wall in 59.34 for 7th in the final. Her lifetime best is 58.55 from the Olympic Trials last summer, when she notched that time in the heats before adding a few tenths in the final, where she was 3rd in 58.81.

Hungary’s Gerda Szilagyi (1:01.59) and Italy’s Federica Toma (1:01.63) were 2nd and 3rd to Noble, comfortably advancing for a second swim. They will be the 6th and 8th seeds for the semis, respectively.

The Americans kept it rolling with Leah Shackley in the final heat, last night’s 200 back winner who became the sixth-fastest American of all time courtesy of her 2:05.99 winning result. Shackley, also an NC State swimmer, opened today’s heat in 29.31 before closing in 30.43 to win the heat in 59.74, the only sub-one-minute outing of the morning. Michaela De Villiers (1:01.15) of South Africa and Portugal’s Camila Rodrigues Rebelo (1:01.50) rounded out the top three in the heat, moving through in 4th and 5th overall.

Shackley’s best time is 58.53 from the Charlotte Open in May, which she nearly matched at Nationals last month to collect bronze in 58.60. Given she dropped 0.67 from her best in the 200 back last night, a personal best could be in the cards for this race in either tonight’s semifinals or tomorrow’s final, assuming she safely qualifies, of course.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke — Heats

• World Record: 2:05.48 — Qin Haiyang, CHN (2023)
• World Junior Record: 2:07.27 — Shin Ohashi, JPN (2025)
• World University Games Record: 2:08.09 — Qin Haiyang, CHN (2023)

Top-16 Advancing to Semifinals:

1. Benjamin Delmar (USA) – 2:11.05
2. Joshua Bey (USA) – 2:12.21
3. Lee Sanghoon (KOR) – 2:12.36
4. Guilherme de Godoy Camossato (BRA) – 2:13.13
5. Jeremias Pock (GER) – 2:13.21
6. Ivo Kroes (NED) – 2:13.23
7. Riku Yamaguchi (JPN) – 2:13.23
8. Alessandro Fusco (ITA) – 2:13.50
9. Mak Sai Ting (HKG) – 2:13.54
10. Christian Ryan (GBR) – 2:14.14
11. Liu Ching-hung (TPE) – 2:14.40
12. Dawid Wiekiera (POL) – 2:14.46
13. Matej Zabojnik (CZE) – 2:14.82
14. Kim Seunghoon (KOR) – 2:14.89
15. Matthew Randle (RSA) – 2:15.06
16. Carl Kaci (FRA) – 2:15.93

The first circle-seeded heat was claimed by Brazil’s Guilherme de Godoy Camossato, who touched in 2:13.13 to edge Japan’s Yuma Yoshida (2:13.17) by just four hundredths. Italy’s Alessandro Fusco (2:13.50) and Hong Kong’s Mak Sai Ting Adam (2:13.54) rounded out the heat, with all four swimmers advancing to tonight’s semifinals.

Mak is the Hong Kong record holder in this event with his 2:11.07 from April. Yoshida, who entered with a best of 2:10.31, could be a medal threat if he can near that time.

The following heat saw Team USA’s Benjamin Delmar dominate the field, touching in 2:11.05 to win by over a second. It remained the quickest outing of the morning by over a full second. The American, who broke the one-minute barrier for the first time last night to claim 100 breast bronze, is known to be slightly stronger in this race. His best in this event remains the 2:10.17 he swam at Nationals for 4th place.

South Korea’s Lee Sanghoon (2:12.36) and the Netherlands’ Ivo Kroes (2:13.23) rounded out the penultimate heat, both comfortably advancing to tonight’s semifinals. Sanghoon sits 3rd while Kroes’ time put him 6th overall.

The final heat was secured by Team USA’s Joshua Bey, an Indiana commit, with a time of 2:12.21. Bey’s best time is 2:10.89, which he swam for 5th at Nationals.

The Highland Hurricanes Swim Club swimmer trailed at the 150 turn—sitting 3rd behind Japan’s Riku Yamaguchi by about six-tenths and Germany’s Jeremias Pock by three-tenths—but unleashed a blistering 33.82 split on the final 50 while Yamaguchi and Pock both failed to break 35 seconds.

Pock (2:13.21) and Yamaguchi (2:13.23) hung on for 2nd and 3rd, advancing to tonight’s semifinals in 5th and 7th.

Men’s 1500 Freestyle — Heats

• World Record: 15:30.67 — Bobby Finke, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 14:41.22 — Kuzey Tuncelli, TUR (2024)
• World University Games Record: 14:47.75 — Gregorio Paltrinieri, ITA (2017)

Top-8 Advancing to the Final:

1. João Pierre de Gruttola Campos (BRA) – 15:12.87
2. Davide Marchello (ITA) – 15:17.29
3. Thiago Ruffini (BRA) – 15:19.94
4. Carson Hick (USA) – 15:20.26
5. Daichi Yamamoto (JPN) – 15:20.70
6. Ivan Giovannoni (ITA) – 15:20.90
7. Aleksandr Stepanov (AIN) – 15:23.20
8. Kyo Nakayama (JPN) – 15:26.70

There are only 11 men contesting the 1500 free at the World University Games this year, but despite that, the meet is still running a prelims/finals format, rather than timed finals. That means only three men did not earn a second swim.

The first of two heats saw a tactical affair, with the top three all appearing to never shift out of second gear. Brazil’s Thiago Maturana Ruffini nabbed 1st in 15:19.94, just ahead of Team USA’s Carson Hick (15:20.26) and Japan’s Daichi Yamamoto (15:20.70), with less than a second separating the top three.

The second heat was taken out by Brazil’s João Pierre de Gruttola Campos, who posted the fastest time of the session in 15:12.87. Italy’s Davide Marchello (15:17.29) and Ivan Giovannoni (15:20.90) claimed 2nd and 3rd in the heat, with Marchello’s time representing the 2nd-swiftest of the morning and Giovannoni’s the 6th-fastest. Neutral Athlete Aleksandr Stepanov (15:23.20) was 4th in the heat.

Notably, Texas’ Alec Enyeart, who owns a best time of 15:05.10, missed the final in 10th (15:33.35).

Mixed 4×100 Medley Relay — Heats

• World Record: 3:37.43 — United States (2024)
• World University Games Record: 3:44.02 — China (2023)

Top-8 Advancing to the Final:

1. USA – 3:46.34
2. Italy – 3:49.28
3. Japan – 3:49.64
4. Germany – 3:51.13
5. South Africa – 3:51.25
6. Poland – 3:51.49
7. Switzerland – 3:55.49
8. Sweden – 3:55.75

Team USA, who have won both of the relays contested in Berlin so far, look to be the ones to beat in the mixed 4×100 medley relay.

The Americans’ quartet this morning of David King (53.91), Nate Germonprez (1:00.12), Ella Welch (58.55), and Isabel Ivey (53.76) clocked 3:46.34 to advance 1st with a three-second cushion.

King, a rising sophomore at Virginia, made waves on night one by splitting 47.75 in the men’s 4×100 free relay, while Germonprez, who just finished his sophomore campaign with the Texas Longhorns, touched 4th in last night’s 100 breast final, breaking the one-minute barrier for the third time in his career. Welch hit the wall 5th in the 50 fly less than 24 hours ago.

Look for the coaches to swap in some different swimmers tonight, with the lineup likely to be Will Modglin (backstroke), Ben Delmar (breaststroke), Leah Shackley (butterfly), and either Maxine Parker or Ivey on freestyle.

While Parker owns a season-best of 53.56 in the 100 free (and lifetime best of 53.51), Ivey split sub-54 on opening night to anchor Team USA to gold in the women’s 4×100 free relay, while Parker was unable to break 54 on the lead-off leg.

Italy (3:49.28) and Japan (3:49.64) seem like safe picks for the silver and bronze medals tonight, but South Africa could be a big time factor if 52.18 100 backstroker Pieter Coetze comes into the fold.