2024 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 11th – February 18th (pool swimming)
- Doha, Qatar
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
Although we’re still anxiously awaiting the official entries for the 2024 World Aquatics Championships which begin next month, World Aquatics has been teasing some of the likely lineups via social media posts.
According to the organization’s post on ‘X’ regarding the men’s 200m freestyle, the following top contenders are among those expected to race:
Hwang Sunwoo (KOR)
Lukas Martens (GER)
Luke Hobson (USA)
Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN)
Duncan Scott (GBR)
Hojoon Lee (KOR)
Danas Rapsys (LTU)
Kai Taylor (AUS)
The Men's 200m Free is building up to be a fast race😱#AQUADoha2024 #WorldAquaticsChamps
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Based on sport entries as of 22/01/2024 pic.twitter.com/GmZXDpqDV6— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) January 22, 2024
Specifically for Great Britain, this list includes its #2 performer of all-time Duncan Scott but leaves off reigning world champion Matt Richards and reigning Olympic champion Tom Dean.
21-year-old Richards pulled a surprise upset by winning gold in Fukuoka, ripping a lifetime best of 1:44.30. His time fell just .08 off the British national record and got him to the wall .02 ahead of Dean who snagged World Championships silver in 1:44.32.
Scott’s participation in the men’s 200m free this time is a departure from his Fukuoka schedule where the 26-year-old competed in just the men’s 200m IM individual event. He missed qualifying in the 200m free at the British Championships but did make selection in the 100m free. Scott wound up dropping the sprint before the meet and ultimately earned silver in the 200m IM.
Dean was also in that 200m IM race, bagging bronze while Richards’ other individual event was the 100m free. Richards placed 5th in the final but notched a new national record of 47.47 in the semi-final.
Scott, Dean and Richards were members of the gold medal-winning men’s 4x200m free relay while Richards also anchored the men’s medley which finished 5th in Fukuoka. Richards and Scott also raced in the heats of the men’s 4x100m free relay but the squad wound up getting disqualified.
All three were named to the 20-strong British roster for Doha.
Dean was interviewed after his Flanders’s swim and said he’s only going for the relay on the 1st day of Doha, then straight on to Aus for a training camp.
They are just going to qualify the free relay.
No Matt’s racing the individual 100 Free and some other relays too.
I wasn’t surprised Matt Richards won in Fukuoka.
So Popovici is not going
Pretty sure they both (or at least one of them) told media recently that they’re literally just swimming 100 free relay to qualify and flying out the following morning
Yep Tom said that. Matt said on Brett Hawke podcast that he’s stil racing the indiv. 100 Free and some other relays.