Mitch Larkin Scratches 200 Back at World Championships in Favor of 200 IM

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
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• Competition Schedule
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Australian swimmer Mitch Larkin has scratched out of the prelims of the men’s 200 meter backstroke on Thursday in Gwangju to focus on the 200 IM instead, according to Australia journalist Phil Lutton. The 200 IM final will be held on Thursday night, 2 events before the 200 back semi-final. Larkin was the 3rd seed in the 200 back, and like many of the high-profile scratches at this meet, his comes after heat sheets were printed, which means that there will be a middle lane empty in a circle-seeded heat in the prelims session.

Larkin entered the meet as the 2nd seed in the 200 IM with a 1:55.72 done earlier this year, behind only American Chase Kalisz (1:55.40). He had 5th-fastest time in the semi-finals of 1:57.45, though none of the finalists really showed much in those heats.

The event is a new-old friend for Larkin: it was one he swam very well early in his career, but then gave up to focus on the backstroke races. In 2018, he returned with a fury, breaking the Commonwealth Record in the event; he did so again with his seed time set in June.

Larkin was the 2015 World Champion in the 200 backstroke, where he also won the 100 meter race, and he took silver in 2016 at the Olympic Games. At the 2017 World Championships, an off meet for him, he finished 15th in the 200 back.

Earlier this week, he earned a bronze medal in the 100 back (52.77), won gold leading off Australia’s mixed medley relay in 53.47, and he still has an entry upcoming in the 50 meter backstroke and a probable spot leading off Australia’s men’s 400 medley relay.

Australia’s other entry in the men’s 200 back is Bradley Woodward. The 3rd-place finisher in the race, Jorden Merrillees, did not hit Australia’s internal World Championships qualifying time.