Olympic Finalist Katie Shanahan Scratches 200 Back Semifinals in Singapore

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
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• LCM (50m)
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  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
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British Olympian Katie Shanahan has dropped the semi-finals of the 200 backstroke on Friday at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. The 21-year-old finished 10th in prelims in 2:09.96; her drop meant that Neutral Athlete Milana Stepanova moved into the final with a 2:10.60 from prelims.

Shanahan is a rising star of the British team, though she has struggled this week in Singapore. She finished 18th in prelims of her first individual event, the 200 IM, in 2:12.42.

Both swims were well off her lifetime bests, but also her season bests: at British Trials in April, she swam 2:09.88 in the 200 IM and 2:07.91 in the 200 backstroke.

She placed 5th in the Olympics last year in the 200 back and 7th in the 400 IM.

With no women entered individually in the 100 back at this meet, she is one of two British choices for the backstroke leg of the medley relay on Sunday to conclude the meet. The other is Lauren Cox, who has swum well throughout the meet and finished 5th in the 50 back (just .11 seconds behind silver medalist Regan Smith) – who seems the more likely choice, at least for a finals relay, at this point.

Shanahan has no other individual entries at the meet.

There have been reports of the British team suffering from similar gastrointestinal issues this week to the U.S. after the two teams shared a training camp in Thanyapura, Thailand. There hasn’t been much information about which British athletes specifically were afflicted, though.

Aquatics GB told SwimSwam on Friday that Shanahan was “unwell during warmups.”

Like many other scratches that have happened this week, Shanahan’s was a rather late decision. Start lists for the semifinals were updated at 6:33PM local time, about 27 minutes before the start of the session and about 48 minutes before the 200 back semifinals.