Watch Three More World Records Fall During The Third Night of Finals At 2024 SC Worlds

2024 Short Course World Championships

• December 10-15, 2024
• Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
• SCM (25m)
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• Live Results
• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1  | Day 2 | Day 3

The records keep falling in Budapest. It’s been a fast week so far at the 2024 World Championships and the third night of finals was no exception as the session was highlighted by another three world records. You can watch the race videos for all three world records below, along with race videos from all the medal rounds on day three.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Finals

Courtesy: NBCSports 

• World Record: 50.25 – Cate Campbell, AUS (2017)
• World Junior Record: 51.45 – Kayla Sanchez, CAN (2018)
• World Championship Record: 50.49 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
• 2022 World Champion: Emma McKeon, AUS – 50.77

Podium:

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 50.31 ***NEW CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD***
2. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 50.63
3. Kate Douglass (USA) – 50.73

Gretchen Walsh was out fast in the final of the women’s 100 freestyle, flipping .31 seconds ahead of world record pace. Cate Campbell‘s world record line caught her on the final 25 meters, but Walsh had pulled away from the field to win gold decisively, breaking the Championship and Americas records she set yesterday. Beryl Gastaldello had a strong swim, touching a tenth ahead of Kate Douglass, who gave the Americans a 1-3 finish.

Men’s 100 Freestyle – Finals

Courtesy: NBCSports 

• World Record: 44.84 – Kyle Chalmers, AUS (2021)
• World Junior Record: 45.64 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
• World Championship Record: 44.95 – Jordan Crooks, CAY (2024)
• 2022 World Champion: Kyle Chalmers, AUS – 45.16

Podium:

1. Jack Alexy (USA) – 45.38
2. Guilherme Santos (BRA) – 48.47
3. Jordan Crooks (CAY) – 45.48

After a long hold on the blocks, the Americans took the men’s 100 freestyle final out quickly. They were 1-2 at the halfway mark, with Chris Guiliano enjoying the clean water in lane 7 flipping in first. Alexy pulled ahead of Guiliano on the back half of the race, as did Guilherme Santos and Jordan Crooks as the three made the event podium. Alexy earned his first individual Worlds medal in 45.38, outlasting strong finishes from Santos and Crooks, who train together at the University of Tennessee.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Finals

Courtesy: NBCSports 

• World Record: 1:59.61 – Mireia Belmonte Garcia, ESP (2014)
• World Junior Record: 2:01.96 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
• World Championship Record: 1:59.61 – Mireia Belmonte Garcia, ESP (2014)
• 2022 World Champion: Dakota Luther (USA) – 2:03.37

Podium:

1. Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 1:59.32 ***NEW EVERYTHING RECORD***
2. Regan Smith (USA) – 2:01.00
3. Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS) – 2:02.91

Summer McIntosh keeps rolling in Budapest. Through two individual events, she has two golds and two world records. In the final of the women’s 200 butterfly, she smashed Mireia Belmonte Garcia‘s decade old world record with a 1:59.32, becoming just the second woman to crack the two minute barrier. On the back end of a double, Regan Smith rallied on the second 100 meters to earn silver in an American record of 2:01.00. Elizabeth Dekkers claimed bronze in 2:01.91, edging ahead of Alex Shackell on the final 25 meters.

Men’s 200 Butterfly – Finals

pic.twitter.com/3yajx69jug

— Media Sports (@medialogfix) December 12, 2024

Courtesy: MediaSports via Twitter

• World Record: 1:46.85 – Tomoru Honda, JPN (2022)
• World Junior Record: 1:49.61 – Junder Chen, CHN (2018)
•  World Championship Record: 1:48.24 – Daiya Seto, JPN (2018)
• 2022 World Champion: Chad le Clos (RSA) – 1:48.27

Podium:

1. Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 1:48.24 ***EQUAL CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD***
2. Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 1:48.64
3. Krzysztof Chmielewski (POL) – 1:49.26

Alberto Razzetti caught Ilya Kharun and took the lead with 25 meters remaining, but Kharun battled back with a strong final length to get his hands on the wall for his first individual Worlds gold. Kharun equaled Daiya Seto‘s championship record, which moves him into a tie for second-fastest performer in event history. Though Razzetti couldn’t match Kharun’s closing speed, his 1:48.64 marks a new European record and the Italian’s second silver medal of the meet. Krzysztof Chmielewski held off Andrei Minakov for bronze.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Finals

pic.twitter.com/drW55iz0yd

— Media Sports (@medialogfix) December 12, 2024

Courtesy: MediaSports via Twitter

• World Record: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)/Alia Atkinson, JAM (2014, 2016)
• World Junior Record: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)
• World Championship Record: 1:02.36 – Alia Atkinson, JAM (2014)
• 2022 World Champion: Lilly King, USA – 1:02.67

Podium

1. Tang Qianting (CHN) – 1:02.38
2. Lilly King (USA) – 1:02.80
3. Eneli Jefimova (EST) – 1:03.25

Tang Qianting put together a strong race in the women’s 100 breaststroke final to claim gold. She was just off her time from the semifinal, this time missing the world record by just two-hundredths. Lilly King joined Tang sub-1:03, clocking 1:02.80 for the silver medal while Eneli Jefimova earned bronze in 1:03.25.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Finals

pic.twitter.com/XDQluxwz4r

— Media Sports (@medialogfix) December 12, 2024

Courtesy: MediaSports via Twitter

• World Record: 55.28 – Ilya Shymanovich, BLR (2021)
• World Junior Record: 56.66 – Simone Cerasuolo, ITA (2021)
• World Championship Record: 55.70 – Ilya Shymanovich, BLR (2021)
• 2022 World Champion: Nic Fink, USA – 55.88

Podium

1. Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 55.47  ***NEW CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD***
2. Kirill Prigoda (NAB) – 55.49
3. Ilya Shymanovich (NAA) – 55.60

With about 15 meters to go, the race for gold looked like it was between Kirill Prigoda and Ilya Shymanovich. But Qin Haiyang showed why it’s a mistake to call a close race early–he put together an incredible performance on the final 25 meters to sneak ahead of the two Neutral Athletes and take the win in the men’s 100 breaststroke. Qin swam 55.47, hitting new Championship and Asian records. Prigoda touched two-hundredths behind Qin, while Shymanovich grabbed bronze (55.60).

Women’s 100 IM – Semifinals

Courtesy: NBCSports

• World Record: 55.98 — Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2024
• World Junior Record: 57.59 – Anastasiya Shkurdai (BLR)- 2020
• World Championship Record: 56.06 — Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2024
• 2022 World Champion:  Marrit Steenbergen (NED)— 57.53

Top 8:

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 55.71 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Kate Douglass (USA) – 56.88
3. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 57.19
4. Rebecca Meder (RSA) – 57.69
5. Tessa Giele (NED) – 57.70
6. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 57.73
7. Diana Petkova (BUL) – 58.28
8. Sydney Pickrem (CAN) – 58.47

Walsh was back up on the blocks for the women’s 100 IM semifinals after winning the 100 freestyle earlier in the session. She smashed her world record, turning in a 55.71. She first broke Katinka Hosszu‘s world record back in October with a 55.98, becoming the first woman to break the 56 second barrier. Now, she’s chopped another .27 seconds off her mark with the final still to come.

Men’s 400 Freestyle – Finals

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— media sport (@sportnmedia2) December 12, 2024

• World Record: 3:32.25, Yannick Agnel (FRA), 2012
• World Junior Record: 3:37.92 – Matthew Sates (RSA), 2021
• World Championship Record: 3:55.70 – 3:34.01, Danas Rapsys (LTU), 2018
• 2022 World Champion: Kieran Smith (USA), 3:34.38

Podium:

1. Elijah Winnington (AUS) – 3:35.89
2. Carson Foster/Kieran Smith (USA) – 3:36.31
3. (tie)

We’re still looking for the full race video for the men’s 400 freestyle, but for now, you can watch the end of the race where Elijah Winnington turns on the jets in the final 50 meters to get ahead of Kieran Smith who was leading for much of the race from an outside lane. Winnington won in 3:35.89, while Smith and his American teammate Carson Foster tied for the silver medal in 3:36.31.

Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay – Finals

Courtesy: NBCSports 

• World Record: 7:30.87, Australia – 2022
• World Championship Record: 7:30.87, Australia – 2022
• 2022 World Champion: Australia, 7:30.87

Podium

1. USA (A. Walsh, P. Madden, K. Grimes, C. Weinstein) – 7:30.13 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Hungary (N. Padar, P. Ugrai, D. Molnar, L. Abraham) – 7:33.39
3. Australia (L. Neale, E. Dekkers, M. Jansen, L. Pallister) – 7:33.60

The United States women’s 4×200 freestyle relay put an exclamation point on the third night of finals in Budapest, breaking the third world record of the session to end the day. Alex Walsh, Paige Madden, Katie Grimes, and Claire Weinstein overcame a competitive race between themselves, the Hungarians, and Australians for the win with a surprising world record. Weinstein’s 1:50-point anchored pulled the Americans away from the field and clear of the world record line as she stopped the clock at 7:30.31 to down the record the Australians swam two years ago in Melbourne. Hungary’s young quartet claimed silver and the Australian women earned bronze.