2015 FINA World Championships: Day 3 Prelims Preview

The FINA World Championships keep rolling in Kazan, Russia, with four new events kicking off heats on Tuesday morning. Get the scoop on what to watch for here:

2015 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Pool swimming: Sunday, August 2nd – Sunday, August 9th
• Prelims 9:30AM/Finals 5:30PM (Local Time)
• Kazan Arena Stadium
• Kazan, Russia (UTC+3 hours)
• Full coverage
• All sport medal tables
• Live stream (Universal Sports)
• Schedule and Results

Men’s 50m Breaststroke – Prelims

• 2013 World Champion: Cameron Van Der Burgh, RSA – 26.77
• World Record: 26.67 – Cameron Van Der Burgh, RSA – 2009
• Championship Record: 26.67 – Cameron Van Der Burgh, RSA – 2009

100 breast champ Adam Peaty looks like the favorite here, but can the Brit beat defending world champ Cameron van der Burgh after the South African crushed him off the starting blocks in the 100 Monday? These two rivals met at the Commonwealth Games last summer, which were part of Peaty’s breakout season.

An added layer of intrigue is that Peaty broke van der Burgh’s world record at last summer’s European Championships, but FINA has yet to ratify the record. Peaty could officially take the record for the first time today, or van der Burgh could take it back before Peaty ever has a chance to officially get his hands on it.

Also watch out for breakout World University Games swimmer Andrea Toniato of Italy, and Brazil’s Felipe Franca.

Women’s 200m Freestyle – Prelims

• 2013 World Champion: Missy Franklin, USA – 1:54.81
• World Record: 1:52.98 – Federica Pellegrini, ITA – 2009
• Championship Record: 1:52.98 – Federica Pellegrini, ITA – 2009

Missy Franklin has thrived on the 200 free in American college swimming’s short course yard pool the past two seasons. It’s hard for international fans to grasp just how unreal her 1:39.10 was at this past year’s NCAA Championships, but Franklin will try to put some context to it with her 200 frees in Kazan.

This field is loaded up around the defending champ, though. Femke Heemskerk has been a crushing force for the Dutch, and will head heat 7. World record-holder Federica Pellegrini takes on Franklin in heat 6. And heat 5 features distance superstar Katie Ledecky – already one world record into her World Championships – trying to extend her freestyling range to legendary proportions against Katinka Hosszu, who broke a super-suited world record in the 200 IM yesterday.

Men’s 200m Butterfly – Prelims

• 2013 World Champion: Chad le Clos, RSA – 1:54.32
• World Record: 1:51.51 – Michael Phelps, USA – 2009
• Championship Record: 1:51.51 – Michael Phelps, USA – 2009

Chad le Clos looks for his first win with the men’s 200 fly. The South African is the defending World and Olympic champ in the event, but could have his hands full with the ultra-consistent Leonardo de Deus of Brazil right beside him in his prelims heat. American Tyler Clary could also make things interesting in that heat.

Le Clos’ biggest challengers might be the Japanese contingent, who will swim side-by-side in the final heat. Daiya Seto and Masato Sakai both look like legitimate medal threats. And in between their heat and le Clos’ will be Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh, fresh off a surprise medal in the 50 fly, American national champ Tom Shields and Singapore’s rising star Joseph Schooling.

Men’s 800m Freestyle – Prelims

• 2013 World Champion: Sun Yang, CHN – 7:41.36
• World Record: 7:32.12 – Zhang Lin, CHN – 2009
• Championship Record: 7:32.12 – Zhang Lin, CHN – 2009

Sun Yang of China won the 400 free on day 1; he’ll line up at double the distance on day 3. Sun faces Canadian Ryan Cochrane in his heat, but will really have to keep an eye on the heat after him – that features Italy’s rising distance sensation Gregorio Paltrinieri, the European record-holder in the 1500, and Australia’s Mack Horton, who struggled in his first World Championships appearance in the 400, but has elite distance talent.

Also in that final heat are both American entrants, Connor Jaeger, who was 4th in the 400, and Michael McBroom, the American record-holder in the 800.