2022 Short Course World Championships: Day Five Marks A Series of ‘Firsts’

2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, December 13 to Sunday, December 18, 2022
• Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre, Melbourne, Australia
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Day 5 Finals Live Recap Post

With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games fewer than 2 years to go, several swimmers made their marks in the short course arena on day five of the 2022 Short Course World Championships. This penultimate day of action brought a host of ‘firsts’ as we near the conclusion of the competition in Melbourne, Australia.

Jordan Crooks’ Snags First-Ever Cayman Islands Gold

Jordan Crooks made history tonight by becoming the first-ever Cayman Islands medalist at a World Championships. And, Crooks did it in style, taking the gold medal in the men’s 50m freestyle.

The University of Tennessee standout punched a winning effort of 20.46, edging out Great Britain’s Ben Proud by just .03.

Entering this competition, Crooks’ personal best in this fast and furious event rested at the 22.96 he produced in 2019. However, he dropped that down through the rounds of the individual 50m free as well as through his 100m free splitting to land at a 20.36 from the prelims of the former to become the 5th fastest performer of all time.

Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) Posts First World Record Since 2013

25-year-old Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania crushed a semi-final time of 28.37 to not only take the women’s 50m breast top seed tonight, but the Olympic champion fired off a new World Record in the process.

Meilutyte’s result easily downed the longstanding World Record of 28.56 Jamaican Olympian Alia Atkinson put on the books in 2018.

The Lithuanian’s WR-setting performance marks her first since 2013 when she was only 17 years of age. It was then as a breaststroke prodigy she logged world standards across both the 50m and 100m breast events in long course, as well as the short course 100m breast. She retired in 2019 but decided to come back to competitive swimming just about one year ago.

Japan’s Daiya Seto Becomes First Swimmer To Six-Peat As World Champion

Daiya Seto of Japan became the first-ever swimmer to six-peat as world champion in the same event.

Tonight in Melbourne, the versatile 28-year-old topped the men’s 400m IM podium, clocking a time of 3:55.75. He handily defeated American Carson Foster who touched in 3:57.63 while South African ace Matt Sates rounded out the podium in 3:59.21 for bronze.

For Seto, his gold this evening is added to the same result he achieved at the 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021 editions of these Short Course World Championships. Last year Seto tied Great Britain’s James Hickman with 5 as the record for most consecutive wins.

Remarkably, Seto’s time tonight of 3:55.75 represents his fastest of all six performances

2012 – 3:59.15
2014 – 3:56.33
2016 – 3:59.24
2018 – 3:56.43
2021 – 3:56.26
2022 – 3:55.75

Seto said after the race, “I was focused on this event, I swam the 200m IM and the 200m butterfly and the 200m breast, but the 400 IM is my favorite event. I never lose in short course. Next year, I want to be the champion in long course.”

Emma McKeon Gives Australia First Women’s 50m Free Event Since 2006

The most decorated Australian Olympian of all time can add another accolade to her resume, as Emma McKeon became the first Australian 50m free short course world champion since 2006.

28-year-old McKeon produced a scorching time of 23.04 to win the women’s 50m free, setting a new championships record in the process. The last Aussie short course champion in this event was Libby Lenton who topped the podium in 2006.

As for McKeon, she has dominated the women’s sprint events here, already having taken the 100m free and thrown down blistering splits on the Aussie relays throughout the meet.

On her victory tonight, McKeon stated, “I honestly still don’t call myself a 50m specialist, I prefer the 100  it’s my pet event. I train for the 100 and also the 200, but I do like coming down to swim the 50, my fun event. One of my strengths is my start and I knew I would need a great start. I didn’t know that I swam a championship record until you just told me. I didn’t think I would come that close, I just knew that I had to be on my game.”

The Podiums

Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay

1. GOLD: Australia – 1:42.35 (World Record)
2. SILVER: United States – 1:42.41
3. BRONZE: Sweden – 1:42.43

Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay

1. GOLD: Italy – 1:29.72
2. SILVER: United States – 1:30.37
3. BRONZE: Australia – 1:30.81

Men’s 800m Free

1. GOLD: Gregorio Paltrinieri (Italy) – 7:29.99 (Championship Record)
2. SILVER: Henrik Christiansen (Norway) – 7:31.48
3. Logan Fontaine (France) – 7:33.12

Women’s 400m IM

1. GOLD: Hali Flickinger (United States) – 4:26.51
2. SILVER: Sara Franceschi (Italy) – 4:28.58
3. BRONZE: Waka Kobori (Japan) – 4:29.03

Men’s 400m IM

1. GOLD: Daiya Seto (Japan) – 3:55.75
2. SILVER: Carson Foster (United States) – 3:57.63
3. BRONZE: Matt Sates (South Africa) – 3:59.21

Women’s 50m Free

1. GOLD: Emma McKeon (Australia) – 23.04 (Championship Record)
2. SILVER: Katarzyna Wasick (Poland) – 23.55
3. BRONZE: Anna Hopkin (Great Britain) – 23.68

Men’s 50m Free

1. GOLD: Jordan Crooks (Cayman Islands) – 20.46
2. SILVER: Ben Proud (Great Britain) – 20.49
3. BRONZE: Dylan Carter (Trinidad & Tobago) – 20.72

DAY 5 WORLD RECORDS

• Australia – Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay, 1:42.35
• Italy – Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay, 1:29.72
• Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – Women’s 50m Breast, 28.37

DAY 5 NATIONAL RECORDS – RELAYS

• Australian Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:42.35
• Canadian Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:43.56
• French Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:43.96
• Czech Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:46.40
• Italian Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:29.72
• American Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:30.37
• Australian Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:30.81
• Japanese Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:31.28
• German Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay – 1:31.79

DAY 5 NATIONAL RECORDS – INDIVIDUAL WOMEN’S

• Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – Women’s 50m Breast, 28.37
• Lara van Niekerk (RSA) – Women’s 50m Breast, 29.27
• Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – Women’s 50m Back, 25.49

DAY 5 NATIONAL RECORDS – INDIVIDUAL MEN’S

• Shogo Takeda (JPN) – Men’s 800m Free, 7:33.78
• Yang Zibei (CHN) – Men’s 50m Breast, 25.80