2022 World Championships: Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Budapest, Hungary
• Duna Arena
• LCM (50-meter format)
• Full Aquatics Schedule
• How To Watch
• Psych Sheets
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Day 5 Finals Heat Sheets

The 2022 World Championships have made the turn and are now on the back nine, as we venture into the fifth of eight nights of finals in Budapest.

Day 5 should be dubbed “200 day,” as we’ve got a pair of individual 200-meter finals, three sets of 200-meter semis, and the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay to close things off.

Medals will be on the line in the women’s 200 butterfly, men’s 100 freestyle, women’s 50 backstroke and men’s 200 IM, along with the relay, plus we’ve got semis in the women’s 100 free, men’s and women’s 200 breast, and the men’s 200 back.

DAY 5 LINKS

• Day 5 Prelims Live Recap
• Day 5 Finals Preview
• Day 5 Finals Scratches
• Day 5 Finals Heat Sheets

Note: Arno Kamminga is a late scratch out of the men’s 200 breaststroke semi-finals.

The women’s 200 fly kicks us off, and it could be the first of many major international titles for burgeoning 15-year-old star Summer McIntosh, who enters as the top seed after setting a new World Junior Record of 2:05.79 in the semi-finals.

However, she’ll certainly be challenged with American Hali Flickinger (2:05.90) breathing down her neck, while Regan Smith will be coming in fresh after the semis was the second race of a double last night, and reigning Olympic champion Zhang Yufei will surely make things interesting.

The men’s 100 free will not feature the highly-anticipated showdown between Caeleb Dressel and David Popovici, as Dressel scratched the semis due to medical reasons (he is now out of the entire meet), but will see the 17-year-old Romanian Popovici take a stab at one of the oldest world records on the books.

Popovici set a new WJR of 47.13 in the semis, finding himself just over two-tenths shy of the 46.91 world record set by Cesar Cielo in 2009.

The women’s 50 backstroke final will be a tight one with the top five women separated by two-tenths in the semis, while the men’s 200 IM will see Leon Marchand vie for the medley double and take a run at becoming just the third swimmer in history under 1:55.

The other two? Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps.

Lochte’s world record stands at 1:54.00, and Marchand went a best of 1:55.75 in the semis, appearing to shut things down on the freestyle. The swim also came after he won silver in the 200 fly earlier in the session.

The women’s 4×200 free relay is a rematch of sorts from an epic battle at last summer’s Olympics, where China broke the world record and the U.S. and Australia also went under the existing mark. While the lineups have changed, the battle should still be a great one, and the Canadian women are favored by some to crash the party.

• Women’s 4×200 free relay lineups

SWIMSWAM WATCH PARTY

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009 Chinese National Games
• Championship Record: 2:03.41, Jess Jess (AUS) – 2009 World Championships
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Zhang Yufei (CHN), 2:03.86
• 2019 World Champion: Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 2:06.78

1. Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:05.20 WJR
2. Hali Flickinger (USA), 2:06.08
3. Zhang Yufei (CHN), 2:06.32
4. Regan Smith (USA), 2:06.79
5. Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS), 2:07.01
6. Lana Pudar (BIH), 2:07.85
7. Helena Bach (DEN) / Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 2:08.12
8. –

Summer McIntosh locked horns with the three Olympic medalists in the women’s 200 butterfly and didn’t blink.

McIntosh was in a tight battle with Regan Smith, Zhang Yufei and Hali Flickinger through the first 150 of the 200 fly final, and then pulled away over the final stretch to claim gold in a time of 2:05.20, re-breaking her World Junior Record.

McIntosh had lowered the WJR in the semis down to 2:05.79, and at 15, wins her first world championship title after claiming silver earlier in the women’s 400 freestyle.

The Etobicoke Swim Club product also resets her Canadian National Record, wins Canada’s first-ever medal in this event, and becomes the youngest 200 fly world champion in history.

Zhang, the reigning Olympic champion, got out to an aggressive start, holding the lead at the 100-meter wall in 59.68. Smith moved up on the third 50 and sat less than three-tenths back of McIntosh, and then had a massive final turn to briefly hold the lead.

However, she slowly fell back, and was ultimately overtaken by McIntosh, Flickinger and Zhang over the closing meters.

Flickinger charged home in 32.82—second-fastest to McIntosh’s 32.58—to snag silver in 2:06.08, while Zhang won bronze in 2:06.32.

Smith took fourth in 2:06.79, while Australian Elizabeth Dekkers moved up from seventh at the halfway mark to claim fifth in 2:07.01, lowering her previous best time of 2:07.25.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Semi-Finals

• World Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
• Championships Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Emma McKeon (AUS), 51.96
• 2019 World Champion: Simone Manuel (USA), 52.04

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 52.85
2. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 53.02
3. Torri Huske (USA), 53.04
4. Penny Oleksiak (CAN), 53.18
5. Cheng Yujie (CHN), 53.36
6. Kayla Sanchez (CAN), 53.61
7. Claire Curzan (USA), 53.62
8. Marie Wattel (FRA), 53.82

Australian Mollie O’Callaghan continues to deliver some extraordinary back-half splits in the women’s 100 freestyle, essentially even-splitting her way to the top seed for tomorrow’s final in a time of 52.85.

O’Callaghan, who produced the fastest back-50 in history at the Australian Trials in 26.57, went even lower tonight, flipping in 26.42 at the 50 before closing in a scorching 26.43.

That moved the 18-year-old up to victory in the second semi, with American Torri Huske (53.04) setting a new best time for second and Canadian Kayla Sanchez (53.61) touching third. Huske had nearly a nine-tenths-of-a-second lead on O’Callaghan at the 50.

Huske and Sanchez advance through in third and sixth, while the other American entry, Claire Curzan, also moved through to the final from the heat in 53.62 for seventh.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who has a busy program for the rest of the meet, won the first semi in 53.02 over Canadian Penny Oleksiak (53.18), while China’s Cheng Yujie set a new best time in 53.36 as they advanced second, fourth and fifth.

The British women scratched the 800 free relay, with Freya Anderson racing here in the semis, but she failed to advance to the final, placing 12th in 54.19.

Australia’s Shayna Jack, who came into the competition seeded second after going 52.60 at the Australian Trials, broke her hand in warm-up and was forced to withdraw from the meet.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 46.91, Cesar Cielo (BRA) – 2009 World Championships
• Championship Record: 46.91, Cesar Cesar (BRA) – 2009 World Championships
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Caeleb Dressel (USA), 47.02
• 2019 World Champion: Caeleb Dressel (USA), 46.96

1. David Popovici (ROU), 47.58
2. Maxime Grousset (FRA), 47.64
3. Josh Liendo (CAN), 47.71
4. Pan Zhanle (CHN), 47.79
5. Brooks Curry (USA), 48.00
6. Nandor Nemeth (HUN), 48.13
7. Lewis Burras (GBR), 48.23
8. Alessandro Miressi (ITA), 48.31

Although the final of the men’s 100 freestyle ended up being significantly slower than the semis, we still witnessed a great race that saw David Popovici emerge victorious for his second title of the meet.

The 17-year-old Romanian overcame the likes of Maxime Grousset and Josh Liendo to win gold in a time of 47.58, over four-tenths shy of his personal best of 47.13 from the semis.

“This is only the beginning, we’ve got a long, long way ahead of us,” Popovici said post-race, adding that he was prouder of his performance in the 200 free.

France’s Grousset may have briefly held the lead over the closing meters, ultimately taking silver in 47.64 to near his PB of 47.52 set last summer.

Liendo, a 19-year-old Canadian, led at the 50 in 22.53 and narrowly held off China’s Pan Zhanle to get on the podium for the first time at a LC World Championship, clocking 47.71 after hitting a new best of 47.55 in the semis.

Overall, all eight swimmers were slower than the semis.

Pan claimed fourth in 47.79, recording the fastest back-half in the field at 24.84, while American Brooks Curry picked up fifth from Lane 1 in 48-flat.

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 26.98, Liu Xiang (CHN) – 2018 Asian Games
• Championship Record: 27.06, Zhao Jing (CHN) – 2009 World Championships
• 2019 World Champion: Olivia Smoliga (USA), 27.33

1. Kylie Masse (CAN), 27.31
2. Katharine Berkoff (USA), 27.39
3. Analia Pigree (FRA), 27.40
4. Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 27.43
5. Regan Smith (USA) / Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 27.47
6. –
7. Medi Harris (GBR), 27.72
8. Kira Toussaint (NED), 27.80

Kylie Masse picks up Canada’s third gold medal in as many events tonight, overcoming a tightly-bunched field to claim the women’s 50 backstroke in a time of 27.31.

While the time is slower than her National Record (27.18) and her semi-final swim (27.22), Masse wins a world title for the third straight championships, having claimed the 100 back in both 2017 and 2019. It’s also the first time a Canadian has won a medal in this event at the World Championships.

American Katharine Berkoff won silver in 27.39, out-touching France’s Analia Pigree (27.40) and Canada’s Ingrid Wilm (27.43). Berkoff is the fastest swimmer in the world this year, having broken the American Record in 27.12 at the U.S. Trials.

Pigree becomes France’s first-ever medalist in this event, having reset her French Record down to 27.29 in the semis. Wilm was also just off her best of 27.39 from last night.

Regan Smith and Kaylee McKeown, who we didn’t get to see go head-to-head (along with Masse) in the 100 back after McKeown withdrew, produced matching 27.47s to take fifth. Smith was coming off of a fourth-place finish in the 200 fly less than 30 minutes prior.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 2:05.95, Zac Stubblety-Cook, AUS (2022)
• Championships Record: 2:06.12, Anton Chupkov, RUS (2019)
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS)
• 2019 World Champion: Anton Chupkov (RUS), 2:06.12

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS), 2:06.72
2. Anton McKee (ISL), 2:08.74
3. Yu Hanaguruma (JPN), 2:08.75
4. Erik Persson (SWE), 2:08.84
5. Matti Mattsson (FIN), 2:09.04
6. Caspar Corbeau (NED), 2:09.17
7. Nic Fink (USA), 2:09.23
8. Ryuya Mura (JPN), 2:09.69

Newly-minted world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook sat with the field through 150 meters in the second semi of the men’s 200 breaststroke before taking off on the last length, qualifying first for the final in 2:06.72.

Stubblety-Cook, who broke the world record and became the first swimmer sub-2:06 in history last month at the Australian Championships in 2:05.95, came home in a blistering 32.02 to advance to the final over two seconds clear of the field.

Despite the fact that he looked like he was cruising for the majority of the swim, the 23-year-old Aussies’ swim is the ninth-fastest ever.

The battle for spots in the top eight was tight behind Stubblety-Cook, with Iceland’s Anton McKee taking second behind him in the second semi to claim Lane 5 for tomorrow in 2:08.74, breaking his National Record.

Japan’s Yu Hanaguruma (2:08.75) inched out Sweden’s Erik Persson (2:08.84) for the victory in the first semi, as they move through to the final in third and fourth.

The battle for silver in this event was blown wide open by the late withdrawal from Dutchman Arno Kamminga, who won silver in this event at the Olympics behind Stubblety-Cook.

The Olympic bronze medalist, Finland’s Matti Mattsson, qualified fifth for the final in 2:09.04, and has a penchant for coming through in big moments, so watch for him tomorrow.

American Nic Fink made the final in seventh, clocking 2:09.23, and could become the first swimmer in history to medal in all three breaststroke events at the same championships. Fink won the men’s 50 breast and was the runner-up in the 100 breast earlier in the competition.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• World Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (USA) – 2011 World Championships
• Championship Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (USA) – 2011 World Championships
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Wang Shun (CHN), 1:55.00
• 2019 World Champion:  Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:56.14

1. Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:55.22
2. Carson Foster (USA), 1:55.71
3. Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:56.22
4. Chase Kalisz (USA), 1:56.43
5. Tom Dean (GBR), 1:56.77
6. Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:57.26
7. Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 1:58.11
8. Matt Sates (RSA), 1:58.27

Leon Marchand completes the medley sweep with a clutch performance in the final of the men’s 200 IM, coming through to win the gold medal after a tight battle with American Carson Foster.

Marchand, third at the 100-meter wall in 54.15, moved to the front of the pack with a 33.01 breaststroke split, and then held Foster at bay coming down the stretch on freestyle for a final time of 1:55.22.

Marchand’s time takes over half a second off his French Record of 1:55.75 set in the semis, and moves the 20-year-old up to sixth on the all-time performers’ list.

Foster got out fast, leading at the 50 (24.64) and 100 (53.39) walls before getting overtaken by Marchand on breast. The rising University of Texas junior held strong on the freestyle leg, nearly matching Marchand’s split (28.06 to 28.12) to win silver in 1:55.71.

That swim crushes Foster’s previous best of 1:56.44, set in the semis, as he becomes the 15th swimmer in history to break the 1:56 barrier.

2019 champion Daiya Seto fought hard over the back-half, out-dueling Chase Kalisz (the 2017 champion) for bronze in 1:56.22.

Kalisz, who was the lone swimmer sub-33 on breast (32.86), was fourth in 1:56.43, while Great Britain’s Tom Dean broke 1:57 for the first time to take fifth in 1:56.77.

19-year-old Hungarian Hubert Kos fed off the home crowd and got off to a blistering start, sitting second to Foster at the 100 in 53.47 (under world record pace by .01), but ultimately placed sixth in 1:57.26. Kos’ PB sits at 1:56.99 from last year’s European Championships.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 2:18.95, Tatjana Schoenmaker, RSA (2021)
• Championships Record: 2:19.11, Rikke Moller Pedersen, DEN (2013)
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2:18.95
• 2019 World Champion: Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 2:20.17

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Jenna Strauch (AUS), 2:22.22
2. Lilly King (USA), 2:22.58
3. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU), 2:23.66
4. Kate Douglass (USA), 2:23.79
5. Kelsey Wog (CAN), 2:23.82
6. Molly Renshaw (GBR), 2:24.06
7. Abbie Wood (GBR), 2:24.46
8. Francesca Fangio (ITA), 2:25.09

Australian Jenna Strauch dropped a big best time to win the first semi-final in the women’s 200 breaststroke, clocking 2:22.22 to down her previous PB of 2:23.12 set at last year’s Olympic Trials.

Lilly King, who is not racing at 100 percent in Budapest according to her coach, had a strong showing and nearly ran down Strauch to take second in heat in 2:22.58, qualifying second overall into the final.

King said post-race that she feels much better than she did after the 100 breast final, where she missed the podium in fourth as the two-time defending champion.

Lithuanian Kotryna Teterevkova (2:23.66) out-touched Canadian Kelsey Wog (2:23.82) to win the second semi, as they move through to the final in third and fifth, respectively. Both own best times in the 2:22-range.

American Kate Douglass, who clocked 2:21.43 at the U.S. Trials in April, advanced through in fourth in 2:23.79. Douglass is a multi-talented swimmer who won both the 50 free and 200 breast at the NCAA Championships earlier this year. She said post-race she’s really been focusing on this event over the last year, which helped lead her to break King’s all-time record in the short course-yard pool.

Two of the pre-race favorites to medal, the British duo of Molly Renshaw and Abbie Wood, qualified sixth and seventh for the final with a pair of 2:24s, though well off their best times.

Like Freya Anderson in the 100 free, Wood would’ve been racing on Great Britain’s 800 free relay at the end of the session but they scratched.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
• Championships Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
• 2021 Olympic Champion: Evgeny Rylov (RUS), 1:53.27
• 2019 World Champion: Evgeny Rylov (RUS), 1:53.40

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Ryan Murphy (USA), 1:55.43
2. Brodie Williams (GBR), 1:56.17
3. Luke Greenbank (GBR), 1:56.42
4. Mewen Tomac (FRA), 1:56.52
5. Adam Telegdy (HUN), 1:56.80
6. Shaine Casas (USA), 1:56.90
7. Roman Mityukov (SUI), 1:57.08
8. Benedek Kovacs (HUN), 1:57.12

Ryan Murphy put his veteran experience to good use in the semi-finals of the men’s 200 back, exploding off the final turn and roaring home to the victory in a time of 1:55.43, producing the fastest closing split in the field by a wide margin at 28.25.

Murphy was the lone swimmer sub-1:56 in the semis, and will have a great opportunity to win his first career LC world title tomorrow night.

His American teammate Shaine Casas led the second semi through the 150, but was overtaken by Murphy, Frenchman Mewen Tomac (1:56.52) and Hungarian Adam Telegdy (1:56.80) down the closing meters. Casas still advanced to the final in sixth in 1:56.90, while Tomac and Telegdy sit fourth and fifth.

British teammates Brodie Williams (1:56.17) and Luke Greenbank (1:56.42) battled it out in the first semi, with Williams edging out his previous PB as they advance second and third, respectively.

Greenbank has won bronze in this event at both the 2019 World Championships and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games behind Russian Evgeny Rylov and Murphy.

WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 7:40.33, China (2021)
• Championships Record: 7:42.08, China, 2009
• 2021 Olympic Champion: China, 7:40.33
• 2019 World Champion: Australia, 7:41.50
• Relay Lineups

1. United States, 7:41.45 CR
2. Australia, 7:43.86
3. Canada, 7:44.76
4. China, 7:45.72
5. Hungary, 7:57.90
6. Brazil, 7:58.38
7. New Zealand, 7:59.08
8. Japan, 8:00.03

The U.S. women reclaim the world title in the 800 free relay with a decisive victory in championship record fashion, clocking 7:41.45 to top the defending Australians by over two seconds.

The American quartet of Claire Weinstein (1:56.71), Leah Smith (1:56.47), Katie Ledecky (1:53.67) and Bella Sims (1:54.60) combined to get the job done, with Ledecky’s split standing up as the third-fastest in history as that put the U.S. into the lead over Australia and Canada.

Early in the race it was Canada out in front, as Summer McIntosh broke her fourth World Junior Record of the competition on the lead-off leg, touching in 1:54.79 to open up a near two-second gap over the rest of the field. That time would’ve won the 200 free individually, a race McIntosh dropped from her program.

Australia took over the lead at the halfway mark thanks to a 1:55.27 split from Leah Neale, and then Ledecky powered past Aussie Kiah Melverton to hand Sims a lead of just over a second at the final exchange.

Despite facing two swimmers with 1:54-point flat-start best times, Mollie O’Callaghan and Penny Oleksiak, Sims extended the U.S. advantage with a sizzling 1:54.60 leg, as the U.S. broke the Championship Record of 7:42.08 set by China in 2009.

The Americans won this event four straight times from 2011 to 2017 before falling to Australia in 2019.

O’Callaghan anchored in 1:55.94 to earn Australia silver in 7:43.86, while Oleksiak was 1:55.83 for the Canadians as they win a consecutive bronze in this event in 7:44.76.

China, the reigning Olympic champions and world record holders from Tokyo, were out of the mix from the jump after Tang Muhan led them off in 1:58.10. Tang owns a best time of 1:54.26 and had gone 1:56.25 to win bronze in the individual 200 free last night.

That knocked China out of serious medal contention, though they were a clear fourth in 7:45.72, with individual 200 free champion Yang Junxuan recording the second-fastest split in the entire field at 1:54.18.

There was a massive gap of more than 12 seconds from fourth to fifth place in this race, with the hometown Hungarians snagging fifth in 7:57.90.