2023 World Champs Day 5 Prelims Scratch Report: Anna Hopkin Pulls out of Women’s 100 FR

2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 23 to 30, 2023
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• LCM (50m)
• WORLD CHAMPS WATCH PARTY – DAILY
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results (Omega)
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Final Live Recap

DAY 5 PRELIMS START LISTS (HEAT SHEET)

Day 5 prelims of the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan is next up on the list. Through the first 4 days of the meet, we haven’t experienced too many scratches, though that’s partially due to swimmers more often choosing to “no-show” or “DNS” prelims races rather than formally scratch. Nonetheless, we have a few scratches to report for this upcoming prelims session, which will feature heats of the women’s 100 free, men’s 200 back, women’s 200 breast, and men’s 200 breast individually. All scratches in this report are limited to swimmers who were seeded in the top 20.

First up, Great Britain’s Anna Hopkin has scratched prelims of the women’s 100 free. Hopkin, Great Britain’s biggest women’s sprint freestyle star currently, came into the meet as the 8th seed in the event, entering with a 53.45. It was a somewhat surprising scratch from Hopkin, who has been racing this week in Fukuoka, and owns a career best of 52.75 in the event. Given her PB in the event, Hopkin stood a very real chance at making an appearance in the final this summer.

Hopkin has been racing well on the British relays so far this week. Most recently, she threw down a speedy 52.86 split on the anchor leg of Great Britian’s mixed 4×100 medley relay last night in finals. Prior to that split, Hopkin had clocked a 53.39 anchoring GB’s mixed medley in prelims. On the first day of the meet, Hopkin led Great Britain’s women’s 4×100 free relay off in 53.67.

Another scratch came in the men’s 200 back, where Israel’s David Gerchik has pulled out of the race. The 22-year-old was the 19th seed in the event coming into the meet, entering with a 1:57.64. His entry time also stands as his personal best in the event, a time which he posted last month at the Israel Summer National Championships.

Of course, Canadian 26-year-old Sydney Pickrem has also scratched the women’s 200 breast. We knew that going into the meet, however, as Pickrem announced a few weeks before the meet started that she would not be attending due to “personal circumstances.” Pickrem was the 15th seed in the women’s 200 breast.