2024 World Championships Day 5 Prelims Preview: Kate Douglass Tackling 100 FR/200 BR Double

2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 11th – February 18th, 2024
• Doha, Qatar
• LCM (50m)
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• How To Watch
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap

Day Five Prelims Start Lists 

Day 5 Prelims Event Schedule 

• Women’s 100 Freestyle
• Men’s 200 Backstroke
• Women’s 200 Breaststroke
• Men’s 200 Breaststroke
• Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay

The fifth morning of the 2024 World Championships is already here, and we have five more events on the docket. We will see heats of the women’s 100 freestyle, men’s 200 backstroke, women’s 200 breaststroke, men’s 200 breaststroke, and the women’s 4×200 free relay.

The women’s 100 free will kick things off, and last night’s 200 free champion, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, is the top seed. Haughey owns a season best time of 52.02, which stands as her personal best in the event. Australia’s Shayna Jack and Team USA’s Kate Douglass are among the other medal contenders on the start lists, with Douglass notably contesting the 100 free and 200 breast double.

Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands, who scored bronze back in Fukuoka, will also highlight the field. She anchored the Netherlands to gold on night one in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, their first title in the event since 2011. The world record holder in the event, Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden, is still listed on the entry lists but told the media that she will “most likely not swim” the race.

The men’s 200 back is one of the most wide open fields of the meet, with a cluster of 1:55-1:56 range swimmers highlighting the start lists. Roman Mityukov of Switzerland is the top seeded entrant, and he did win bronze in the event in Fukuoka. Australia’s Bradley Woodward and Ukrainian World Junior champion Oleksandr Zheltiakov are the only other swimmers seeded under the 1:56-barrier, with Team USA’s Jack Aikins (1:56.04), Korea’s Lee Juho (1:56.05), and South Africa’s Pieter Coetze (1:56.32) all nearing that range.

Kate Douglass is the clear frontrunner in the women’s 200 breast, as she recently broke the American record with a time of 2:19.30 in January. It was originally set to be a great showdown between defending Tatjana Schoenmaker and Douglass, but Schoenmaker pulled out of the meet, and specific reasons are unknown at this time. Tes Schouten enters the event as the second seed, and she already won silver in the 100 breast on night two here in Doha.

Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova (2:22.86) and Team Canada’s Sydney Pickrem (2:23.39) are two additional medal contenders to watch. Teterevkova posted a best in the 100 breast earlier in the meet, and Pickrem did the same in the 200 IM.

The men’s 200 breast is in a similar position to the 200 back, with a number of contenders in the 2:07-2:08 range. Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands is the top entrant into the event with his 2:07.99 best time, but his teammate Arno Kamminga, Dong Zhihao of China, and American duo Nic Fink and Jake Foster are in close pursuit. Fink claimed gold in the 100 breast and bronze in the 50 already, while Foster was 9th in the 100 breast with a personal best.

The women’s 4×200 free relay ends the session, with Australia topping the entry lists. They are expected to have Brianna Throssell, who won bronze in the individual event, and Shayna Jack for their finals lineup. Though it’s unclear who the other two swimmers on the relay will be, it seems likely that Kiah Melverton, Abbey Harkin, and Jaclyn Barclay are in the conversation. Harkin is expected to have the 200 breast semifinals shortly before this relay, assuming she qualifies safely.