2024 World Championships: Day 6 Prelims Live Recap

2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 11th – February 18th, 2024
• Doha, Qatar
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• 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 5 Prelims Recap | Day 5 Finals Recap

Day Six Prelims Start Lists

Day Six Prelims Relay Article

It’s day six of the 2024 World Championships in Doha, and we have packed prelim session this morning. We’ll see the heats of six events: the men’s 100 butterfly, women’s 200 backstroke, men’s 50 freestyle, women’s 50 butterfly, men’s 4×200 freestyle relay and the women’s 800 freestyle.

Nyls Korstanje (50.78) of the Netherlands enters the 100 fly as the top seed, but American Shaine Casas will also be in the field. Casas (50.40) owns a faster best time than Korstanje, but it was done back in 2022 compared to Korstanje’s 2023 performance. Katsuhiro Matsumoto of Japan is the only other athlete seeded with a sub-51 second entry time, so look to see if he can make a drop and challenge for gold.

American Claire Curzan is the top entrant in the women’s 200 back, and she already claimed gold in the 50 and 100 meter distances of backstroke in Doha. Her best time rests at the 2:06.35 she produced at the 2023 U.S. World Championship Trials, and she noted in her 50 back post race interview that the 200 has become more of a focus for this year.

Cameron McEvoy (AUS) and Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) will feature in their primary events this morning. McEvoy (21.06) is the top seed in the men’s 50 free while Sjostrom is seeking her 6th straight world title in the women’s 50 fly.

The men’s 4×200 free relay will take place after the sprint 50s, where all eyes will be on defending champions Great Britain. Two of their swimmers from last year’s winning quartet are in Doha: Duncan Scott and Matthew Richards.

The women’s 800 free is the final event of the morning, where Simona Quadarella may have hopes to double up on her 1500 win with an 800 gold medal. Erika Fairweather of New Zealand, who won the 400 free on day one, will also feature and is expected to be a major contender. Germany’s Isabel Gose is also one to watch, as she has medaled in both the 400 and 1500 here in Doha already.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY — HEATS

• World Record: 49.45 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2021)
• Championship Record: 49.50 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2019)
• World Junior Record: 50.62 — Kristof Milak, Hungary (2017)
• 2023 World Champion: 50.14 – Maxime Grousset, France
• Olympic ‘A’ Qualifying Time: 51.67, Olympic ‘B’ Qualifying Time: 51.93

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Simon Bucher (AUT) – 51.42
2. Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN) – 51.60
3. Nyls Korstanje (NED) – 51.70
4. Adilbek Mussin (KAZ) – 51.75
5. Diogo Matos Ribeiro (POR) – 51.78
6. Zach Harting (USA) – 51.94
7. Jakub Majerski (POL) – 51.96
8. Chad Le Clos (RSA) – 52.04 & Finlay Knox (CAN) – 52.04
9.  –
10. Josif Miladinov (BUL) – 52.10
11. Mario Molla Yanes (ESP) – 52.12
12. Shaine Casas (USA) – 52.21
13. Adrian Jaskiewicz (POL) – 52.31
14. Matheus Gonche (BRA) – 52.44
15. Gianmarco Sansone (ITA) – 52.46
16. SWIM-OFF REQUIRED: Matt Sates (RSA) & Max McCusker (IRL) tied at 52.52 (UPDATE: Matt Sates clocked 51.80 to win the swim-off, with McCusker posting 52.31 to reset the Irish record.)

A time of 51.60 claimed victory in the first of the circle seeded heats, and it was Japan’s Katsuhiro Matsumoto getting his hand on the wall first. After missing out on the 200 fly final, American Zach Harting bounced back for a 2nd place finish in this heat, dipping under the 52-second barrier with a swift 51.94. Jakub Majerski of Poland rounded out the top three, checking-in at 51.96.

Adilbek Mussin hit the touchpad ahead of everyone else in heat seven, finishing in a time of 51.75. South Africa’s Chad Le Clos grabbed the 2nd spot in this heat, and was notably turning his head to the side over the last 20 meters to see where his competitors were.

Nyls Korstanje of the Netherlands showcased strong early speed in the final heat, leading through the first 50 in a very fast 23.43. He faded a bit over the final 15 meters, but hung on for 2nd in the heat. Austria’s Simon Bucher touched for the win, clocking the fastest time of the morning in 51.42.

The 50 fly champion from night two, Portugal’s Diogo Matos Ribeiro, finished 5th overall this morning in 51.78. Josif Miladinov of Bulgaria, who owns a best time of 50.93, finished 10th this morning with a time of 52.10.

American Shaine Casas, who has the fastest best time of all the entrants, posted a time of 52.21 to advance in 12th position. Casas will anchor Team USA’s 4×200 free relay at the end of the session.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE — HEATS

• World Record: 2:03.14 — Kaylee McKeown, Australia (2023)
• Championship Record: 2:03.35 — Regan Smith, United States (2019)
• World Junior Record: 2:03.35 — Regan Smith, United States (2019)
• 2023 World Champion: 2:03.85 – Kaylee McKeown, Australia
• Olympic ‘A’ Qualifying Time: 2:10.39, Olympic ‘B’ Qualifying Time: 2:11.04

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Claire Curzan (USA) – 2:10.50
2. Jaclyn Barclay (AUS) – 2:10.82
3. Gabriela Georgieva (BUL) – 2:10.86
4. Eszter Szabo-Feltothy (HUN) – 2:10.95
5. Anastasiya Shkurdai (NIA) – 2:11.34
6. Dora Molnar (HUN) – 2:11.35
7. Laura Bernat (POL) – 2:11.51
8. Adela Piskorska (POL) – 2:11.65
9. Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 2:11.78
10. Sun Mingxia (CHN) – 2:11.79
11. Freya Colbert (GBR) – 2:12.08
12. Africa Zamorano Sanz (ESP) – 2:12.55
13. Lilla Bognar (USA) – 2:12.56
14. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 2:12.67
15. Sum Yuet Cindy Cheung (HKG) – 2:13.11
16. Hannah Pearse (RSA) – 2:13.26

Jaclyn Barclay of Australia was victorious in the 2nd of 4 heats, touching in 2:10.82 for the win. That swim is just over two seconds from her personal best time, but safely advances her to the semifinals. Barclay touched in 4th place on night three in the 100 backstroke final, just missing the medals. She did post a best time of 59.28 in that race though.

Hungary’s Dora Molnar won the penultimate heat, touching in a slightly slower 2:11.35 time. Great Britain’s Freya Colbert made it a race down to the final few meters, touching in 2:11.51. Anastasia Gorbenko of Israel, more known for her 200 IM prowess, was the only other sub-2:12 performance of the heat.

American Claire Curzan, who bagged gold in the other two backstroke events in Doha, put on an underwater clinic in the final heat. She flipped in 30.36 through the first 50m before hitting the 100 in 1:03.13. She looked to be on cruise control for the majority of the race, but still posted the fastest time of the morning with a time of 2:10.50.

Of note, Curzan has posted best times in both the 50 and 100 backstroke events here in Doha. She could make it 3-for-3 with one in this 200 back come the final.

A pair of Polish athletes will feature in tonight’s semifinals, as Laura Bernat and Adela Piskorska posted 2:11-range performances to rank 7th and 8th.

Ingrid Wilm, who won bronze in the 50 and 100 backs earlier in the meet, snuck through to the semifinals here in 14th.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE — HEATS

• World Record: 20.91 — Cesar Cielo, Brazil (2009)
• Championship Record: 21.04 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2019)
• World Junior Record: 21.75 — Michael Andrew, United States (2017)
• 2023 World Champion: 21.06 — Cameron McEvoy, Australia
• Olympic ‘A’ Qualifying Time: 21.96, Olympic ‘B’ Qualifying Time: 22.07

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Cameron McEvoy (AUS) – 21.13
2. Vladyslav Bukhov (UKR) – 21.56
3. Kristian Gkolomeev (GRE) – 21.70
4. Michael Andrew (USA) – 21.78
5. Ian Ho (HKG) – 21.83
6. Lorenzo Zazzeri (ITA) – 21.85
7. Isaac Cooper (AUS) – 21.86
8. Benjamin Proud (GBR) – 21.88
9. Kenzo Simons (NED) – 21.89
10. Ji Yuchan (KOR) – 21.93
11. Dylan Carter (TTO) – 21.95
12. Leonardo Deplano (ITA) – 21.98
13. Bjorn Seeliger (SWE) – 21.99
14. Matt King (USA) – 22.03
15. Andrej Barna (SRB) – 22.05
16. Matej Dusa (SVK) – 22.12

The heats of the men’s 50 freestyle were FAST…with Vladyslav Bukhov of Ukraine kicking things off in the first circle seeded heat. He posted a huge 21.56, destroying his previous best time of 21.70 from Fukuoka.

Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev posted a time of 21.70 to win the next heat, while Italy’s Lorenzo Zazzeri (21.85) touching for 2nd and Team GB’s Ben Proud (21.88) grabbing 3rd.

Australian teammates Cameron McEvoy and Isaac Cooper highlighted the final heat, with McEvoy hitting the wall in a massive 21.13. The world record line popped up with 10 meters to go, and he almost clipped his 21.06 best time from his gold medal performance in Fukuoka. Cooper (21.86) clocked a 3rd place performance in the heat, with Hong Kong’s Ian Ho touching 0.03 ahead in 21.83.

Michael Andrew of the United States posted the 4th fastest time of the morning, checking-in at 21.78. His American teammate, Matt King, finished 14th in a time of 22.03.

It took a time of 22.05 to make the semifinals of this event in Fukuoka, and it took a fairly comparable marker of 22.12 this morning. We may very well be on world record watch over the next few nights, as McEvoy’s prelim swim (21.13) is over two tenths faster than the 21.35 he produced in the Fukuoka heats.

The 100 free champion, Pan Zhanle of China, did not swim this morning. He is presumably focusing on the 4×200 free relay.

WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERLY — HEATS

• World Record: 24.43 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2014)
• Championship Record: 24.60 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
• World Junior Record: 25.46 — Rikako Ikee, Japan (2017)
• 2023 World Champion: 24.77 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 24.88
2. Melanie Henique (FRA) – 25.44
3. Erin Gallagher (RSA) – 25.69
4. Farida Osman (EGY) – 25.88
5. Alexandria Perkins (AUS) – 25.89
6. Angelina Köhler (GER) – 25.92
7. Kim Busch (NED) – 25.93
8. Louise Hansson (SWE) – 25.98
9. Brianna Throssell (AUS) – 26.04
10. Yu Yiting (CHN) – 26.06
11. Neza Klancar (SLO) – 26.07
12. Maaike De Waard (NED) – 26.13
13. Anna Ntountounaki (GRE) – 26.26
14. Anastasiya Kuliashova (NIA) – 26.32
15. Sofis Spodarenko (KAZ) – 26.38
16. Paulina Peda (POL) – 26.44

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom kicked off her Doha campaign with a sub-25 performance in the 50 fly, winning the final heat in 24.88. She is the only person to ever crack the 25-second barrier in history, and just did it once again in a prelim swim. She looks to be well on track to claim her 6th straight world title in this event.

The 2nd fastest time of the morning came in the form of a 25.44 from France’s Melanie Henique. She got off to a flying start in heat six, posting a dominant win. South Africa’s Erin Gallagher finished 2nd in the heat to Henique, and qualified 3rd overall for the semifinals in 25.69. Gallagher’s final time of 25.69 was just shy of her 25.66 best.

Farida Osman of Egypt, who claimed bronze in this event in both 2017 and 2019, finished in 25.88 for 4th overall this morning. Australia’s Alexandria Perkins (25.89), 100 fly champ Angelina Köhler of Germany (25.92), Kim Busch of the Netherlands (25.93) and Sweden’s Louise Hansson (25.98) comprised the top eight with sub-26 times.

200 IM specialist, China’s Yu Yiting, clocked 26.06 for the 10th fastest time of the morning. 200 free bronze medalist Brianna Throssell finished 9th with a time of 26.04.

American Claire Curzan was entered in this event, but ultimately did not swim. She qualified 1st in the 200 back earlier the session.

MEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY — HEATS

• World Record: 6:58.55 — United States (2009)
• Championship Record: 6:58.55 — United States (2009)
• World Junior Record: 7:08.37 — United States (2019)
• 2023 World Champion: 6:59.08 — Great Britain

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. China – 7:06.93
2. Republic of Korea – 7:07.61
3. Italy – 7:08.48
4. Greece – 7:09.90
5. Lithuania – 7:09.97
6. Great Britain – 7:10.15
7. Spain – 7:10.63
8. United States – 7:10.70

China is the fastest qualifier into tonight’s 4×200 free relay final, as they topped the first heat in 7:06.93. Ji Xinjie led them off in 1:46.68 before Pan Zhanle anchored them home in 1:46.22.

Korea advances in 2nd place, with Hwang Sunwoo‘s 1:46.32 anchor being their highlight.

Danas Rapsys led Lithuania off in 1:45.78, and they had a 1:47 and two 1:48 splits to advance in 5th position. Their time was just 0.18 ahead of Great Britain this morning, where Max Litchfield (1:46.98) posted the fastest split for Team GB. It is widely expected that Duncan Scott will feature later today. Lithuania’s final time of 7:09.97 registers a new national record, eclipsing their previous marker from 2022.

The United States snuck into the final in 8th, with Hunter Armstrong posting a nice 1:46.81 split on the second leg. He has never cracked the 1:50-barrier flat start, but stepped up on the relay this morning to ensure Team USA qualified. Given his speed in the backstroke events, it begs the question of what his capabilities would be in the 200 back. Luke Hobson (1:46.86), David Johnston (1:48.16), and Shaine Casas (1:48.87) were the other swimmers on the relay, with Carson Foster likely subbing in tonight.

Greece qualified 4th for the final in 7:09.90, demolishing their national record of 7:16.39 in the process.

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE — HEATS

• World Record: 8:04.79 — Katie Ledecky, United States (2016)
• Championship Record: 8:07.39 — Katie Ledecky, United States (2015)
• World Junior Record: 8:11.00 — Katie Ledecky, United States (2014)
• 2023 World Champion 8:08.87 — Katie Ledecky, United States
• Olympic ‘A’ Qualifying Time: 8:26.71, Olympic ‘B’ Qualifying Time: 8:29.24

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Isabel Gose (GER) – 8:26.49
2. Simona Quadarella (ITA) – 8:27.80
3. Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 8:28.15
4. Eve Thomas (NZL) – 8:29.30
5. Agostina Hein (ARG) – 8:29.44
6. Ajna Kesely (HUN) – 8:32.88
7. Kiah Melverton (AUS) – 8:35.22
8. TIE: Ichika Kajimoto (JPN) – 8:35.25 & Maddy Gough (AUS) – 8:35.25

Germany’s Isabel Gose took control of the penultimate heat from the very first stroke, eventually winning by over six seconds in 8:26.49. Her time would hold up for the fastest of the morning, as the final heat was won by Simona Quadarella in 8:27.80.

Gose is a two-time bronze medalist here in Doha already, as she snagged those medals in the 400 and 1500 freestyle races. Quadarella won the 1500 earlier in the meet, and looked to be on cruise control for most of her heat this morning.

400 free champion Erika Fairweather of New Zealand posted the 3rd fastest time of the morning (8:28.15) en route to 2nd place in the final heat.

There was a notable tie for 8th position between Ichika Kajimoto (JPN) and Maddy Gough (AUS). This would typically indicate that a swim-off would be required, but the results screen indicated that they will both get a nod into the final. That means we will see 9 lanes occupied in tomorrow’s final.