Gemmell, Wilson, and Pallister Put On Women’s 4×200 FR Prelims Relays (FULL LINEUPS)

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 Finals Live Recap
• Day 5 Prelims Live Recap

The lineups for the preliminary heats of the women’s 4×200 free relay at the 2023 World Championships have been released.

Headling Team USA will be Leah Smith, Erin Gemmell, Alex Shackell, and Anna Peplowski, who are the fourth through seventh-place finishers from U.S. Nationals. The top performer on this relay will likely join Katie Ledecky, Claire Weinstein, and Bella Sims in the finals. Gemmell’s split could be one to watch out for, as she produced a time of 1:54.86 anchoring Team USA’s 4×200 free relay at the 2022 Junior Pan Pac Championships last summer.

Australia, the heavy favorites to win this relay, will be using Madi Wilson, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell, and Kiah Melverton during prelims. These four swimmers were the third through seventh-place finishers in the 200 free at Australian trials. Mollie O’Callgahan and Ariarne Titmus, the gold and silver medalists in the women’s 200 free, will most definitely be used in finals. Shayna Jack missed the ‘A’ final at Australian trials but also produced a 200 free time of 1:55.37 this April—given how strong her 100 free relay splits have been at this Worlds, there’s a good chance she’ll have a strong 200 free split as well. If the Aussies rest O’Callaghan, Titmus, and Jack for finals, the top performer out of these four prelims relay swimmers should be reatined for finals.

Keep an eye on Wilson, who has a best time of 1:55.86 and was on Australia’s world-record-breaking 4×200 free relay last year.

China, the bronze medal favorites, will be opting to go with Ai Yanhan, Yang Peiqi, Ge Chutong, and Li Jiaping on the prelims of their relay. Missing is Chinese Nationals champ Li Bingjie (1:55.62 SB) and fourth-place finisher Cheng Yujie (1:57.02 SB), who anchored China’s gold-medal wining mixed medley relay on Thursday. Also not present are 2022 200 free World champ Yang Junxuan as well as Zhang Yufei, who has split as fast as 1:55.66 on this relay. Neither Yang nor Zhang raced the 200 free at Nationals this year.

Full Lineups

Heat One:

• Mexico (DNS)
• Israel (Gorbenko, Golovaty, Spitz, Polosnky)
• Italy (Morini, Cocconcelli, Franceschi, Menicucci)
• Great Britain (Colbert, Wood, Harris, Hope)
• United States (Smith, Gemmell, Shackell, Peplowski)
• China (Ai, Yang, Ge, Li)
• Brazil (Balduccini, de Oliveira, Roncatto, Siqueira Almeida)
• Germany (Gose, Kullmann, Schulze, Holt)
• Spain (Carron, Campabadal, Amezcua, Herrero Lazaro, Juste Sanchez)

Heat Two:

•  Turkey (Ertan, Tuncel, Donmez, Ozdemir)
• Australia (Kreundl, Kahler, Pammer, Opatril)
• Japan (Shirai, Ikemoto, Igarashi, Mochizuki)
• Netherlands (van Kooten, de Jong, Holkenborg, Steenbergen)
• Australia (Wilson, Pallister, Throssell, Melverton)
• Canada (Jansen, O’Croninin, Douthwright, Savard)
• Hungary (Abraham, Padar, Kesely, Molnar)
• New Zealand (Fairweather, Thomas, Osborne, Deans)
• Korea (Kim, Hur, Han, Park)
• Belguim (Dumont, Verdonck, Vanhauwaert, Ravelingien)