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Reigning World Champion Li Bingjie Scratches Women’s 800 Free At Short Course Worlds

2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

After sitting out of the women’s 400 free on the opening day of the 2022 Short Course World Championships in Melbourne, China’s Li Bingjie has scratched the timed final of the 800 free on Day 2.

Li, who was coming into the meet as the defending champion in both events, dropped the 400 free from her program on Tuesday after reportedly coming down with an illness upon arrival in Melbourne.

The 20-year-old Chinese star is now out of the 800 free, meaning she’ll relinquish both of the world titles she came in as the heavy favorite to defend given the form she showed coming in. That included shattering the world record in the 400 free (3:51.30) in October, and she was also the top seed in the 800 free, having broken the Championship Record last year in Abu Dhabi in a time of 8:02.90.

The women’s 800 freestyle is being contested as a timed final at SC Worlds this year, with the fastest-seeded heat scheduled for Wednesday night’s finals session with two early heats in the prelims.

That is a change from last year, likely due to the addition of the women’s 1500 free (and men’s 800 free) to the program.

In Li’s absence, Australian Lani Pallister, who won gold in the 400 free on Tuesday, is now the top seed in the 800 free, while American Jillian Cox has been bumped up into the finals heat after coming in seeded 10th.

In addition to Li, Italian Simona Quadarella, the 2021 bronze medalist, dropped out of the meet earlier this week as the #3 seed.

Li is not the only member of the Chinese team to have scratched out of certain events:

For Wednesday morning’s prelim session, there have been no other scratches from swimmers seeded in the top 24.

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Eli
1 year ago

With Quadarella and Bingjie out, this definitely leaves room for the Americans (Cox and Smith) to possibly grab silver/bronze behind Pallister??

Geronimo
1 year ago

Political game? Or honest sickness?

Kvasha
Reply to  Geronimo
1 year ago

I bet the former. Chess in the pool.

Mark Schuvert
Reply to  Kvasha
1 year ago

You guys are STUPID! She contracted COVID!

Wahooswimfan
Reply to  Geronimo
1 year ago

Probably honest ilness – remember China has been under lockdown more than other nations, and seems to be just relaxing – and in the US we are seeing outbreaks of RSV and flu because people were isolated for such an extended period that these other diseases didn’t have the chance to slowly work thru the poplace and build herd immunity – coming out of lockdown, the Chinese are probably experiencing a similar sudden exposure to diseases that they lack immunity to thus a lot of people getting sick at the same time.

Katie
Reply to  Wahooswimfan
1 year ago

That’s not why respiratory viruses are out of control this year. It’s much more likely immune damage in kids who have had Covid.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
1 year ago

So much for breaking the world record in the women’s 800 meter freestyle (SCM).

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
1 year ago

I thought she was going for the mens lcm wr

Bud
Reply to  Emily Se-Bom Lee
1 year ago

We have to keep trolling him until he stops

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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