2024 SC World Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 Short Course World Championships

• December 10-15, 2024
• Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
• SCM (25m)
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• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1

Isten hozott újra, or if you don’t speak Google Translate Hungarian, Welcome Back!!!!

It’s a session for the sprinters as all but one event is 100 meters or less. We start with the finals of the 100 back, where Regan Smith and Hubert Kos will look to win gold out of lane 4. The USA’s Katharine Berkoff and the Canadian’s Ingrid Wilm and Kylie Masse safely advanced into tonight’s final and will be looking to earn a spot on the podium. Kos, a native of Hungary, will have the crowd behind him as he looks to counter the early speed of Miron Lifintsev and the backhalf of Kacper Stokowski.

Sandwiched in between our finals this evening are the semifinals of the 100 free and 100 breaststroke. Gretchen Walsh is the top seed in the 100 free but will have to be careful to not use too much energy as it’s a quick turnaround to the finals of the 50 fly.

After lighting up the field in the relay yesterday, the USA’s Jack Alexy was rather pedestrian this morning, qualifying for the 100 free semis in just 9th as Jordan Crooks, undercut the day-old championships record.

Angharad Evans and Kirill Prigoda lead the 100 breaststroke but will face stiff challenges from current WR holders Ruta Meilutyte and Ilya Shymanovich, as well as the USA’s Lilly King and China’s Qin Haiyang.

As previously mentioned, Gretchen Walsh will return to the water for the finals of the 50 fly, where she, like Noe Ponti in the men’s 50 fly, will look to break their own WRs again.

The fastest heat of the women’s 800 should be a barn burner, as Lani Pallister and Anastasiia Kirpichnikova will face stiff pressure from the USA’s Paige Madden and Katie Grimes.

The last event of the session, the mixed 4×50 relays, sees top-seeded Canada looking to hold off a Gretchen Walsh-less USA. Relay line-ups can be viewed here.

Day 1 Finals Schedule & Heat Sheet

• Women’s 100 Backstroke – Finals
• Men’s 100 Backstroke – Finals
• Women’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinals
• Men’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinals
• Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinals
• Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinals
• Women’s 50 Butterfly – Finals
• Men’s 50 Butterfly – Finals
• Women’s 800 Freestyle – Final Heat
• Mixed 4×50 Medley Relay – Final

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Finals

• World Record: 54.27 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 55.75 – Bella Sims, USA (2022)
• World Championship Record: 55.03 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2014)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Kaylee McKeown, AUS – 55.49

Podium

1. Regan Smith (USA) – 54.55 ***NEW CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD***
2. Katharine Berkoff (USA) – 54.93
3. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 55.75
4. Iona Anderson (AUS) – 56.08
5. Anastasiya Shkurdai (NAA) – 56.11
6. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 56.21
7. Carmen Weiler Sastre (ESP) – 56.39
8. Louise Hansson (SWE) – 56.52

Out in 26.49, Regan Smith led from start to finish to claim her first Short Course Worlds Gold medal in a time of 54.55. Smith, who set the World Record in Singapore at 54.27, was a little slower tonight, but the time clocks in as the 3rd fastest performance of all time and cracks Katinka Hosszu’s Championship record. With the win and the sweep of the World Cup Series, Smith won a bonus of $10,000 from World Aquatics.

Her teammate Katharine Berkoff, the second fastest from yesterday, maintained that position tonight as the NC State was out in 26.79 ahead of Ingrid WIlm and held off the Canadian to claim the silver in a time of 54.93, which makes her the 5th fastest performer of all time.

Matching her bronze from Melbourne was Wilm. In 2022, she tied with Claire Curzan at 55.74 and posted a nearly identical time of 55.75 to take third tonight.

Men’s 100 Backstroke – Finals

• World Record: 48.33 – Coleman Stewart, USA (2021)
• World Junior Record: 48.90 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2017)
• World Championship Record: 48.50 – Ryan Murphy, USA (2022)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Ryan Murphy, USA – 48.50

Podium

1. Miron Lifintsev (NAB) – 48.76 ***NEW WORLD JUNIOR RECORD***
2. Hubert Kos (HUN) -48.79
3. Kacper Stokowski (POL) – 49.16
4. Pavel Sumusenko (NAB) – 49.20
5. Blake Tierney (CAN) – 49.39
6. Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 49.54
7. Isaac Cooper (AUS) – 49.60
8. Ruard van Renen (RSA) – 49.61

What A Race!!!!

Miron Lifintsev took the race out fast, tying his countrymate Sumusenko with an 11.22 at the first 25 and had the lead alone at the 50 at 23.30, but Hubert Kos, the home crowd favorite, made a huge surge on the 2nd 25, the only swimmer under 12 (11.95) to be within .02. By the 75 it was Kos who had the lead by .10

With just 25 to go, the pair were stroke for stroke coming into the wall, but it was the Neutral Athlete Lifintsev who got his hand on the wall first in a time of 48.76 as his 12.67 last 25 was the fastest in the field, and the process erasing the World Junior Record of 48.90.

Kos, just .03 back, settled for the silver, but if there was a silver lining, the time would appear to be a new Hungarian national record.

Taking the bronze was Poland’s Kacper Stokowski, who was just 6th at the 50, but used a strong backhalf to earn the last spot on the podium in a time of 49.16, also a new national record.

This final was incredibly fast as 49.61 was 8th, and to compare to 2022, 49.60 was 4th. Another tidbit of information is that this is the first time since 2016 that an American has not won the event.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinals

• World Record: 50.25 – Cate Campbell, AUS (2017)
• World Junior Record: 51.45 – Kayla Sanchez, CAN (2018)
• World Championship Record: 50.77 – Emma McKeon, AUS (2022)
• 2022 World Champion: Emma McKeon, AUS – 50.77

Top 8

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 50.49 ***NEW CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD***
2. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 51.56
3. Kate Douglass (USA) – 51.67
4. Daria Klepikova (NAB) – 51.68
5. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 51.83
6. Freya Anderson (GBR) – 52.07
7. Kasia Wasick (POL) – 52.28
8. Milla Jansen (AUS) -52.31

The first semifinal was a tight affair as there was a tight battle between Siobhan Haughey, Kate Douglas, Beryl Gastaldello, and Daria Klepikova.

Only .16 separated the four at the 50 turn as Douglass had the best start, opening in up in 24.72, but it was the Frenchwoman, Gastaldello, who was the slowest of the four at the 50 (24.88), who came home the fastest closing the gap on the others with a 26.68 to take the first semifinal in 51.56, .4 off her national record. The other three were close behind with Douglass taking second in 50.49.

While the first semifinal was a tight affair, the second was more disparate as the USA Gretchen Walsh left the competition behind and exploded with a new Championship and Americas record of 50.49. Out in 24.10, the fastest first 50 by over half a second, Walsh kept up the pace coming home in 26.39.

Freya Anderson was second in the semifinal but well back with a 52.07.

The way the results hook out, only Walsh and Anderson will advance from the 2nd semi, as six of the eight fastest times came from the 1st semi.

The Netherlands Milou van Wijk and Daria Trofimova tied for 9th with 52.34 and may need to resolve the tie for 1st reserve.

Men’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinals

• World Record: 44.84 – Kyle Chalmers, AUS (2021)
• World Junior Record: 45.64 – David Popovici ROU (2022)
• World Championship Record: Kyle Chalmers, AUS (2022)
• 2022 World Champion: Kyle Chalmers, AUS – 45.16

Top 8

1. Jordan Crooks (CAY) – 45.22
2. Jack Alexy (USA) – 45.29
3. Egor Kornev (NAB) – 45.52
4. Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 45.59
5. Alessandro Miressi (ITA) – 45.69
6. Guilherme Santos (BRA) – 45.86
7. Chris Guiliano (USA) – 46.08
8. Tomas Navikonis (LTU) – 46.09

The first semifinal was a tight race between Brazil’s Guilherme Santos and the USA’s Chris Guiliano. The American had the lead at the 50, 21.62 to 21.77, but the Brazilian used a strong last 50 (24.09) to pass the American and take the semi in a time of 45.86 ahead of Guiliano’s 46.08.

Much like the first semifinal on the women’s side, the second semifinal on the men’s field was stacked and advanced six of their eight contestants. Taking the win and posting the top time was Jordan Crooks. The Cayman Island swimmer, who set the championship record this morning at 44.95, was a little off, recording a mark of 45.22.

Crooks trailed his NCAA rival, Jack Alexy, at the 50, 21.58 to 21.40, but closed faster to secure lane 4 tomorrow. Alexy, who initially broke the Championship record leading off the relay last night, had to settle for 2nd with a time of 45.29.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinals

• World Record: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)/Alia Atkinson, JAM (2014, 2016)
• World Junior Record: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)
• World Championship Record: 1:02.36 – Alia Atkinson, JAM (2014)
• 2022 World Champion: Lilly King, USA – 1:02.67

Top 8

1. Tang Quinting (CHN) – 1:02.37
2. Lilly King (USA) – 1:03.23
3. Evgeniia Chikunova (NAB) – 1:03.70
4. Anghard Evans (GBR) – 1:03.71
5. Eneli Jefiomva (EST) – 1:03.80
6. Alina Zushka (NAA) – 1:03.89
7. Rebecca Meder (RSA) – 1:04.04
8. Lotryna Teterevkova (LTU) – 1:04.15

Lilly King, Yulia Efimova, Ruta Meilutyte in the same semi-final? Did somebody transport us back to transport us back to 2016?

King, the defending champion, looked smooth in the first semifinal, winning it in 1:03.23. Out in 29.56, King’s semifinal time tonight is .1 ahead of her time from Melbourne, so she should be on good form to make a run at the medals tomorrow night. Neutral Athlete A, Alina Zmushka took second in the semi, with a result of 1:03.89, which appears to undercut her own national record set in 2022.

Efimova and Meilutyte struggled in the semi. While Efimova dropped close to half a second, it wasn’t fast enough, as she finished 6th in the heat with a time of 1:04.38. Meilutytye added close to half a second and finished 7th in the semi with a result of 1:04.75.

The 2nd semi saw Tang Qianting explode off the blocks. The Chinese star was out in 13.16, the only one under 13.5, and kept up the blistering pace, touching at the half-way mark in 29.04. Chasing the WR mark, Tang appeared to have it until the very end when she came up short by the smallest of margins, hitting the wall in 1:02.37.

American Emma Weber, the second US entrant, finished 16th in a time of 1:05.36.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinals

• World Record: 55.28 – Ilya Shymanovich, BLR (2021)
• World Junior Record: 56.66 – Simone Cerasuolo, ITA (2021)
• World Championship Record: 55.70 – Ilya Shymanovich, BLR (2021)
• 2022 World Champion: Nic Fink, USA – 55.88

Top 8

1. Kirill Prigoda (NAB) – 56.02
2. Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 56.04
3. Ilya Shymanovich (NAA) – 56.21
4. Taku Taniguchi (JPN) – 56.40
5. Aleksandr Zhigalov (NAB) – 56.50
6. Denis Petrashov (KGZ) – 56.52
7. Caspar Corbeau (NED)/Ludovico Viberti (ITA) – 56.60

Qin Haiyang put together a strong swim in the first semifinal splitting 25.94, the fastest opening split amongst all 16 semifinalist and just one of two under 26.00. Closing in 30.10, Qin will be the second seed in tomorrow’s final as Kirill Prigoda won the second semifinal in 56.02, just .02 faster.

Prigoda was out in 25.96 and came home in 30.06 to touch in 56.02. While the pair had nearly identical 50 splits, the swam the last 15 very differently. Qin surged in the last 25, closing in 15.14, whereas Prigoda closed in 15.42. It could have been strategy on Prigoda’s part, but he will have to be wary as Ilya Shymanovich, the WR holder, and Taku Taniguchi, like Qin, surged home in quick spits of 15.18 and 15.00.

Women’s 50 Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 23.94 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 24.55 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
• World Championship Record: 23.94 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Torri Huske, USA & Maggie MacNeil, CAN – 24.64

Podium

1. Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 24.01
2. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 24.43
3. Alexandria Perkins (AUS) – 24.68
4. Arina Surkova (NAB) -24.84
5. Tessa Giele (NED) – 24.87
6. Melanie Henique (FRA) – 24.89
7. Maaike de Waard (NED) – 24.98
8. Lily Price (AUS) – 25.06

Perhaps the 100 free took a little more out of her, but Gretchen Walsh fell just short of re-breaking her own WR in the women’s 50 fly. Walsh who set the Americas record in the 100 free less than an hour ago, claimed her first individual World title.Out in 10.99, Walsh closed in 13.02 to finish with a time of 24.01.

5th at the 25, France’s Beryl Gastaldello surged home with the 2nd fastest last 25 of 13.13 to take the silver in 24.43. The time stands as a new French record and makes the former Texas A&M Aggie the 3rd fastest performer of all time.

Claiming the Bronze also in a new national record was Australia’s Alexandria Perkins. Her result of 24.68 undercuts the super suited time of 24.69 set by Marieke Guehrer in 2009.

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 21.43 – Noe Ponti, SUI (2024)
• World Junior Record: 22.28 – Ilya Kharun, CAN (2022)
• World Championship Record: 21.43 – Noe Ponti, SUI (2024)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Nicholas Santos, BRA – 21.78

Podium

1. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 21.32 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 21.67
3. Nyls Korstanje (NED) -21.68
4. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) – 22.00
5. Michele Busa (ITA) – 22.01
6. Grigori Pekarski (NAA) – 22.06
7. Teong Tzen Wei (SGP) – 22.11
8. Marius Kusch (GER) – 22.17

It took a while, as opposed to yesterday, but we saw out first World Record of the day, making it the second straight day of WRs at this meet.

After having broken the World Record yesterday, Noe Ponti chopped another .11 off the mark to set the standard at 21.32. Out in 9.74, Ponti didn’t actually have the lead through the halfway mark as Dutchman Nyls Korstanje touched the wall first in 9.73, but he couldn’t hold off the charge of either Ponti or Ilya Kharun.

Ponti closed in 11.58, which was the second fastest only to Kharun, who came home in 11.56 to secure the silver medal. Kharun, in the press, has targetted Ponti and the World Record as one of his goals but he ultimately fell short. However, in addition to his silver medal, Kharun broke the Americas record, which was the former WR of 21.75 held by Nicholas Santos.

Korstanje, who was second to Ponti at all of the World Cup Series stops, was just inched out by Kharun and had to settle for the bronze at a time of .01.

Women’s 800 Freestyle – Final Heat

• World Record: 7:57.42 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2022)
• World Junior Record: 7:59.44 – Li Bingjie, CHN (2018)
• World Championship Record: 8:02.90 – Li Bingjie, CHN (2021)
• 2022 World Champion: Lani Pallister, AUS  – 8:04.07

Podium

1. Lani Pallister (AUS) – 8:01.95 ***NEW CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD***
2. Isabel Gose (GER) – 8:05.42
3. Katie Grimes (USA) – 8:05.90
4. Paige Madden (USA) – 8:07.22
5. Simona Quadarella (ITA) – 8:09.39
6. Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (FRA) – 8:15.16
7. Ajna Kesely (HUN) – 8:18.04
8. Gan Ching Hwee (SGP) – 8:18.85

With Ajna Kesely‘s 8:18.04 the target to beat from the preliminary heats, Australia’s Lani Pallister left nothing in the pool and attacked the race from the get go. Out in 1:57.48, the Aussie had a lead of close to two seconds at the 200 and by the 400, it had ballooned out to just under four seconds.

Pallister, the 2022 champion, undercut her time from Melbourne by 2.12 seconds as she defended her title with a result of 8:01.95. The time chops a second off Li Bingjie’s record from 2021 and vaults Pallister up the all timer performers rankings to 6th fastest, swapping places with the Chinese swimmer.

Just .73 off the Oceanian record of Lauren Boyle, Pallister was in tears after the race. After having a disappointing Paris swim, which was affected by COVID, Pallister claimed the gold medal on the back of changing coaches, now being trained by her mother, and with the recent news of her godmother, the Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser, being hospitalized.

The minor medals were claimed by Germany’s Isabel Gose and the USA’s Katie Grimes. The pair, both stronger as the distances get longer, were close to or did negative split their races.

Gose was out in 4:02.70 and came home in 4:02.72 to record a time of 8:05.42, a mark that erases Sarah Kohler’s former national record of 8:08.02 and ensconced Gose in the top 15 of performers. Grimes did, in fact, negative split, flipping at the halfway mark in 4:03.39 and closing in 4:02.51. With a bronze medal winning time of 8:05.90, Grimes also jumps into the top 15 of all-time performers and becomes the second fastest American (and also the second fastest Katie).

Mixed 4×50 Medley Relay – Final

• World Record: 1:35.15 – United States (2022)
• World Championship Record: 1:35.15 – United States (2022)
• 2022 World Champion: United States – 1:35.15

Podium

1. Neutral Athlete B (M. Lifintsev, K. Prigoda, A. Surkova, D. Trofimova) – 1:35.36
2. Canada (K. Masse, F. Knox, I. Kharun, I. Wilm) – 1:35.94
3. USA (S. Casas, M. Andrew, R. Smith, K. Berkoff) – 1:36.20
4. Australia – 1:36.78
5. Italy – 1:36.80
6. Sweden – 1:37.05
7. Japan – 1:37.29
8. Netherlands – 1:37.41

With the winner of the 100 back and the fastest 100 breaststroke semifinalist on their squad the men of the Neutral Athlete B team got their relay out to an uncatchable lead. Miron Lifintsev kept up his pace from the 100 and was the only lead-off leg to split under 11.1 as he took out the first 25 in 10.99. He was also the first to wall as his 22.39 gave his team a lead of .29 over the Australians and .46 over the Americans and the Italians.

All four squads went MMFF and were well ahead by the 100. The Neutral Athletes B team still led as Kirill Prigoda split 24.94, the only breaststroke split under 25.2, opening up their margin on the United States, whose Michael Andrew brought his team into 2nd place with a 25.29 split, to close to a second.

With just Arina Surkova and Daria Trofimova to swim, the NAB team had to hope that the pair could hold off the end legs of the USA and Australia, but it was the Canadians who would give them the most trouble.

Team Canada opted to go FMMF. Kylie Masse and Finlay Knox opened, and the Canadians were in 6th, but silver medalist in the 50 fly, Kharun dropped a hammer of a split, going 20.73 with a reaction time of .10 to bring his team up into second and to hand things off to Ingrid Wilm. Wilm, who, like Kharun, won an individual medal this session, anchored in 23.81 to hold off both Katharine Berkoff (23.16) and Meg Harris (23.62) and secure silver for her team, with the USA settling for the bronze.

The relay, which is not contested, often saw a bevy of new records as the NAB team took down the European record, the Australians dropped the Oceanian record down, and Japan undercut the Asian record.