2017 FINA World Championships

DAY THREE FINALS: Lilly King Leads World Record Onslaught In Budapest

DAY THREE FINALS: Lilly King Leads World Record Onslaught In Budapest

Live results and live updates of day three finals at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. This features Sun Yang, Katie Ledecky, Adam Peaty, Kylie Masse, Yulia Efimova, Lilly King, Laszlo Cseh, Ryan Murphy, Xu Jiayu, and Matt Grevers.

Jul 25, 2017 by Maclin Simpson
DAY THREE FINALS: Lilly King Leads World Record Onslaught In Budapest

2017 FINA World Championships

July 23-30, 2017
Budapest, Hungary
Dagály Aquatics Arena
SCHEDULE
PSYCH SHEET
LIVE RESULTS

Day three finals at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest on Tuesday night saw three world records go down at the hands of Great Britain's ​Adam Peaty ​in the 50m breaststroke (25.95), Canada's ​Kylie Masse​ in the 100m backstroke (58.10), and the USA's ​Lilly King​ in the 100m breaststroke (1:04.13). We also saw the brilliance of ​Katie Ledecky, ​a second gold medal from ​Sun Yang​, the strength of the Hungarian crowd, and much more.

Men 200m Freestyle -- FINAL
World Record: 1:42.00 -- Paul Biedermann (Germany), 2009
Championship Record: 1:42.00 -- Paul Biedermann (Germany), 2009
World Junior Record: 1:47.00 -- Alexei Sancov (Moldova), 2017
American Record: 1:42.96 -- Michael Phelps (USA), 2008

1.) Sun Yang (China) -- 1:44.39
2.) Townley Haas (USA) -- 1:45.04
3.) Aleksandr Krasnykh (Russia) -- 1:45.23
4.) Duncan Scott (Great Britain) -- 1:45.27
5.) James Guy (Great Britain) -- 1:45.36
6.) Dominik Kozma (Hungary) -- 1:45.54
7.) Mikhail Dovgalyuk (Russia) -- 1:46.02
8.) Park Taehwan (South Korea) -- 1:47.11

WHAT A RACE. At the 150m mark, the top seven guys all flipped between 1:17.4 and 1:18.2. ​Sun Yang ​of China blasted home the final 50 meters in 26.94 -- the fastest in the field -- and claimed his second gold medal of these World Championships with a 1:44.39, defending his 200m freestyle international crown from the 2016 Olympics in Rio. ​Townley Haas​ of the United States swam a controlled race and earned his first-ever international medal in an individual race for silver in 1:45.04. Russia's ​Aleksandr Krasnykh ​also blasted the final 50 meters in 26.97 -- second fastest in the field behind Sun -- to earn a bronze medal in 1:45.32, just ahead of Brits ​Duncan Scott ​(1:45.27) and ​James Guy​ (1:45.36).

Women 1500m Freestyle -- FINAL
World Record: 15:25.48 -- Katie Ledecky (USA), 2015
Championship Record: 15:25.48 -- Katie Ledecky (USA), 2015
World Junior Record: 15:28.36 -- Katie Ledecky (USA), 2014
American Record: 15:25.48 -- Katie Ledecky (USA), 2015

1.) Katie Ledecky (USA) -- 15:31.82
2.) Mireia Belmonte (Spain) -- 15:50.89
3.) Simona Quadarella (Italy) -- 15:53.86
4.) Boglarka Kopas (Hungary) -- 16:06.27
5.) Yawen Hou (China) -- 16:08.10 
6.) Kristel Kobrich (Chile) -- 16:13.46
7.) Julia Hassler (Liechtenstein) -- 16:14.86
8.) Ajna Kesely (Hungary) -- 16:22.87

​Katie Ledecky ​now holds the seven fastest performances of all time in the women's 1500m freestyle -- an event she has revolutionized and dominated over the last four years since the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona. While she was off her world-record pace, don't let that detract from just how great she truly is in the 1500m freestyle. If Ledecky had another 300 meters or so she would have LAPPED the eighth-place swimmer... in a long course pool... in a World Championship final. Her time of 15:31.82 is the fourth-fastest performance of all time -- which also happens to be her fourth-fastest performance of all time. ​Mireia Belmonte ​of Spain ​touched for silver in 15:50.89, and ​Simona Quadarella ​of Italy rounded out the podium for bronze in 15:53.86.

Men 50m Breaststroke -- Semifinals
World Record: 25.95 -- Adam Peaty (GBR), 2017
Championship Record: 25.95 -- Adam Peaty (GBR), 2017
World Junior Record: 26.97 -- Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 2017
American Record: 26.76 -- Kevin Cordes (USA), 2015

1.) Adam Peaty (Great Britain) -- 25.95 ​(WORLD RECORD) (Q)
2.) Felipe Lima (Brazil) -- 26.68 ​(Q)
3.) Cameron van der Burgh (South Africa) -- 26.74 ​(Q)
4.) Kirill Prigoda (Russia) -- 26.85 ​(Q)
5.) Kevin Cordes (USA) -- 26.86 ​(Q)
5.) Junior Joao Gomes (Brazil) -- 26.86 ​(Q)
7.) Ilya Shymanovich (Belarus) -- 26.90 ​(Q)
8.) Fabio Scozzoli (Italy) -- 26.96 ​(Q)

Are you kidding me, ​Adam Peaty​? Twenty-five seconds in a 50m breaststroke? Breaking the world record twice in one day? Peaty was over half of a body length behind at the 15-meter mark, and he somehow found this magical gear and went into hyperdrive -- crushing the field with his quick tempo and becoming the first man ever under 26 seconds. He has lowered his own world record by almost HALF OF A SECOND in the span of nine hours. Unbelievable. After Peaty, ​Felipe Lima ​of Brazil is the second seed going into finals Wednesday night with a 26.68. ​Cameron van der Burgh ​of South Africa jammed the finish pretty badly -- finishing on a short stroke and adding a couple of tenths to his morning swim. He is the third seed in 26.74. ​Kevin Cordes​ qualified fifth in 26.86.

Women 100m Backstroke -- FINAL
World Record: 58.10 -- Kylie Masse (Canada), 2017
Championship Record: 58.10 -- Kylie Masse (Canada), 2017
World Junior Record: 59.34 -- Minna Atherton (Australia), 2016
American Record: 58.33 -- Missy Franklin (USA), 2012

1.) Kylie Masse (Canada) -- 58.10 ​(WORLD RECORD) 
2.) Kathleen Baker (USA) -- 58.58
3.) Emily Seebohm (Australia) -- 58.59
4.) Olivia Smoliga (USA) -- 58.77
5.) Anastasiia Fesikova (Russia) -- 58.83 
6.) Daria Ustinova (Russia) -- 59.50
7.) Simona Baumrtova (Czech Republic) -- 59.71
8.) Kathleen Dawson (Great Britain) -- 59.90

Wow. The top four finishers all flipped under the world-record pace at the 50m mark, but in the end it was Canada's ​Kylie Masse​ who torched the back half in a blazing-fast 29.59 to take down the eight-year-old super-suit world record that she has been flirting with all year. Her time of 58.10 knocks 0.02 of a second off ​Gemma Spofforth's ​time of 58.12 from 2009. ​Kathleen Baker ​of the United States rocketed out to the lead at the 50 in 28.29 but could not hold off the hard-charging Masse and claimed silver for the second consecutive year in 58.58. Australia's ​Emily Seebohm​ snagged bronze in 58.59, and the USA's ​Olivia Smoliga ​dropped a 58.77 for fourth -- a lifetime best for her.

Men 100m Backstroke -- FINAL
World Record: 51.85 -- Ryan Murphy (USA), 2016
Championship Record: 52.19 -- Aaron Peirsol (USA), 2009
World Junior Record: 53.65 -- Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2016
American Record: 51.85 -- Ryan Murphy (USA), 2016

1.) Xu Jiayu (China) -- 52.44
2.) Matt Grevers (USA) -- 52.48
3.) Ryan Murphy (USA) -- 52.59
4.) Ryosuke Irie (Japan) -- 53.03
5.) Grigory Tarasevich (Russia) -- 53.12
6.) Mitchell Larkin (Australia) -- 53.24
7.) Guilherme Guido (Brazil) -- 53.66
8.) Corey Main (New Zealand) -- 53.87

At the 50-meter mark, China's ​Xu Jiayu​ held the lead over American duo ​Matt Grevers ​and ​Ryan Murphy​ at 25.12 to 25.39 and 25.46, respectively. Both Grevers and Murphy charged hard, out-splitting Xu on the back half, and within the flags it looked like Grevers' length was going to be enough to earn him a gold medal. However, it was Xu who claimed the gold in 52.44. Grevers secured the silver in 52.48, and the defending Olympic champ and world-record holder Murphy settled for bronze in 52.59. While all three men were well off their best, this was still an extremely thrilling race.

Women 200m Freestyle -- Semifinals
World Record: 1:52.98 -- Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 2009
Championship Record: 1:52.98 -- Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 2009
World Junior Record: 1:56.12 -- Duo Shen (China), 2014
American Record: 1:53.61 -- Allison Schmitt (USA), 2012

1.) Katie Ledecky (USA) -- 1:54.69 ​(Q)
2.) Emma McKeon (Australia) -- 1:54.99 ​(Q)
3.) Veronika Popova (Russia) -- 1:55.08 ​(Q)
4.) Federica Pellegrini (Italy) -- 1:55.58 ​(Q)
5.) Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) -- 1:55.98 ​(Q)
6.) Siobhan Haughey (Honk Kong) -- 1:56.21 ​(Q)
7.) Charlotte Bonnett (France) -- 1:56.28 ​(Q)
8.) Leah Smith (USA) -- 1:56.34 ​(Q)

What else can be said about ​Katie Ledecky​? It wasn't enough to simply ​make​ the championship final after winning the 1500m freestyle earlier in the session. Ledecky had to take the top seed in 1:54.69 and claim lane four for the final Wednesday night -- a lane she clearly loves so dearly. Australia's ​Emma McKeon ​continued her strong meet, one of the few Australians swimming well as a matter of fact, to take the second seed in 1:54.99. ​Veronika Popova ​of Russia is the third seed in 1:55.08. Ledecky's United States teammate ​Leah Smith​ -- who decided to scratch the 1500 -- snuck in the championship final eighth with a 1:56.34.

Men 200m Butterfly -- Semifinals
World Record: 1:51.51 -- Michael Phelps (USA), 2009
Championship Record: 1:51.51 -- Michael Phelps (USA), 2009
World Junior Record: 1:53.79 -- Kristoff Milak (HUN), 2017 
American Record: 1:51.51 -- Michael Phelps (USA), 2009

​1.) Daiya Seto (Japan) -- 1:54.03 ​(Q)
2.) Laszlo Cseh (Hungary) -- 1:54.22 ​(Q)
3.) Tamas Kenderesi (Hungary) -- 1:54.98 ​(Q)
4.) Chad le Clos (South Africa) -- 1:55.09 ​(Q)
5.) Jack Conger (USA) -- 1:55.30 ​(Q)
6.) Viktor Bromer (Denmark) -- 1:55.39 (​Q)
7.) Masato Sakai (Japan) -- 1:55.57 ​(Q)
8.) Antani Ivanov (Bulgaria) -- 1:55.58 ​(Q)

Semifinal No. 2 of the men's 200m butterfly was ​almost​ more excitement than the Hungarian crowd could handle. With ​Olympic medalists ​Laszlo Cseh​ and ​Tamas Kenderesi​ in the same heat, the stands were erupting for the duration of the introductions, the race itself, and even the post-race. But, as he typically does, South Africa's ​Chad le Clos​ tried to play spoiler by showing off his trademark front-end speed. Le Clos led Cseh and Kenderesi at the 150 meter mark 1:23.31 to 1.24.44 and 1:24.88, respectively. Then came the Hungarians. Cseh and Kenderesi dropped the hammer over the final 50 meters to split 29.78 and 30.10, respectively, while le Clos fell off the horse in 31.78. The Hungarian duo touched 1-2 with times of 1:54.22 and 1:54.98, respectively.​

But, wait... Japan's ​Daiya Seto​ spoiled everybody's party by demolishing the first semifinal in 1:54.03. He is the No. 1 seed heading into Wednesday night's final. ​Jack Conger ​of the United States is the fifth seed in 1:55.30, and ​Pace Clark ​just missed the final in ninth.

Women 100m Breaststroke -- FINAL
World Record: 1:04.13 -- Lilly King (USA), 2017
Championship Record: 1:04.13 -- Lilly King (USA), 2017
World Junior Record: 1:05.39 -- Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2014
American Record: 1:04.45 -- Jessica Hardy (USA), 2009

1.) ​Lilly King (USA) -- 1:04.13 ​(WORLD RECORD)
2.) Katie Meili (USA) -- 1:05.03
3.) Yulia Efimova (Russia) -- 1:05.05
4.) Ruta Meilutyte (Lithuania) -- 1:05.65
5.) Jinglin Shi (China) -- 1:06.43
6.) Kierra Smith (Canada) -- 1:06.90
7.) Jessica Vall (Spain) -- 1:06.95
8.) Sarah Vasey (Great Britain) -- 1:07.19

All right, all right. Everybody take a deep breath. Where to begin? First of all, ​Lilly King ​was ​definitely ​staring into the depths of ​Yulia Efimova's​ soul behind the blocks prior to the race -- with a grin on her face, no less. Once the race began, King shot out like a cannon and touched at the 50-meter mark in 29.80 -- 0.17 ahead of ​Ruta Meilutyte's world-record pace (with Meilutyte in the field). Efimova turned second in 30.34, and ​Katie Meili​ of the United States turned third in 30.47. To this point, the race was playing out as everyone expected -- King shoots out first; Efimova reels her in with her closing speed; and the race is determined by who has the best finish.

Well, that didn't quite happen. As a matter of fact, King had the fastest back half of the field in 34.33. The surprise is that Meili out-split Efimova on the second 50, 34.56 to 34.71, to earn the silver medal in 1:05.03. Efimova settled for bronze in 1:05.05. Prior to the race, everyone had this all about King versus Efimova -- which is probably just the way Meili wanted it. What a race.

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