2017 FINA World Championships

DAY FOUR FINALS: USA Caps Night By Torching Mixed Medley World Record

DAY FOUR FINALS: USA Caps Night By Torching Mixed Medley World Record

Live updates and live results of day four finals at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Jul 26, 2017 by Maclin Simpson
DAY FOUR FINALS: USA Caps Night By Torching Mixed Medley World Record

2017 FINA World Championships

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

Day four finals at the 2017 FINA World Championships saw nine races contested -- five finals and four semifinals -- in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday night. From the USA's world record in the 4x100m mixed medley relay to ​Katie Ledecky's​ broken unbeaten streak to ​Chad le Clos'​ return to 200m butterfly glory, this finals session had it all.

Women 200m Freestyle -- FINAL
World Record: 1:52.98 -- Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 2009
Championship Record: 1:52.98 -- Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 2009
World Junior Record: 1:55.16 -- Katie Ledecky(USA), 2014
American Record: 1:53.61 -- Allison Schmitt (USA), 2012

1.) Federica Pellegrini (ITA) -- 1:54.73
2.) Katie Ledecky (USA) -- 1:55.18
2.) Emma McKeon (AUS) -- 1:55.18
4.) Veronika Popova (RUS) -- 1:55.26
5.) Siobhan Haughey (HKG) -- 1:55.96
6.) Leah Smith (USA) -- 1:56.06
7.) Katinka Hosszu (HUN) -- 1:56.35
8.) Charlotte Bonnet (FRA) -- 1:56.62

It's hard to call this an upset, as Italy's ​Federica Pellegrini​ is the current world-record holder -- set back in 2009 at the World Championships in Rome -- but for all intents and purposes, this was a stunner. ​Katie Ledecky ​is the defending world and Olympic champion. Australia's ​Emma McKeon ​has been on fire all week. ​Katinka Hosszu​ was lurking in lane two. But in the end, Pellegrini closed faster than anyone in the field with an incredible 28.82 over the final 50 meters -- faster than Ledecky's 29.75 -- to take the win in 1:54.73. Ledecky and McKeon tied for silver in 1:55.18, and Russia's ​Veronika Popova​ got her hand on the wall for bronze in 1:55.26. This race marked Ledecky's first career "loss" -- if you can call it that -- in major international competition.

Men 100m Freestyle -- Semifinals
World Record: 46.91 -- Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
Championship Record: 46.91 -- Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
World Junior Record: 47.58 -- Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 2016
American Record: 47.26 -- Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2017

1.) Mehdy Metella (FRA) -- 47.65 ​(Q)
2.) Caeleb Dressel (USA) -- 47.66 ​(Q)
3.) Nathan Adrian (USA) -- 47.85 ​(Q)
4.) Cameron McEvoy (AUS) -- 47.95 ​(Q)
5.) Jack Cartwright (AUS) -- 47.97 ​(Q)
6.) Duncan Scott (GBR) -- 48.10 ​(Q)
7.) Sergii Shevtsov (UKR) -- 48.30 ​(Q)
8.) Marcelo Chierighini (BRA) -- 48.31 ​(Q)

In another unexpected twist, France's ​Mehdy Metella ​claimed the top seed out of semifinals in the men's 100m freestyle with a 47.65. Metella earned lane four for Thursday night's final, but watch out for the three guys behind him in ​Caeleb Dressel ​(47.66), ​Nathan Adrian​ (47.85), and ​Cameron McEvoy ​(47.97). Dressel dropped a 47.26 om Sunday night while leading off the 4x100m freestyle relay to break the American record. Adrian is the 2012 Olympic champ and always consistent in major finals, and McEvoy has a lifetime best of 47.04. This is going to be a wild final on Thursday, and we could potentially see someone threaten the 47-second barrier and challenge one of the oldest world records on the books.

Women 50m Backstroke -- Semifinals
World Record: 27.06 -- Jing Zhao (CHN), 2009
Championship Record: 27.06 -- Jing Zhao (CHN), 2009
World Junior Record: 27.49 -- Minna Atherton (AUS), 2016
American Record: 27.51 -- Natalie Coughlin (USA), 2015

1.) Etiene Medeiros (BRA) -- 27.18 ​(Q) 
2.) Fu Yuanhui (CHN) -- 27.19 ​(Q)
3.) Kathleen Baker (USA) -- 27.48 ​(American Record) (Q)
4.) Georgia Davies (GBR) -- 27.49 ​(Q)
5.) Emily Seebohm (AUS) -- 27.51 ​(Q)
5.) Holly Barratt (AUS) -- 27.51 ​(Q)
7.) Aliaksandra Herasimenia (BLR) -- 27.54 ​(Q)
8.) Xueer Wang (CHN) -- 27.60 ​(Q)

In the backstroke splash and dash, ​Etiene Medeiros ​of Brazil and ​Fu Yuanhui​ of China took the top two seeds in 27.18 and 27.19, respectively. Both of these ladies are ​dangerously​ close to the world record of 27.06 set back in 2009 and will give it a serious go in Thursday night's final. ​Kathleen Baker ​of the United States also had a fantastic race, dropping a swift 27.48 for the third seed. Of note, that swim by Baker broke iconic backstroker ​Natalie Coughlin's​ American record by 0.03 of a second.

Men 200m Butterfly -- FINAL
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.) Chad le Clos (RSA) -- 1:53.33
2.) Laszlo Cseh (HUN) -- 1:53.72
3.) Daiya Seto (JPN) -- 1:54.21
4.) Tamas Kenderesi (HUN) -- 1:54.73
5.) Jack Conger (USA) -- 1:54.88
6.) Masato Sakai (JPN) -- 1:55.04
7.) Viktor Bromer (DEN) -- 1:55.30
8.) Antani Ivanov (BUL) -- 1:55.98

After the "worst performance" of his career in the 200m butterfly final at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, South African and 2012 Olympic champ ​Chad le Clos​ is back in a familiar setting atop the podium. Per the usual, le Clos led this one from start to finish -- turning at a very quick 53.21 at the 100-meter mark and 1:23.30 at the 150-meter mark. Also per the usual, Hungary's ​Laszlo Cseh ​began his hunt on the back stretch. Cseh turned at the 150 in 1:24.05 -- 0.75 behind le Clos -- and switched gears to make his move. In the end, it was too little too late as le Clos' lead was big enough for him to get his hand on the wall first in 1:53.33. Cseh touched for silver in 1:53.72, and Japan's ​Daiya Seto​ snagged bronze in 1:54.21. In a great moment after le Clos' emotional lane-line celebration, the world champ raised Cseh's arm in victory to a roaring Hungarian home crowd. Le Clos and Cseh have had many great butterfly duels over years.

Men 50m Breaststroke -- FINAL
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 (GBR) -- 25.99
2.) Junior Joao Gomes (BRA) -- 26.52
3.) Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) -- 26.60
4.) Felipe Lima (BRA) -- 26.78
5.) Kevin Cordes (USA) -- 26.80
6.) Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) -- 26.91
7.) Kirill Prigoda (RUS) -- 27.01
8.) Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) -- 27.27

What else can be said about ​Adam Peaty​? There was no world record this time, but Peaty swam his second 25.9 in the 50m breaststroke in the last 24 hours. It's unbelievable the amount of dominance he exerts in the sprint breaststroke events. Since coming onto the scene, he has lowered the 50m WR by 0.67 seconds from 26.62 to 25.95 and lowered the 100m WR by 1.33 seconds from 58.46 to 57.13. Records are meant to be broken, but you can rest assured that Peaty's name will be cemented atop the board for quite some time. ​Junior Joao Gomes​ of Brazil dropped a great swim to earn silver in 26.52, and former world-record holder ​Cameron van der Burgh ​of South Africa rounded out the podium for bronze in 26.60.

Women 200m Butterfly -- Semifinals
World Record: 2:01.81 -- Liu Zige (CHN), 2009 
Championship Record: 2:03.41 -- Jessica Schipper (AUS), 2009
World Junior Record: 2:06.29 -- Suzuka Hasegawa (JPN), 2017
American Record: 2:04.14 -- Mary DeScenza (USA), 2009

1.) Franziska Hentke (GER) -- 2:06.29 ​(Q)
2.) Yilin Zhou (CHN) -- 2:06.63 ​(Q)
3.) Mireia Belmonte (ESP) -- 2:06.71 ​(Q)
4.) Suzuka Hasegawa (JPN) -- 2:07.01 ​(Q)
5.) Yufei Zhang (CHN) -- 2:07.11 ​(Q)
6.) Katinka Hosszu (HUN) -- 2:07.37 ​(Q)
7.) Liliana Szilagyi (HUN) -- 2:07.67 ​(Q)
8.) Sehyeon An (KOR) -- 2:07.82 ​(Q)

The women's 200m butterfly continues to get deeper; however, it is one of the only events that has failed to progress at the top-end since the supersuit era of 2009. The top qualifier heading into the final Thursday night is ​Franziska Hentke ​of Germany with a 2:06.29, followed very closely by ​Yilin Zhou​ of China in 2:06.63, and ​Mireia Belmonte​ of Spain in 2:06.71. Lurking just outside of the top three is world junior record holder ​Suzuka Hasegawa ​of Japan, who has a lifetime best of 2:06.29. Also in striking distance, Hungary's ​Katinka Hosszu​ sits sixth with a 2:07.37. While this is not her best event, the Iron Lady has a chance to sneak onto the podium behind the deafening support from the crowd -- along with her Hungarian teammate ​Liliana Szilagyi​,​ who will also be in the final.

Men 200m IM -- Semifinals
World Record: 1:54.00 -- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
Championship Record: 1:54.00 -- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
World Junior Record: 1:57.81 -- Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2017
American Record: 1:54.00 -- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011

1.) Chase Kalisz (USA) -- 1:55.88 ​(Q)
2.) Kosuke Hagino (JPN) -- 1:56.04 ​(Q)
3.) Max Litchfield (GBR) -- 1:56.70 ​(Q)
4.) ​Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) -- 1:56.86 ​(Q)
5.) Daiya Seto (JPN) -- 1:56.92 ​(Q)
6.) Philip Heintz (GER) -- 1:57.27 ​(Q)
7.) Shun Wang (CHN) -- 1:57.39 ​(Q)
8.) Haiyang Qin (CHN) -- 1:57.81 ​(World Junior Record) (Q)

​Chase Kalisz​ is not in unfamiliar territory heading into a major World Championship final, although it is different this time around as this is the first time he is competing in the 200m IM on the international stage. Kalisz took the top seed in semifinals -- thanks again to his breaststroke leg, splitting 32.38 -- with a 1:55.88. Kalisz' breaststroke leg was over a full second faster than anyone else who qualified for Thursday night's final. Japan's ​Kosuke Hagino​ took the second seed in 1:56.04, and Great Britain's ​Max Litchfield ​is the third seed in 1:56.70. Thursday night's final will be a battle of race strategy between Hagino and Kalisz. In the semifinal, Hagino was tied with ​Ryan Lochte's ​world-record pace at the 100-meter mark but then split a 33.96 on the breaststroke -- 1.58 seconds slower than Kalisz. Expect this race to come down to the wire between those two on the freestyle leg​.

Men 800m Freestyle -- FINAL
World Record: 7:32.12 -- Zhang Lin (CHN), 2009
Championship Record: 7:32.12 -- Zhang Lin (CHN), 2009
World Junior Record: 7:45.67 -- Mack Horton (AUS), 2013
American Record: 7:43.60 -- Michael McBroom (USA), 2013

1.) Gabriele Detti (ITA) -- 7:40.77
2.) Wojciech Wojdak (POL) -- 7:41.73
3.) Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) -- 7:42.44
4.) Henrik Christiansen (NOR) -- 7:44.21
5.) Sun Yang (CHN) -- 7:48.87
6.) Felix Auboeck (AUT) -- 7:51.20
7.) Florian Wellbrock (GER) -- 7:52.27
8.) Zane Grothe (USA) -- 7:52.43

At the 400-meter mark, it was anybody's race with ​Gregorio Paltrinieri ​(3:49.32), ​Wojciech Wojdak​ (3:49.98), ​Gabriele Detti ​(3:50.38), and ​Sun Yang ​(3:50.71) all flipping within striking distance of one another. At the 600-meter mark, Sun fell off the pace, and this race looked like it was going to end up a sprint to the finish with Paltrinieri and Wojdak both flipping at 6:45. Detti was sitting back a little bit in 6:47, waiting to make his move -- and make a move he did. With 50 meters to go, the leaders all flipped at 7:13 -- but Detti turned on the jets and dropped a 28.33 coming home, out-splitting Wojdak in 29.08 and Paltrinieri in 29.13. Detti's time of 7:40.77 is a new European record and sets him up well for the 1500m later on in the meet. Wojdak touched for silver in 7:41.73, and Paltrinieri grabbed the bronze in 7:42.44.

Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay -- FINAL
World Record: 3:38.56 -- USA, 2017
Championship Record: 3:38.56 -- USA, 2017
American Record: 3:38.56 -- USA, 2017

1.) USA -- 3:38.56 ​(WORLD RECORD)
2.) Australia -- 3:41.21
3.) Canada -- 3:41.25
3.) China -- 3:41.25
5.) Great Britain -- 3:41.56
6.) Russia -- 3:43.02
7.) Germany -- 3:46.03
8.) Italy -- 3:46.33

The United States clearly put a lot of emphasis in the 4x100m mixed medley relay -- and it paid off. In prelims, the U.S. squad of ​Ryan Murphy​ (52.34), ​Kevin Cordes​ (58.95), ​Kelsi Worrell​ (56.17), and ​Mallory Comerford ​(52.82) shattered the world record with a 3:40.28. In the finals, coaches ​Greg Meehan ​and ​Dave Durden​ decided on a new relay team that lowered the world record even further to 3:38.56. The quartet of ​Matt Grevers​ (52.32), ​Lilly King ​(1:04.15), ​Caeleb Dressel​ (49.92), and ​Simone Manuel ​(52.17) demolished the field by over 3 1/2 seconds. While all four splits were incredibly impressive, the ones with the most implication at this point in the meet are Dressel's 49.9 and Manuel's 52.1 -- both of those times set them up well for their individual 100s to come.​

Other impressive splits in the field -- ​Kylie Masse ​(Canada), 58.22 100m backstroke; ​Adam Peaty ​(Great Britain), 57.12 100m breaststroke; ​Penny Oleksiak ​(Canada), 56.18 100m butterfly; ​Bronte Campbell ​(Australia), 52.30 100m freestyle.​

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