The World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) comes to the Hungarian capital for the first time, and the day started with a thundershock. The Duna Arena, alive with the Hungarian crowd, witnessed a historic moment as American Gretchen Walsh etched her name in the record books by breaking the Women's 50m Butterfly World Record. Now, we head into the Day 1 evening session with six medal sets on the line.
Follow the athlete responses, snapshots, and race revelations from the first night of racing in Budapest.
Finishing It Like It Started | Dominant on Day 1, USA Take Title, World Record in the Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay
The USA's quartet of Jack Alexy, Luke Hobson, Kieran Smith and Chris Guiliano win the sixth and final medal event on Day 1 in Duna Arena. Coming into today, this pool counted 36 World Record swims (short and long-course) in its history. We close Day 1 of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) with that number now standing at 43.
1. United States (Alexy, Hobson, Smith, Guiliano) - 3:01.66 - World Record
2. Italy (Miressi, Deplano, Zazzeri, Frigo) - 3:03.65
3. Poland (Sieradzki, Majerski, Masiuk, Stokowski) - 3:04.46
Nobody had a more productive day in the pool than USA's Gretchen Walsh, who set two individual World Records in the Women's 50m Butterfly (Heats and Semis) and as the anchor to the American women's winning (and World Record-setting) 4x100m freestyle relay team.
Want to know more about Gretchen Walsh? Here's our profile we posted before her smattering of World Records on Day 1: Gretchen Walsh living confidently in the spotlight
USA's Authoritative World Record-Setting Swim in the Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay
1. United States (Douglass, Berkoff, Shackell, Walsh) - 3:25.01 - World Record
2. Australia (Harris, Jansen, Perkins, Pallister) - 3:28.25
3. Canada (Harvey, McIntosh, Wilm, Oleksiak) - 3:28.44
Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi Takes It | Jaouadi Swims Away from Fastest Field Heat, Swims 14:16.40 to Wellbrock's 14.17.27
1. Ahmed Jaouadi (TUN) - 14:16.40
2. Florian Wellbrock (GER) - 14:17.27
3. Kuzey Tuncelli (TUR) - 14:20.64 - World Junior Record
Can Flo's 1500m Time Hold Up?
Racing outside the Men's 1500m Freestyle, Germany's Florian Wellbrock clocked a 14:17.27 in the morning session. Countrymate Sven Schwarz went 14:22.29.
Top Qualifiers | Men's 100m Backstroke Semifinals
Hungary's Hubert Kos, the reigning Olympic champion in the Men's 200m Backstroke, shows he's a threat to take his first World title in the 25m pool in the 100m distance, too.
1. Hubert Kos (HUN) - 49.03
2. Miron Lifintsev (NAB) - 49.07
3. Kacper Stokowski (POL) - 49.20
Full Event Results: Men's 100m Backstroke Semifinals
Top Qualifiers | Women's 100m Backstroke Semifinals
Swimming out of Semifinal 2, USA's Regan Smith heads into the Women's 100m Backstroke as the top qualifier as well as holding the event's World Record.
1. Regan Smith (USA) - 55.05
2. Katherine Berkoff (USA) - 55.37
3. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) - 55.85
Full Event Results: Women's 100m Backstroke Semifinals
Men's 200m IM Final |USA's Shaine Casas Takes the Title in a Championship Record Swim
The 24-year-old Southern California native adds to his collection of World medals in the 25m pool, winning the men's 200m Individual Medley in 1:49.51, a new Championship Record. In the race for silver, Italy's Alberto Razzetti closely out-touches Finlay Knox of Canada.
It's Casas's 11th trip to the podium at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships and fourth time to the top step (two individual, two relay). His other individual win came in Abu Dhabi 2021 in the Men's 100m Backstroke.
1. Shaine Casas (USA) - 1:49.51
2. Alberto Razzetti (ITA) - 1:50.88
3. Finlay Knox (CAN) - 1:50.90
Seriously, Have You Ever Seen a Night Start Like This?
USA's Kate Douglass Wins, Sets 200m IM World Record
World and Olympic champion Kate Douglass comes on strong to take the Women's 200m Individual Medley gold... and sets the new global standard at 2:01.63 for the event. That's the fourth World Record on Day 1. And we are only three medal events down on the night.
Douglas eclipsed the 2:01.86 time that Hungary's own Katinka Hosszu set at the 2014 edition of the short course Worlds in Doha.
A World Record Three-Peat Already on Opening Night?
Switzerland's Noe Ponti lowers his World Record in the Men's 50m Butterfly to 21.43. That's .07 seconds that the pride of Ticino has trimmed from the best time he swam during this year's breakthrough Swimming World Cup season. For those scoring at home, that's currently four World Records (one from the morning session and three in the evening) so far from the swimmers in Budapest.
The World Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest have a USD 2.025 million prize purse, before bonuses. Athletes have already pocketed an extra USD 100,000. And the Day 1 Finals are just getting started.
Stupefying Start |Gretchen Walsh Lowers Her World Record in the Women's 50m Butterfly
USA's Gretchen Walsh hasn't waited long to make her mark in her first short course World Championships, taking down the longest-standing global record in the 25m pool in the Day 1 morning heats before trimming another 0.12 seconds in the evening session semifinals. Tomorrow night is the race for the women's 50m medals.
Can Walsh make it a perfect three-for-three with World Records in this event at these Championships? She's already the first woman to ever go sub-24 in the event.
Results Link: Women's 50m Butterfly Semifinals
No Doubt | McIntosh Starts It On This
The city scene might be ready for Christmas in the Hungarian capital, but it's still Summer Time seemingly whenever McIntosh swims
A wire-to-wire win by Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh sets the World Record in the Women's 400m Freestyle. The 18-year-old pockets an additional $25,000 for her sterling effort toppling Li Bingjie's (CHN) former all-time global standard.
This is the first time a Canadian woman has won a 400m freestyle World title in the 25m pool.
1. Summer McIntosh (CAN) - 3:50.25 World Record
2. Lani Pallister 3:53.73 (AUS) - Oceania Record
3. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) - 3:54.88
Tuesday Night Special | Medal Events on Offer
Opening night in Duna Arena is a freestyler and medley swimmer delight. Here are the six medal events on offer tonight:
- Women 400m Freestyle
- Women 200m Medley
- Men 200m Medley
- Men 1500m Freestyle
- Women 4x100m Freestyle Relay
- Men 4x100m Freestyle Relay
How It Started In Budapest
Read more about Gretchen's World Record swim here: Hot Time in the Heats: USA’s Gretchen Walsh sets World Record in Women’s 50m Butterfly
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About Last Night...
It's back! Preview prognostications about the 17th edition of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships