Swimming-McIntosh motors to 400m freestyle crown at world championships
McIntosh's anticipated battle with Ledecky fell flat as the Canadian led from start to finish and claimed the win in 3:56.26 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Chinese silver medallist Li Bingjie.
Ledecky was 2.23 seconds behind 18-year-old McIntosh, who exited the pool quickly to prepare for the 200 individual medley semi-finals.
Triple Olympic champion McIntosh has a chance to join Michael Phelps as the only swimmer to win five individual titles at a single world championships.
In the men's 400 final, Lukas Maertens won an absolute humdinger of a race, nosing ahead of Sam Short in the final lap and holding off the Australian by 0.02 seconds to claim his first world title in a time of 3:42.35.
Short won the event two years ago by the same margin from Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui, with Maertens claiming bronze.
"I thought I'd have gone a bit faster, to be honest," said Short, who swam 3:42.07 in the heats, and dedicated the silver to his aunt who recently died of cancer.
"I won two years ago by 0.02 (seconds) then I just lost by 0.02."
American Gretchen Walsh, the silver medallist at the Paris Olympics, topped qualifying with Belgian Roos Vanotterdijk for the women's 100 butterfly final, both recording a time of 56.07.
China's former world champion Zhang Yufei was also safely through.
France's Maxime Grousset was fastest into the men's 50 butterfly (22.61) final ahead of Swiss Noe Ponti and Briton Benjamin Proud.
Olympic champions Australia and the United States will battle for the women's 4x100 freestyle relay gold in the evening session, while a new-look U.S. team topped qualifying for the men's 100 relay final.
Australia and China are also expected to battle for the gold in the men's relay on Sunday.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Markus Nutivaara attempts a return with Karpat after years of setbacks due to injury
Markus Nutivaara (via Getty Images) Veteran ex-Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Markus Nutivaara is returning at the professional level after a tumultuous injury-compelled retirement. The 31-year-old signed a one-year contract with his hometown Liiga powerhouse, Kärpät. It's the first official on-ice activity since he played one game for the Florida Panthers in October 2021, a contest that capped his long battle with nagging hip injuries. Markus Nutivaara signs with hometown Kärpät after hip surgeries Markus Nutivaara, a reliable blue liner for the Columbus Blue Jackets, will be lacing up his skates once again in Oulu, Finland, with Kärpät. The Finnish defenseman has not appeared in professional hockey since Oct. 29, 2021, when he played roughly seven minutes for the Florida Panthers. Although he had one assist in that single game, the play occurred during a tough time for him to bounce back from his initial hip surgery, a process that ultimately led to his retirement from the sport. In a nutshell, after being an unrestricted free agent for two years, in 2022, Markus Nutivaara signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks in hopes of getting his seat back in the NHL. As it turned out, nagging hip issues kept him off the ice in any capacity with the Sharks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo He officially retired after that, and he is now signed up nowhere but also out of commission for over two years. What about Markus Nutivaara's hip surgery? Kärpät stated that Markus Nutivaara just underwent another serious surgery—this time to insert an artificial hip joint in November 2024. Having experienced pain-free rehabilitation, he has decided to give it a shot at returning to the sport that made him a sensation in both Finland and the NHL. Nutivaara entered the national radar during his first year in 2014–15 as a member of Kärpät, winning the Liiga championship. That team featured future NHLers Joonas Donskoi and teenage Sebastian Aho. Nutivaara accounted for six points in 16 playoff games that championship season. Also read: From Panthers to Prague: NHL forward Peter Mueller retires after 16-year rollercoaster across hockey's biggest stages Markus Nutivaara's return to Kärpät is more than a homecoming—it's a personal triumph after years of physical and mental hurdles. Whether he can return to competitive form remains to be seen, but his recovery from a series of major surgeries is already a win. As the Liiga season approaches, all eyes will be on Nutivaara's progress, making his comeback one of the most heartening storylines in European hockey this year. FAQs When was Markus Nutivaara born? 6 June 1994 Where is Markus Nutivaara from? Finland With which team did Markus Nutivaaramake his debut? Oulun Kärpät Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Chandrakant Pandit quits as KKR coach before IPL 2026; Knights issue statement: 'Decided to explore new opportunities'
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, will have a new head coach in the 2026 edition of the tournament as Chandrakant Pandit has decided to move on from the franchise and explore 'new opportunities.' KKR had a poor IPL 2025 campaign as the Ajinkya Rahane-led team finished at the eighth spot in the points table with just 5 wins from 14 matches. Chandrakant Pandit quits as KKR coach! (REUTERS) Ever since the season ended, there has been speculation about Chandrakant Pandit's future, and finally, the inevitable has been confirmed. Pandit was roped in as the KKR coach in August 2022 ahead of the IPL 2023 edition. KKR won the tournament in 2024 under Chandrakant Pandit's tenure. However, Gautam Gambhir, the franchise's mentor, received the bulk of the credit at that time. 'Chandrakant Pandit has decided to explore new opportunities and will not continue as Head Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders. We are thankful for his invaluable contributions - including leading KKR to the TATA IPL Championship in 2024 and helping build a strong, resilient squad. His leadership and discipline have left a lasting impact on the team,' KKR said in their official statement. Also Read: Gautam Gambhir fights with Oval pitch curator, has heated spat before 5th Test 'We wish him all the very best for the future,' the statement added. In 2022, Chandrakant Pandit took over the role of head coach from Brendon McCullum, who quit after three years. McCullum bid adieu to the franchise after being appointed the head coach of England's Test team. Pandit's maiden tenure with an IPL team This was Chandrakant Pandit's maiden IPL stint. He was also KKR's first Indian head coach as he teamed up with bowling coach Bharat Arun and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. Even in his maiden season as coach of KKR, the franchise had failed to make it to the playoffs. The only success came in 2024 when Gambhir was the mentor and Shreyas Iyer was the captain. In 2025, KKR picked Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping INR 23.75 crore. However, the all-rounder failed to set the stage on fire, disappointing with both bat and ball. Chandrakant Pandit was believed to be exceptional in getting Venkatesh Iyer on board as he knew him from a long time, having coached him earlier at Madhya Pradesh. Iyer was also appointed vice-captain, with Rahane as the skipper. However, the campaign in the IPL 2025 went horribly wrong as KKR failed to string together consistent performances.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Fan crosses line during Kahleah Copper wig incident and faces sudden ejection from arena
(Image Source - Getty Images) In a recent WNBA game featuring the Phoenix Mercury and the Washington Mystics, something unexpected happened that paused the game for a bit and led to a fan getting kicked out of the arena. The whole situation revolved around Phoenix Mercury's star, Kahleah Copper, whose wig came off during the game, triggering a series of events that culminated in a fan being removed for acting inappropriately. Kahleah Copper leaves court after wig falls during the game An unexpected moment happened late in the third quarter of the game on Sunday. Kahleah Copper, a four-time WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, was moving around a screen set by her teammate when her wig got caught. It was accidentally yanked off by Washington Mystics guard Jade Melbourne, landing on the court for everyone to see. According to some reports "The player who lost her wig was Kahleah Copper, and it was accidentally pulled off by Jade Melbourne during the game". Without delay, Mercury signaled for a timeout. Copper, looking quite embarrassed, quickly grabbed her wig and rushed off the court to the locker room to sort it out. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Reports say that "Copper rushed back to the dressing room after the wig malfunction". The game had a short pause, and the broadcasting team Meghan McPeak and Christy Winters Scott opted to deal with the matter gently, referring to it as a "malfunction" without specifically mentioning the wig, likely out of respect for Copper's privacy. Copper came back after the timeout to finish the game, which the Mercury won 88-72, thanks to a standout performance from Alyssa Thomas. However, Copper struggled, scoring only 6 points on 2-for-8 shooting, a dip from her usual form. She also contributed three assists and three rebounds. Meanwhile, Thomas dominated with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, becoming the first WNBA player to record 150 rebounds and 175 assists in 20 games. Fan was ejected from Phoenix Mercury game after mocking Kahleah Copper The Mercury players noticed the fan's antics and took matters into their own hands, surrounding the officials to identify the individual. According to the user query, "After the wig fell off, the game was delayed, and then a fan was ejected for making fun of Copper". Mercury players saw how the fan was acting and decided to step in, gathering around the officials to highlight the person. As mentioned in the user query, "Copper's teammates were seen surrounding the officials, causing them to alert the arena's security, who then removed the fan in question. " Also Read: Stephen Curry says NBA players like him are 'underpaid' despite $62 million salary The fan's ridicule obviously went too far, causing the Mercury players to take action. Security at the arena quickly intervened, escorting the fan out. This implies that the behavior was serious enough to need immediate removal, but the lack of exact details leaves us wondering about what transpired. FAQs Why was the game between Phoenix Mercury and Washington Mystics stopped? The game was paused after Kahleah Copper's wig fell and she ran off court. Who was the fan that got ejected from the game? The fan's identity has not been publicly disclosed. Who alerted security about the fan's behavior? Kahleah Copper's teammates surrounded officials and pointed the fan out. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
