Marchand wins 200m medley gold, McIntosh narrowly misses record
Singapore
Swimming top star Leon Marchand crowned his performance in the men's 200 metre medley at the World Aquatics championships with gold, a day after he broke the world record in the event.
The French swimmer clocked 1 minute 53.68 seconds in Thursday's final to beat American Shaine Casas by 0.62s. Hubert Kos of Hungary took bronze with third place.
On Wednesday, Marchand broke the world record in 1:52.69 minutes, smashing the previous mark of 1:54.00 minutes set by American Ryan Lochte in 2011.
Marchand, who won four individual gold medals at his home Games last summer, is only competing in the medley events in Singapore.
'Just so happy to be at my highest speed right now, in front of this pretty cool crowd. I'm thankful for my coaches and the staff behind me. Tonight was very special for me. So happy to race those guys at their best level,' he said.
Romania's David Popovici claimed his second world title with a win in the men's 100m freestyle. He already had won gold in the 200m freestyle.
Popovici set a new competition record in 46.51 seconds - the second fastest time ever, missing the world record by 0.11s.
'In a few words, I'm really happy to be here,' the Romanian said.
Jack Alexy of the Unites States took silver, while Kyle Chalmers of Australia won bronze.
World record holder and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle of China didn't make it to the final after a shocking exit in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Gold, but no record for McIntosh Canada's Summer McIntosh demolished the field as she claimed women's 200 metre butterfly gold.
The three time Olympic champion clocked 2:01.99 minutes to claim her third gold at the Singapore worlds. American Regan Smith took silver, three seconds behind - the biggest margin the event has seen in at least 30 years. Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia was third.
McIntosh, however, looked disappointed when she got out of the pool because she missed the women's world record in the distance by mere 0.18s.
'My coach and I, our big goal was to break that world record. That's really what I've been training for. To see that I missed it by that little - and I know that I messed up the last few metres of my racing,' the 18-year-old said.
'Overall happy with the time, but I didn't reach my goal tonight.Happy with the win and I'm going to keep pushing for that.'
The current world record of 2:01.81 minutes was set in 2009 by China's Liu Zige. McIntosh, however, set a new competition record.
In the women's 50m backstroke, Katharine Berkoff of the US won gold in 27.08s ahead of team-mate Regan Smith. Wan Letian of China was third.
Australia again beat US in women's freestyle relay Like at the Paris Games, Australia again defeated the United States to win the women's 4x200m freestyle relay world title.
Katie Ledecky was the last in the pool as she went head-to-head with Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, who sealed the deal for her team and completed a time of 7:39.35 mins.
The US were 0.66s behind, while China took bronze - the exact same podium from the Paris Games. 'It was pretty rough. I do it for the team, I do it for the country. It's a dream to be part of this relay,' O'Callaghan said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
7 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Trump launches taskforce to prepare for 2028 LA Olympics
DPA Washington US President Donald Trump has established a taskforce to support preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the first Olympic Games to be held in the United States since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday in Washington alongside organizing committee chair Casey Wasserman. The taskforce will coordinate efforts among federal, state and local agencies, focusing on security and transportation. Wasserman welcomed the initiative, calling the Olympics 'truly America's Games,' and presented Trump with a set of medals from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The US president said the Summer Olympics were one of the events he was most looking forward to in his second term. However, controversy has already emerged. Trump backed a recent decision by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) that effectively bans transgender women from competing in Olympic women's events. Though he did not mention the policy explicitly, he endorsed the stance in his speech. Wasserman, meanwhile, recently dismissed concerns that stricter immigration policies under Trump's administration could prevent athletes from certain countries from participating in the Games. ABC News adds: The executive order calls for the task force to coordinate security and planning for the Games and streamline visa processing and credentialing for the athletes, coaches, media and other visitors coming to the U.S. Such a task force isn't necessarily unheard of, but is usually led on a local level. 'We'll do anything necessary to keep the Olympics safe, including using our National Guard or military,' Trump said. 'I will use the National Guard or military, this is going to be so safe, if we have to.' Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' signed into law last month, secured $1 billion for security, planning and other costs related to the 2028 Olympic Games. At the event, Trump praised Gene Sykes, chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee board of directors, for the USOPC's move to effectively bar transgender women from competing in women's sports. 'The United States will not let men steal trophies from women at the 2028 Olympics,' Trump said. LA28 president and chair Casey Wasserman said the task force 'marks an important step forward in our planning efforts and reflects our shared commitment to delivering not just the biggest, but the greatest Games the world has ever seen in the summer of 2028,' he said. Along with the 2028 Summer Games, Trump has said that the 2026 FIFA World Cup being hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico is among the events he's most looking forward to in his second term. Security experts say the Games will require huge security and will bring in federal police and other agencies to work with local law enforcement. The 2028 Games will be the first Olympics to be hosted by the U.S. since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Qatar Tribune
7 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Svitolina hits out at online abuse
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has made abuse on social media public and hit out at the haters. World number 13 Svitolina shared a number of abusive posts in her Instagram story on Wednesday, after a quarter-final defeat against Naomi Osaka in Montreal the previous day. Messages included 'kill yourself', 'I wish you die tonight', were related to Russia's invasion of her home country, and to betting. 'To all bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete. The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your mums saw your messages, they would be disgusted,' she said. Svitolina, 30, is married to French player Gael Monfils, and they have a little daughter. Svitolina is among many tennis players to be the target of online abuse. German players Eva Lys and Tamara Korpatsch had recently exposed hate comments, with Korpatsch after a defeat singling out people who had bet on her. The women's body WTA has started offering players a technological solution which filters abusive posts and comments with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). (DPA)
Qatar Tribune
7 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar fall short against Lebanon in thrilling FIBA Asia Cup opener
Tribune News Network Doha The Qatar national basketball team faced a tough defeat against Lebanon, losing 84-80 in a closely contested match in the opening round of the 31st FIBA Asia Cup 2025 at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah on Wednesday. The championship features 16 Asian teams vying for continental glory. The match was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al Thani, President of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), alongside Mohammed bin Saad Al Mughaiseeb, President of the Qatar Basketball Federation, and Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, General Secretary, National Teams Director, and head of Qatar's delegation. Qatar, bronze medalists in 2003 and 2005, entered the game with high aspirations in a competitive Group A, which also includes defending champions Australia and South Korea. The first quarter saw both teams evenly matched, with Lebanon—runners-up in 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2022—gaining a slight edge through strong defense and quick offensive transitions, ending the period 16-11. In the second quarter, Qatar showcased their best performance, led by American professional Brandon Goodwin's dynamic drives and precise shooting. Supported by robust defensive play from Abdulrahman Saad and Alen Hadzibegovic under the basket, Qatar took control, winning the quarter 24-19 to tie the score at 35-35 by halftime. However, Lebanon dominated the third quarter, dictating the tempo and outscoring Qatar 26-16 to build a 10-point lead. Despite a valiant comeback in the fourth quarter, where Qatar outscored Lebanon 29-23, the deficit proved too large, and Lebanon secured the victory with a final score of 84-80. Goodwin led all scorers with an impressive 33 points for Qatar, while Lebanon's Ali Mansour and Diedrick Lawson contributed 12 points each. With this result, Lebanon earned two points, while Qatar secured one point in the Group A standings. In another Group A match, defending champions Australia asserted their dominance with a commanding 97-61 victory over South Korea. The tournament features four groups: Group A (Qatar, Lebanon, Australia, South Korea), Group B (Japan, Iran, Syria, Guam), Group C (China, Jordan, India, Saudi Arabia), and Group D (Philippines, New Zealand, Iraq, Chinese Taipei). Qatar next play Australia on August 8 at 11am.
