Swimming-McIntosh eases into 400 medley final, Marchand almost misses out
McIntosh cruised to victory in her heat in four minutes and 35.56 seconds for the final later on Sunday, nearly 12 seconds shy of her world record (4:23.65) from Canadian trials in June.
The biggest cheers might have been for 12-year-old Yu Zidi, though, as the Chinese schoolgirl won her heat to qualify third for the final in 4:36.49, less than a second off the personal best (4:35.53) that clinched the national title in May.
Marchand, who took the 200m IM gold after setting a world record in the semi-finals, led halfway through his 400 heat but slowed up almost too much in the breaststroke and freestyle legs as he qualified seventh for the final in the evening session.
While nearly three seconds behind Japanese top seed Tomoyuki Matsushita, Olympic champion and world record holder Marchand will be strongly backed to win his third 400 world title.
With American Carson Foster, the Olympic bronze medallist, pulling out of the heats with an ankle injury, the United States did not qualify a swimmer in the final for the first time in over 50 years of world championships.
New Zealand's defending champion Lewis Clareburt also bombed out of the heats.
The U.S. qualified fastest for the men's 4x100 medley relay final with Jack Alexy swimming the anchor leg for the Paris Olympic silver medallists.
But Olympic champions China crashed out as the ninth quickest nation along with 11th-ranked Australia.
The U.S. women also qualified fastest in the medley relay in 3:54.49, a second clear of second-ranked Australia, with Germany third fastest.
Eight gold medals will be contested in a packed programme in the evening session, with German iron man Florian Wellbrock gunning for the men's 1,500 freestyle title to boost his bumper haul after sweeping the open water events.
Lithuanian world record holder Ruta Meilutyte will bid for a fourth successive women's 50 breaststroke world title since returning to the pool from a two-year ban for anti-doping rule violations in 2021.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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