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Qatar Tribune
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Dominant Ledecky claims sixth 1,500m freestyle world title
DPA Singapore Swimming great Katie Ledecky had no competition on her way to claiming a sixth women's 1,500 metre freestyle title at the World Aquatics championships in Singapore on Tuesday. The Olympic champion clocked 15 minutes 26.44 seconds to beat defending champion Simona Quadarella of Italy by 5.35 seconds. Ledecky was on world record pace early on before landing the fifth-fastest performance in history, six seconds of her record 15:20.48. The American holds 24 of the top 25 times in history in the event, with Quadarella now the second best athlete over the distance with her European record 15:31.79. Australia's Lani Pallister, who was Ledecky's top challenger in the early stages before fading, had to settle for bronze. 'I'm happy with the time and happy with the swim. I love this race, lots of memories over the years,' Ledecky said after her 22nd career world title. In the women's 100m backstroke, Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown powered through the last few metres to win the duel against Regan Smith and set a new competition record. The Australian clocked 57.16 seconds, just three-hundredths outside Smith's world record, as she beat the American by 0.19 seconds to take gold. Smith's team-mate Katharine Berkoff completed the podium. 'It's always really nerve-wrecking, but it's paid off. A good start for the rest of the week,' McKeown said. German Elendt with surprise gold Germany's Anna Elendt couldn't believe when she looked at the screen and saw she had stunned the top seeds for women's 100m breaststroke gold. Top favourite Tang Qianting was set to take the win, but Elendt's effort in the final metres paid off as she moved up from fourth to first. Tang had to settle for bronze as she was also overtaken by American Kate Douglass. It's a second gold for Germany in the swimming events, the other one was claimed by Lukas Märtens in the men's 400m freestyle. 'I'm still speechless. When I saw I was in lane one, I thought: If you have a lane, you have a chance,' Elendt said. Men's events Olympic champion David Popovic added another medal to his cabinet with gold in the men's 200m freestyle. The top favourite from Romania clocked 1:43.53 minutes, beating American Luke Hobson by 0.31. Bronze went to Japan's Tatsuya Murasa. Popovic made up more than half a second on Hobson on the last 50m to reclaim the world title he first won in 2022. Defending champion Hwang Sun-woo of South Korea missed out on the podium and finished fourth. The men's 100m backstroke saw a very close fight, but South Africa's Pieter Coetze prevailed to take his first gold medal at a major event with an African record 51.85 seconds - only five hundredths separating him from second-placed Italian Thomas Ceccon. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard of France was another two-hundredths back to claim bronze. 'I can't say it was expected, but happy it went well,' Coetze said after beating Olympic champion Ceccon.
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
McIntosh in league of her own as she wins second world title
DPA Singapore Canadian Summer McIntosh confirmed her top billing when she won women's 200 metre medley gold at the World Aquatics championships in Singapore on Monday. The three time Olympic champion was in a league of her own on the final freestyle leg as she clocked 2 minutes 6.69 seconds - an advantage of 1.89 seconds over American silver medallist Alex Walsh. 'I'm not super happy with the time. Still happy with the gold, will try to continue my streak for the next events,' the champion said. This was McIntosh's second gold out of two events in Singapore after she won the 400m freestyle on Sunday. The success comes a year after the 18-year-old won three golds and one silver at the Paris Olympics, all in individual events. McIntosh's team-mate Mary-Sophie Harvey completed the podium, pipping 12-year-old Chinese Yu Zidi by six hundredths for the bronze. Yu is competing in Singapore via a special exemption because normally swimmers must be at least 14 years old to participate at the worlds. She will also contest other races over the coming days. Walsh also on top Alex Walsh gave her family a second medal on the day, some 90 minutes after her sister and top favourite Gretchen Walsh claimed 100m butterfly gold in a championship record 54.73 seconds. 'I'm so happy. Under 55 (seconds) again, it was not easy and I'm so proud of myself,' said Walsh, who had won silver over the distance at the Olympics. Belgium's Roos Vanotterdijk took silver and bronze went to Australia's Alexandria Perkins. Qin and Grousset get gold On the men's side, China's Qin Haiyang beat Olympic champion Nicolò Martinenghi by .35 of a second for 100m breaststroke gold in 58.23 seconds. Bronze went to Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan, his first medal at a major event. At the 2023 worlds, Qin became the first man in history to win gold in all three breaststroke events at a single edition. But he had a disappointing Olympics and left Paris without an individual medal. His achievements came from relays, with men's 4x100m medley gold and 4x100m mixed medley silver. France's Maxime Grousset beat top seed Noe Ponti in the men's 50m butterfly for gold. Swiss Ponti, the 2024 world champion, set multiple short course world records last year, but had to settle for silver. Italy's Thomas Ceccon won bronze. Stomach bug impacting USA team USA swimming has confirmed reports that some team members competing in the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore were recovering from acute gastroenteritis, US public broadcaster NPR reported. USA swimming senior communications director Nikki Warner said in a statement cited by NPR that 'those experiencing symptoms' were receiving treatment, without saying which swimmers were affected or how they got sick. The team's medical staff was also 'advising the team on further preventative and recovery measures,' Warner added. The team is 'planning to race and perform to the best of our ability for the rest of the meet,' Warner said. On Saturday, Paris 100 metre butterfly gold medallist Torri Huske did not swim the 100m butterfly 'to prioritize her efforts in the 4x100m freestyle relay,' USA swimming said. The relay, which had been favoured to win and was anchored by Huske, came second behind Australia on Sunday evening. Claire Weinstein also pulled out of the 400 metre freestyle. Several US swimmers performed below expectations on Sunday and on Monday.
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Maertens makes golden start at swimming worlds
DPA Singapore Germany's Lukas Maertens added a world title to his 2024 Olympic gold when he triumphed in the 400-metres freestyle in Singapore on Sunday. It was the 23-year-old's first world championship gold. He touched the wall in 3 minutes 42.35 seconds, securing victory ahead of second-placed Samuel Short from Australia. Bronze went to South Korea's Kim Woo Min. 'I am very proud, very happy. It was not a given that I would pull this off. Sam Short is also in excellent form,' Maertens told reporters. 'This was the one title I was still missing. Now I have it. A lot of pressure has been lifted.' The swimming events in the pool at the World Aquatics Championships began on Sunday and run until next Sunday. Germany previously found success in the open water swimming events in Singapore, with Florian Wellbrock sealing three individual golds and helping Germany to mixed relay success. Maertens' impressive form this year was already evident in April when he broke Paul Biedermann's 16-year-old world record in the 400m freestyle with 3:39.96. He had previously only managed bronze and silver in the 400m at world championships. Maertens is also considered a top contender for gold in the 800m freestyle despite health problems in the run-up to Singapore. In the women's 400m freestyle, Canadian Summer McIntosh reigned supreme, putting China's Li Bingjie and US great Katie Ledecky in her wake. A time of 3:56.26 brought her a fifth world championship gold but first in this event, where she took silver at last year's Paris Olympics. In the 4x100m freestyle relays, Australia were unbeatable. The men set a world championship record of 3:08.97 with Flynn Southam, Kai James Taylor, Maximillian Guiliani and Kyle Chambers leaving Italy to settle for second and the US third. The Australian quartet of Mollie O'Callaghan, Meg Harris, Milla Jansen and Olivia Wunsch also won women's gold. The US took silver and the Netherlands bronze. There were reports of sickness in some camps earlier this week including the US team. Monday's highlights include men's 100m breaststroke, women's 100m butterfly, men's 50m fly and women's 200m medley.
Qatar Tribune
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Wellbrock eyes record-extending fourth gold
DPA Singapore German star Florian Wellbrock will go for an unprecedented fourth open water swimming gold at the World Aquatics Championships on Sunday in the relay after dominating the individual events. Saturday's 3 kilometre knockout sprint gold, in the first edition of the event at a worlds, followed 10km and 5km gold for the 27-year-old. He is the first man or woman to win three individual gold medals in open water swimming at a World Aquatics Championships. It has been a remarkable return to form for Tokyo 10km Olympic champion Wellbrock, who struggled at last year's Paris Games. 'I have no idea how I did it,' Wellbrock told reporters. 'But I like knockout races, it's so nice because you can feel that every lap is faster. The strategy was to have a good position in the 1500m and 1km, and being in the top position in the 500m.' Wellbrock also races in the pool, picking up silver in the 1,500m freestyle at the Doha worlds last year, and he said that helped him on Saturday. He is slated to race the 1,500m in Singapore in August. 'To be a good open water swimmer, you need the speed from the pool. We can use this speed for the final 500m, and that's so nice,' he added. 'It's so amazing. It wasn't my goal to come here for three golds, but it's so nice to be on top of the podium three times in a row.' It could be four open water golds if he helps Germany triumph in Sunday's 4x1,500m mixed relay. 'I think the key for the whole week is doing a lot of volume for the whole year, so that you are in good preparation for this competition here,' said Wellbrock, who now has 13 world championship medals in open water and the pool. 'You need a lot of energy for the marathon distance, 5km and everything.'
