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New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
McIntosh and Marchand dazzle for gold at world championships
SUMMER MCINTOSH came within a whisker of breaking a long-standing world record and Leon Marchand failed to improve on a new mark he set just a night earlier, but both young guns won gold medals at the world championships in Singapore on Thursday. Romania's David Popovici also flirted with a record on day five at the World Aquatics Championships Arena, the 20-year-old claiming a thrilling 100 metres freestyle gold to go with his 200 crown on day three. The 200 butterfly world record of 2:01.81 set by China's Liu Zige in 2009 is the last surviving mark from the supersuit era in women's swimming – and McIntosh all but took it down. She stormed to her third individual gold medal of the meet in 2:01.99, the second-fastest swim of all time and a yawning three seconds better than American silver medallist Regan Smith. Having made the last turn under world record pace the Canadian 18-year-old flagged slightly coming home and shouted an expletive when she spied the clock. "I know that I messed up the last 15 metres of my race," she said. "Overall, happy with the time and a PB, but I didn't reach my goal tonight." China's 12-year-old marvel Yu Zidi finished just off the podium again having also placed fourth in the 200 IM. McIntosh might console herself in the knowledge that her bid for five individual titles remains intact, with the 400 IM and a hugely anticipated showdown with American great Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle still to come. Only Michael Phelps has won five individual golds at a world championships. Marchand, dubbed the "French Phelps", celebrated a world record on Wednesday when he blitzed the long-standing 200 IM mark of Ryan Lochte with an incredible swim of 1:52.69 in the semi-finals. With victory seemingly assured in the final the only suspense was whether Marchand might reset his world record from the previous night but he ended up nearly a second short, with a time of 1:53.68. It was still the second fastest swim ever and led to a dominant win by 0.62 seconds ahead of American Shaine Casas and Hungarian Hubert Kos. Marchand said the record may have taken a bit out of him but he was hardly complaining. "I felt so excited yesterday that I couldn't sleep," he said. "So I think I lost a lot of energy yesterday night, but it was my goal to break the record, so I was really happy with it." Popovici then emerged the winner of a sensational men's 100 freestyle final, clocking 46.51 to give Pan Zhanle's world record (46.40) a big scare. American runner-up Jack Alexy also broke the 47-second barrier (46.92), while Paris Games silver medallist Kyle Chalmers took the bronze for Australia. At 20, 200 Olympic champion Popovici has already completed the 100-200 sweep twice at world championships, having done the double at Budapest three years ago. The relaxed Romanian said he had reached a higher plain; no longer worried about winning or losing. "I just feel very relieved that this huge pressure of being afraid of winning or losing is off me," he said. "I don't mean it in an arrogant way, I mean it in a self-maturing way." The United States celebrated a fourth gold in the meet as Katharine Berkoff won the 50 backstroke in 27.08 seconds, edging compatriot Smith. In the finale of Thursday's programme, Australia's women clinched a second relay gold as Mollie O'Callaghan held off Ledecky in a thrilling final leg to guide her 4x200 freestyle relay team over the finish line. Australia also won the men's and women's 4x100 freestyle golds on Sunday. O'Callaghan, whose 11th gold tied her with Ian Thorpe as the most successful Australian at the world championships, will now look to add the 100 freestyle title to her 200 crown on Friday. Medals will also be decided in the men's 200 breaststroke, 200 backstroke and 4x200 freestyle relay, as well as the women's 200 breaststroke.
Japan Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Today
More gold for Marchand, McIntosh at worlds
Leon Marchand of France, center, celebrates after winning gold medal in the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) swimming By STEPHEN WADE Léon Marchand of France won gold in the 200-meter individual medley at the swimming world championships on Thursday — and it had a Texas flavor to it. American swimmer Shaine Casas claimed the silver and Hubert Kós of Hungary took the bronze. The three — from three different countries — all train with American Bob Bowman at the University of Texas at Austin. Bowman is famous, of course, for training legendary American Michael Phelps. Marchand, who shattered the 200 IM world record just 24 hours earlier in the semifinal, almost did it again as he finished in 1 minute, 53.68 seconds. That was just off his Wednesday mark of 1:52.69. Both times blew away the old mark of 1:54.00 set 14 years ago by American Ryan Lochte. 'It was a bit tough today, but it was great,' Marchand said. "I know Shaine always goes out super fast so I knew I couldn't be far off him. It was a battle all the way to the end, so that was cool for me.' Marchand won four individual gold medals a year ago in the Paris Olympics but is only swimming for two individual golds in Singapore. He already holds the 400 IM record of 4:02.50 from the 2023 worlds. That one may go on Sunday on the eighth and closing day. 'That's still a whole new challenge,' Marchand added of the 400. 'I know I've gained a lot of power, but I'm not sure yet it makes a big difference over the 400. We'll see.' He also praised Bowman and said it was difficult to come back after his draining record swim. 'I was going for the title and I was racing my teammates,' Marchand said. 'We're sharing the podium together. That just shows how good a coach Bowman is at swimming.' Summer McIntosh of Canada won the 200-meter butterfly for her third gold of the championships. She was on pace to break the world record after 150 meters but faded, finishing in 2:01.99. The record is 2:01.81 set in 2009 in the super-suit era by Liu Zige of China. McIntosh will also start training this fall under Bowman at Texas. American Regan Smith took silver (2:04.99), with bronze for Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia (2:06.12). Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old Chinese prodigy, was fourth in 2:06.43. It was her second fourth-place finish at the worlds. 'My coach and I, our goal was to break the world record,' McIntosh said, openly disappointed she just missed it. 'That's what I've been training for — I missed it by that little, and I know that I messed up the last 15 meters of my race. I didn't reach my goal today.' It was, however, the second fastest time in history. David Popovici of Romania took the 100 freestyle in 46.51, the second fastest time in history behind the 46.40 set last year by Pan Zhanle of China. Pan failed to reach the final. American Jack Alexy was the silver medalist (46.92) and Kyle Chalmers of Australia claimed the bronze (47.17). Popovici was the bronze medalist a year ago in Paris in the 100 and he won the 200. 'Usually the one who wins is the one who can isolate themselves from others.' Popovici said of his race tactics. He also talked about constructing imaginary walls between his lane and the others. 'I imagine I'm alone and do what I trained for,' he said. American Katharine Berkoff of the United States took the 50 backstroke (27.08), just edging teammate Regan Smith (27.25) with bronze going to Wan Letian of China (27.30). It was Smith's second silver of the night and the Americans' fourth gold. The Americans have won four golds over five days. The team seems to still be battling a stomach bug picked up at its training camp in Thailand, but head coach Greg Meehan has suggested team health is improving. Gretchen Walsh of the United States pulled out of the women's 100 freestyle. The women's 4x200 freestyle relay went to Australia (7:39.35), with silver for the United States (7:40.01) and bronze for China (7:42.99). It was Australia's fifth gold and it tops the gold-medal table. Yu, the 12 year old, will get a bronze, having swum in the preliminaries. In the four semifinals, Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands led the women's 100 freestyle qualifiers, and Pieter Coetze of South Africa did the same in the 200 backstroke as he looks to complete the double. Neutral Athlete Evgenila Chikunova led the women's 200 breaststroke and Japan's Ippei Watanabe topped the men's 200 breaststroke. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Marchand wins 200m medley gold, McIntosh narrowly misses record
DPA 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 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.
Kuwait Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Tunisia's Jaouadi wins 800m freestyle gold, first major title
Marchand smashes long-standing 200m medley world record SINGAPORE: Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi won his first major title with victory in the 800m freestyle at swimming's world championships on Wednesday with a perfectly timed attack. Jaouadi made his move midway through the race in Singapore and eased away to touch the wall in 7min 36.88sec, ahead of German pair Sven Schwarz (7:39.96) and 400m champion Lukas Maertens (7:40.19). Jaouadi, who finished fourth at last year's Paris Olympics, clocked the third-fastest time ever. 'I didn't really think about strategy, I was just trying to control the race and see what happens,' said the 20-year-old. 'At some point I saw that the rhythm wasn't that fast so I decided to just go and make the move.' Ireland's Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen finished last in 7:58.56. Bobby Finke, the Olympic 1,500m champion, was fourth in 7:46.42. Jaouadi dedicated his win to fellow Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, a former Olympic and world champion who received a 21-month suspension in April for three anti-doping violations. 'This one is for Hafnaoui — he's having some hard times now,' said Jaouadi. Australia's Sam Short, who qualified second-fastest for the final, was forced to withdraw hours before the race with stomach trouble. Short, the silver medallist in the 400m freestyle, is the latest swimmer to be hit by illness this week in Singapore. The United States team said the 'overwhelming majority' of their swimmers had suffered from acute gastroenteritis, while Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi complained of feeling unwell before his 100m breaststroke final. France's Leon Marchand smashed the 200m individual medley world record in Singapore on Wednesday, setting a new mark of 1min 52.69sec. Swimming in the semi-finals at the world championships, the 23-year-old took more than a second off the previous record of 1:54.00 set by Ryan Lochte in 2011. Marchand beat Michael Phelps's long-standing 400m medley record at the world championships in Japan two years ago. 'Actually I can't believe it right now,' said Marchand, who won four individual golds in front of his home fans at the Paris Olympics a year ago. 'I knew I was going to be close to my PB (personal best) because I felt really good today and preparation has been pretty good. 'But 1:52 is unbelievable for me.' Marchand took an extended break from swimming after his Paris Olympics heroics and only returned to competition in May. He is focusing on the medley events in Singapore and had said he was going for Lochte's record. Marchand got his world championship campaign under way on Wednesday morning, clocking a time of 1:57.63 in the heats. He said he would go all-out for the record in the semi-finals rather than conserve his energy for Thursday's final. 'It was good, I swam well, I think I pretty much did what I wanted to do,' Marchand said after his morning heat. 'There are a few technical details that I'll go over with my coach, things I can improve on for tonight.' — AFP
Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Marchand stuns world with ‘crazy' world record in semi-final as O'Callaghan wins more gold
Breaking Michael Phelps' 'untouchable' 400 individual medley world record two years ago. Winning two individual Olympic gold medals in 118 minutes at the La Defense Arena. But eclipsing Ryan Lochte's 2011 world record in the 200m medley — and not just by a fraction — stamped his brilliance once more. Most swimmers chase the world record line with their fingertips. The time, the world record line was trying to catch Marchand's feet, which are certainly not size 17s like Ian Thorpe, but do the trick. Marchand touched the wall in 1:52.69 and even he was blown away by a time faster than Mark Spitz' 200m freestyle effort during his seven gold medal blitz at the 1972 Munich Olympics. 'I actually can't really believe it right now,' Marchand said. 'It's unbelievable for me. What's crazy is that it's a whole second. A 1:52 on the 200m — that's insane. I'm so happy, it's just incredible.' Marchand, who studied computer science at college in the US, dropped both the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke this year to target world records in the 200m and 400m individual medleys. He spent the early part of this year in Brisbane training with Boxall and his St Peter's Western squad, which features the likes of O'Callaghan and Will Petric. Petric, swimming in lane one of the semi, finished 5.52 seconds behind Marchand. In between surfing trips to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, Marchand spent time with Boxall honing his freestyle. 'That group was really welcoming from the first week. They are amazing,' Marchand said in an interview with SwimSwam earlier this year. 'It was a great experience. I have learned a lot about getting better at freestyle. That group is really good for that.' A few lanes over during those sessions, O'Callaghan was rediscovering her love for swimming after her 200m freestyle gold medal in Paris. On Wednesday night, she delivered again. O'Callaghan (1:53.48) swam a clinical race, using American Claire Weinstein to set the early pace before charging home in the final lap to win by 1.04 seconds. 'A positive environment definitely makes a world of difference,' O'Callaghan said. 'It is nice to come to a pool and feel at home. 'Coming here was one of the last things I thought I would do. At the start of the year if you told me I'd be world champion again, I would be shocked.' Australia had two genuine gold medal chances on night four. They left with one – and a case of what might have been. The team was rocked by a food poisoning drama after Short announced he would not line up in the 800m freestyle final. Short won a silver medal in the event at the 2023 world championships and was the second-fastest qualifier for the final. He was aiming to become the first Australian to win world championships gold in the 800m freestyle since Grant Hackett in 2005. Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi took the gold in a time of 7:36.88, just under Short's personal best of 7:37.76. Swimming Australia says no other athletes have been affected. 'For him to not be able to swim tonight, you know he's not feeling well because he's an ultra competitor,' said Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor. The unexpected story of the night was Turner, who not only won bronze but broke Nick D'Arcy's Australian record in the 200m butterfly. Turner wasn't expected to make the team — let alone the podium — but has dropped massive personal bests in recent months. Loading 'I never thought I'd be actually talking to you guys … this is something I dream about,' Turner said. At the halfway mark of these world championships, the Dolphins still lead the medal tally on four golds, one ahead of the USA. There's a world where Short already has two golds in Singapore. Instead, he has a silver in the 400m freestyle — by 0.02 seconds — and a sore stomach that will be monitored in coming days. He hopes to be right for the 4x200m freestyle relay. Kaylee McKeown's absence from the 50m backstroke may have cost Australia another gold medal on the tally. Throw in the fact Ariarne Titmus is taking a year off. But if Marchand and Canada's Summer McIntosh keep pinching golds off the Americans, Australia may just be about to party like it's Fukuoka 2023 — or even 2001 — all over again.
