On the evening of July 31, the swimming events at the World Championships in Singapore awarded medals in five different categories.
Women's 200m Butterfly Final，Canadian swimmer McIntosh took the lead from the moment she entered the water and maintained it all the way to the finish, clinching the gold with a time of 2:01.99.More than 3 seconds ahead of second place,It’s only 0.01 seconds slower than the world record of 2:01.81 held by Chinese swimmer Liu Zige.0.18 secondsHowever, McIntosh’s pre-race goal was clearly to break the world record—her failure to do so reportedly led her to unleashing a string of expletives after the race.American swimmer Regan Smith won the silver medal with a time of 2:04.99, while Australian athlete Elizabeth Dekkers claimed the bronze in 2:06.12.12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi finished fourth with a time of 2:06.43.Men's 200m Individual Medley Final，Tokyo Olympic champion and eight-time World Championship competitor Wang Shun finished seventh with a time of 1:57.92. The gold medal was claimed by France's star swimmer Marchand, who previously broke the world record in the semifinals, clocking an impressive 1:53.68. Meanwhile, American athlete CasasSecured second place in 1:54.30, while Hungarian athlete Kocs took home the bronze with a time of 1:55.34.After the race, Wang Shun said that the overall level of this event is currently very high— "Everyone is giving it their all since the Olympics." Competitive sports evolve rapidly, but he himself has already been pushing himself to the limit, adding, "I’m taking it one stroke at a time, without setting too many expectations for myself."Men's 100m Freestyle Final，Romanian star Popovici claimed gold with a time of 46.51 seconds, smashing his personal best and setting a new meet record. This performance was just 0.11 seconds off the 46.40 set by Pan Zhanle at the 2024 Paris Olympics.SecondThey were just 0.11 seconds away from the world record. American athlete Alexis finished second with a time of 46.92 seconds, while Australian star Chalmers claimed bronze in 47.17 seconds."Tonight, I’d give myself a 10 out of 10!" Popovich said. "I mentally built a 'wall' around myself, picturing that I was swimming this race entirely on my own—ignoring everyone else and focusing only on what *I* needed to do."
"I kept reminding myself: Don’t look at anyone else, don’t worry about what Kyle Chalmers is doing, and don’t even glance at Jack (Jack Alexy) on the left. Just stay focused on your own lane. I imagined walls on both sides, so I couldn’t see what anyone else was doing—I could only concentrate on my own rhythm and technique."
"And this year," he added, "I’ve made significant improvements in my underwater skills, especially in the push-off from the start and the length of my strokes. It might sound pretty monotonous, but it’s definitely working for me."
Commenting on Pan Zhanle's failure to advance to the final, Popovich said: "Competitions don’t always go according to plan, but Pan Zhanle has always earned my respect—and the respect of all of us. I hope he’ll cheer me on in return. After all, I believe he understands that competitive sports are bound to have their ups and downs; in fact, it’s often after hitting a low point that athletes emerge even stronger."Speaking of 46.51SecondRegarding his performance, Popovich said: "I didn’t expect to swim 46.51 seconds—I was a bit surprised, but not entirely shocked, since I’d already been close to that time during training. As soon as I touched the wall, I first heard the roar of the crowd. Curious about my time, I wondered to myself: Did I break the world record? Was I even close? But when I saw the actual result, it was indeed an impressive mark. At that moment, I felt a huge sense of relief—and pure joy.""To be honest, I'm also glad I didn't break the world record today. Because while I’m closer to it than ever before—though not quite there yet—it means I still have a goal to strive for. And that’s exactly what keeps me sharp and motivated for the future," he said.Regarding the upcoming competitions and his future plans, Popovich said: "Next, I have the relay event. After the competition, I plan to unwind fully—hit the beach for a vacation, get my motorcycle license, learn how to cook, start driving, and simply enjoy life, because life isn’t just about swimming."Women's 50m Backstroke Final，Wan Letian swam a time of 27.30.SecondHer performance earned her a bronze medal and set a new personal best.American athlete Katherine Burke, 27.08SecondWinning the gold medal, Regan Smith – 27.25SecondWinning the silver medal.14-year-old rookie Lu Xingchen scores 28.10 in the preliminariesSecond, ranked 19th and missed out on the finals.After the match, Wan Letian was visibly thrilled, openly stating that this medal has unlocked a newfound confidence in him for international competitions—and he’s confident he’ll continue to improve in the future.Women's 4x200m Freestyle Relay FinalThe Chinese team, consisting of Liu Yaxin, Yang Peiqi, Yu Yiting, and Li Bingjie, won the bronze medal with a time of 7:42.99. Australia claimed the gold with 7:39.35, while the U.S. team finished second in 7:40.01, setting a new Americas record in the process.Notably, 12-year-old Yu Zidi, who previously competed in both the preliminaries and semifinals, will also earn a medal, becoming the youngest-ever swimming World Championship medalist in history.
Women's 100m Freestyle SemifinalCheng Yujie advanced smoothly to the final, finishing fifth overall with a time of 53.34 seconds.Women's 200m Breaststroke Semifinal，15-year-old swimmer Lü Qinyao clocked a time of 2:24.33, finishing 10th overall and missing out on the final.Men's 200m Breaststroke Semifinal，Qin Haiyang with 2:09.32TotalRanked 8th, advancing to the finals.Dong Zihao finished 15th overall with a time of 2:11.77, missing out on the final.
Men's 200m Backstroke Semifinal, 17 years oldYoung athleteYu JingMarked "No Further Progress" in the preliminary round, finishing 34th overall with a time of 2:02.29The final list is as follows:
10:02 Men's 100m Butterfly Heats10:27 Women's 200m BackstrokePreliminary round10:51 Men's 50-meter freestylePreliminary round11:25 Women's 50-meter butterflyPreliminary round11:49 Women's 4x200m Freestyle Relay Prelims12:11 Women's 800m Freestyle Heats7:02 Women's 100m Freestyle Final7:10 Men's 100m Butterfly Semifinal7:21 Women's 200m Backstroke Semifinal7:34 Men's 50m Freestyle Semifinal7:45 AM Men's 200m Breaststroke Final7:59 Men's 200m Backstroke Final8:08 Women's 200m Breaststroke Final8:24 Women's 50m Butterfly Semifinal8:39 Men's 4×200m Freestyle Relay FinalSubscribe to Swimming Magazine today 👇Submissions are welcome! Please send your manuscripts to the editorial office of *Swimming* magazine at:[email protected]
