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≡ WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPS ≡
After winning five golds at the 2019 World Junior Championships, including the 200 m Freestyle and 200 m Butterfly, there were great expectations for American Luca Urlando. And at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Wednesday, he met them head on.
A Paris Olympian, Urlando had been on a mission all season, leading the world in the 200 m Fly for much of the season and leading the qualifying in the heats and semis.
The final turned out to be much more of the same, as he took the lead on the second lap and was never headed, winning his first international medal in a brilliant 1:51.87, the fastest time in the world in 2025 and the no. 9 performance in history. It’s also the second-fastest American swim ever, only behind Michael Phelps’ U.S. record of 1:51.51 from 2009.
Poland’s Krzysztof Chmielewski moved hard after 100 m to turn second into the final lap and finished in 1:52.64 for the silver, no. 2 in the world for 2025. Australia’s Harrison Turner was third in 1:54.17; American Carson Foster, a four-time Worlds medley medalist, was fifth in 1:54.62.
The U.S. also celebrated a historic swim in the semifinals of the men’s 100 m Freestyle, with 2024 Olympic finalist Jack Alexy leading all qualifiers in 46.81, no. 2 in the world for 2025, the no. 4 performance ever and setting the American Record!
Swimming in the second semi, Alexy broke Caeleb Dressel’s 46.96 mark from the 2019 World Championships, and beat 2022 World Champion – and 2025 world leader – David Popovici (ROU: 46.84) in the process!
Fellow American Patrick Sammon qualified seventh in 47.62 and is in the final, as is Rio 2016 Olympic champ Kyle Chalmers (AUS: 47.36), who won the first semifinal. A shocker from that race was world-record holder Zhanle Pan of China missing the final, finishing 10th overall at 47.81.
Then there was French icon Leon Marchand, the star of Paris 2024 with four golds, and who had his eye on the long-standing world record of 1:54.00 by American Ryan Lochte in the 200 m Medley from way back in 2011. Well, he got it, in the semifinals!
Marchand, swimming in the second semi, mauled the record, touching in 1:52.69, a staggering 2.44 seconds ahead of American (and training partner) Shaine Casas, whose 1:55.13 is faster than anyone else in the world for 2025, a lifetime best and moves him to no. 6 all-time!
Britain’s Duncan Scott, the Tokyo and Paris silver man in this event, was third in 1:55.51, now no. 3 in the world for 2025. Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita won semi one in 1:57.11. Carson Foster was eighth overall and qualified for the final in 1:57.49.
Wow.
There was a lot more from a busy fourth night in the pool:
● Men/800 m Freestyle: Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi, the short-course 1,500 m Worlds winner in 2024, was the leading qualifier, got to the lead by 350 m and dominated the race, winning in 7:36.88, the no. 3 performance in history!
He was well in front of Germans Sven Schwarz (7:39.96) and 400 m Free winner Lukas Martens (7:40.19), and Tokyo 2020 Olympic winner Bobby Finke (7:46.42), in fourth.
● Men/50 m Breaststroke: Italy’s Simone Cerasuolo came to Singapore ranked fifth in 2025, but he had no peers in the final, winning in 26.54, touching ahead of Russian “neutral” Kirill Prigoda (26.62). China’s Haiyang Qin, the 2023 World Champion, was third in 26.67.
● Women/200 m Freestyle: Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan battled American teen Claire Weinstein, 18, for most of the race, with O’Callaghan turning first at 150 m and coming home with the fastest final 50 m in the field to win in 1:53.48, fastest in the world in 2025, and the no. 9 performance ever.
Weinstein led at 100 m and turned second at 150 m, but faded on the final lap and was passed by China’s 400 m Free runner-up, Bingjie Li, 1:54.52 to 1:54.67. That moves Weinstein to no. 3 all-time U.S., behind only Allison Schmitt (1:53.61 in 2012) and Katie Ledecky (1:53.73 in 2016). Fellow American Erin Gemmell finished eighth in 2:00.16.
● Mixed 4×100 m Medley: The U.S. had a stunning failure in the morning heats, finishing 10th and missing the final. Keaton Jones was a slow 54.20 on the backstroke lead-off, Campbell McKean held his own on breaststroke, but Torri Huske’s butterfly leg was also weak and Simone Manuel‘s freestyle anchor ended in 3:44.50. The last qualifier was Poland, in 3:44.22 in eighth.
In the final, the “neutral” Russian team won in 3:37.97, the no. 5 performance in history, ahead of China (3:39.99) and Canada (3:40.90).
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In the evening qualifying, U.S. star Regan Smith led the women’s 50 m Backstroke semifinals, winning the second race in 27.23, with Britain’s Lauren Cox taking semi one in 27.26. American teammate Katharine Berkoff was second behind Cox in 27.34 and the no. 3 overall qualifier.
Smith came back about a half-hour later in the women’s 200 m Butterfly semifinals, qualifying third overall in 2:06.96, second in semi two behind Canadian star Summer McIntosh (2:06.22). The fastest qualifier was Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers at 2:06.13 to win semi one. American Caroline Bricker was second in semi one in 2:07.86 and qualified sixth overall.
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After four of eight days, the U.S. leads the medal table with 12 total (3-5-4), ahead of Australia (8: 4-1-3) and Italy (6: 1-4-1) and China (6: 1-3-2).
The Thursday finals include the men’s 100 m Free and 200 Medley (more Marchand!), and the women’s 50 m Back, 200 m Fly and 4×200 m Freestyle.
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