World Swimming Championships: McIntosh signs off with four golds; USA tops medal tally
The United States set a world record in the women's 4x100 medley relay to win the final title and ensure it topped the medals table with nine golds, one ahead of Australia.
France finished third with Canada fourth, all four of their golds won by 18-year-old McIntosh, only the third swimmer to win five individual medals at a world championships, joining Michael Phelps (2007) and Sarah Sjostrom (2019).
McIntosh blitzed the field in the 400 IM with a time of 4:25.78, the world record holder coming home more than seven seconds ahead of joint silver medallists Jenna Forrester of Australia and Japan's Mio Narita.
China's 12-year-old prodigy Yu Zidi finished just off the podium again having also come fourth in the 200 IM and 200 butterfly.
Olympic champion McIntosh's third 400 IM world title added to her 200 IM, 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle golds at the World Aquatics Championships Arena in Singapore, with only the 800 freestyle won by the great Katie Ledecky eluding her.
Marchand, dubbed the 'French Phelps', nearly missed the 400 IM final after a slow heat in the morning but was back to his best in the evening, clocking 4:04.73 to finish well clear of Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita, the Paris Olympics runnerup behind Marchand.
It was a stripped-back programme from Paris where Marchand won four individual titles but he made it count with the 200 IM world record on the way to the title earlier in the week.
Two years after Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui won the 800 and 1,500 freestyle at the Fukuoka championships, compatriot Ahmed Jaouadi completed the double by winning the 1,500 in 14:34.41 ahead of German Sven Schwarz and American Olympic champion Bobby Finke.
Jaouadi shaved nearly nine seconds off his personal best and said it was a struggle.
'I wasn't the only one. My body was in a lot of pain,' he added. 'But through my mind is that I want this medal and I want to win it.'
The big names may dominate the headlines but Australian relay stalwart Meg Harris grabbed the spotlight for herself as she won 50 freestyle gold in 24.02 ahead of Chinese duo Wu Qingfeng (24.26) and Cheng Yujie (24.28).
The 23-year-old Harris clinched her first individual title on the global stage after sharing two Olympic and five world relay golds in the last four years.
No Russian athletes competed at last year's world championships in Doha but the nation's swimmers have racked up medals in Singapore under a neutral flag.
Russians were allowed to compete on condition they have not publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine and have no affiliation to the Russian military.
Also read | United States sets world record in women's 4x100m medley relay
Russian Kliment Kolesnikov stormed to the men's 50 backstroke title in 23.68, just 0.13 off his world record, while compatriot Pavel Samusenko took a silver along with South African Pieter Coetze, each finishing in 24.17.
Russian swimmers then combined to win a shock gold in the men's 4x100 medley, giving the world record (3:26.78) a huge shake with a time of 3:26.93, a second clear of France.
With the U.S. men taking bronze it was up to the nation's women to secure top spot on the medal table in the final event of the night by beating Australia.
They did just that and in some style, Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske combining to set a world record of 3:49.34, improving on the U.S. mark of 3:49.63 set at the Paris Games.
World record holder Ruta Meilutyte earlier powered to the 50 breaststroke gold in 29.55, nearly half a second clear of China's Tang Qianting.
It was the Lithuanian's fourth successive world title in the event since returning from a two-year ban for anti-doping violations.
Retiring American Lilly King, who won the 100 breaststroke at the Rio 2016 Games, bowed out fifth in her last individual event.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
US Track and Field Championships — Lyles, Jefferson-Wooden storm to victories, Brazier marks return in style
Noah Lyles laid down a world championship marker with a blistering 200m victory at the US trials in Oregon on Sunday as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed a sprint double in the women's event. The final day of action at Eugene's Hayward Field saw Lyles come from behind to win a testy battle with Kenny Bednarek in a world-leading 19.63 seconds. After edging in front of Bednarek just before the line, Lyles turned his head to stare down his rival as he took the tape. That drew an angry response from Bednarek, who shoved the reigning 100m and 200m world champion as the two men slowed down after the finish. In the women's sprints meanwhile, Jefferson-Wooden signalled she could well be the woman to beat in Tokyo after completing her 100m-200m double, winning the 200m in 21.84 seconds, with Anavia Battle second in 22.12 seconds. Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas just squeaked into the Tokyo squad, finishing third in a photo finish with Brittany Brown. 'As long as I'm executing my race the way I know I can, then the times are going to continue to come,' Jefferson-Wooden said. 'And 21.84 I'll take.' Brazier comeback While Jefferson-Wooden is looking forward to Tokyo, Sha'Carri Richardson will only compete in the 100m at the World Championships. Richardson, arrested for domestic violence last week following a clash with boyfriend Christian Coleman, failed to qualify for the 200m final. Coleman also failed to qualify in the 200m, but will go to Tokyo as part of the US relay pool. Elsewhere Sunday, Olympic 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin coasted to victory in 46.89 seconds to seal his spot in Tokyo. In the women's 400m hurdles, 35-year-old 2016 Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad rolled back the years with a victory in 52.65 seconds, setting up what will be an emotional farewell in Japan in her final season before retirement. In one of the races of the day, former world champion Donavan Brazier capped a sensational return to form with a battling victory in the 800m. Brazier won gold at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, but subsequently saw his career blown off course by multiple injuries, which required surgery. He only returned to racing this season after a three-year absence from the track. The 28-year-old left that injury nightmare firmly in the rearview mirror on Sunday, though, punching through a gap in the final straight to take the tape in a personal best of 1 minute 42.16 seconds, just ahead of 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus, who took second. Lutkenhaus's time of 1:42.27 was a new under-18 world record. Bryce Hoppel was third in 1:42.49. 'The past few years have been really rough for me,' Brazier said. 'To finally have a chance at redemption, and just showcase resiliency -- I was really happy to do it today. It was just pure grit.' In the women's 800m final, former Under-20 world champion Roisin Willis reached her first major championships with a battling victory in 1 minute 59.26 seconds. Willis finished ahead of Maggi Congdon (1:59.39), with Sage Hurta-Klecker third in 1:59.48. In the 110m hurdles, Ja'Kobe Tharp won in 13.01 seconds. Olympic and world champion Grant Holloway, who has a bye to the world championships, scratched from the final. In the women's pole vault, three-time world championships silver-medallist Sandi Morris edged reigning world champion Katie Moon into second place with a winning height of 4.83m.
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Kapil Dev, Baichung Bhutia, Bindra join Telangana's new sports board to power grassroots revolution
HYDERABAD: In a landmark initiative, sporting icons Kapil Dev, Baichung Bhutia, Abhinav Bindra, Pullela Gopichand and Gagan Narang have joined hands with top administrators and corporate leaders to form the 14-member Board of Governors of the Telangana Sports Development Fund (TSDF). According to officials, the newly constituted board combines grassroots sporting expertise with strategic leadership from industry. The TSDF, envisioned as a pioneering public-private model, aims to bolster grassroots systems, promote excellence across disciplines and serve as a national blueprint for nurturing future champions. The fund will focus on athlete development, infrastructure, PE teacher training and targeted investments in Olympic sports. The board will oversee joint decision-making and ensure transparency in implementation. The board includes influential figures such as RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group chairman Dr Sanjiv Goenka, known for strategic investments in Indian sport, and Vita Dani, credited with playing a key role in the rise of Indian table tennis. It also features women leaders in sport like Kavya Maran, CEO of Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Upasana Kamineni, vice chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Foundation, who bring fresh perspectives and a commitment to inclusive sporting growth.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Meet 12-year-old Yu Zidi: How China's swimming prodigy competed at Worlds despite age rules?
Twelve-year-old Chinese swimming sensation Yu Zidi made history at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, becoming the youngest medalist in the event's history. Yu, who began swimming at the age of 6, was part of China 's bronze medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay team, behind Australia and the United States. Although she didn't swim in the final race, Yu earned her medal by competing in the preliminary heats, helping secure China's place in the championship final. Her contribution was crucial, and under competition rules, relay swimmers who participate in qualifiers are eligible to receive medals. Yu's achievement marks the beginning of what could be a groundbreaking career. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Others MBA CXO Project Management Data Analytics others Data Science Design Thinking Management Finance Artificial Intelligence healthcare Product Management Degree PGDM Data Science Cybersecurity Leadership Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 months IIM Lucknow SEPO - IIML CHRO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 28 Weeks MICA CERT-MICA SBMPR Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details — ChinaDaily (@ChinaDaily) Questions raised over mental and physical toll on Yu However, Chinese schoolgirl Yu's historic feat has also sparked concern within the swimming community. Some experts and observers have raised questions about the mental and physical toll of exposing a 12-year-old to the pressures of elite-level training and international competition. Live Events At an age when she is still in the early stages of personal development, critics worry that such intense demands could have long-term effects on her well-being, both in and out of the pool. — WorldAquatics (@WorldAquatics) Christian Hansmann , sports director of German swimming, called her participation in Singapore 'questionable'. "Putting a girl of 12 in front of a world championship crowd of 5,000 spectators, with the high pressure from the media and the coaches, is far too early in my opinion," said Hansmann, who has children of a similar age, while talking to news agency AFP. World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki also acknowledged that the organisation was surprised a swimmer as young as Yu had met the qualifying standards. While Nowicki stated that World Aquatics is 'quite confident in our current safeguarding measures', he admitted that Yu's case could lead to a re-evaluation of the age eligibility rules, given the extraordinary nature of her qualification and the broader implications for athlete welfare. What's the age limit for World Championships? According to World Aquatics, the governing body for the sport, swimmers must generally be at least 14 years old to compete at senior-level events - unless they meet the stringent 'A' qualification standards, which effectively removes any hard age limit. How the young sensation Yu performed at Worlds Yu competed in four events at the World Aquatics Championships: the 200m butterfly , 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, and the 4x200m freestyle relay. She delivered standout performances in individual events, setting a personal best of 2:06.43 in the 200m butterfly, narrowly missing the podium by just 0.31 seconds to finish fourth. In the 200m individual medley, Yu again placed fourth, clocking 2:09.21 - a mere 0.06 seconds short of bronze. Her perseverance paid off in the 4x200m freestyle relay, where, despite only swimming in the heats, she played a key role in qualifying China for the final and earned a historic bronze medal, becoming the youngest medalist in the championship's history.
