Latest news with #goldmedal
Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Ledecky bags 22nd title as Popovici savours ‘scary' gold
Katie Ledecky won her first gold medal of the Championships in the 1,500m women's freestyle today. (AP pic) SINGAPORE : Katie Ledecky won the 22nd world title of her legendary career today to close in on Michael Phelps's record as fellow Olympic champions David Popovici and Kaylee McKeown also struck gold. American great Ledecky cruised to a dominant 1,500m freestyle gold, touching the wall in 15:26.44s, having threatened her own world record of 15:20.48s. The masterful win in Singapore moved Ledecky four short of the retired Phelps's career tally of 26 world gold medals. 'Growing up it was very inspiring to watch World Championships, Olympic Games that Michael was in, trying to learn from the very best,' said Ledecky, 28. 'I was always a student of the sport.' Ledecky's win gave the American the sixth world 1,500m freestyle title of her career. She is also a nine-time Olympic gold medallist. Second was Simona Quadarella of Italy in 15:31.79s and third Australia's Lani Pallister in 15:41.18s. Ledecky was the red-hot favourite going into the race, having qualified for the final over 10 seconds faster than nearest challenger Pallister. She also went into the race owning the top 24 1,500m freestyle times ever, and set the second-fastest time in history in April behind her own record. Pallister pushed her with a fast early tempo and Ledecky was on world record pace until late in the race. In the end she fell short of the mark but still clocked the fifth-fastest time ever. 'Lani took it out there. I knew she would be out fast and I just wanted to get out fast, but comfortable enough that I could go from there,' said Ledecky. 'I'm happy with the time and happy with the swim.' It is Ledecky's first gold medal of the Championships, after picking up a bronze behind Summer McIntosh in the 400m freestyle on Sunday's opening night in Singapore. Ledecky is set to go head-to-head with Canadian phenomenon McIntosh again in the 800m freestyle. Popovici claimed a thrilling 200m freestyle gold – then revealed he had very nearly pulled out. The 20-year-old Romanian reeled in US rival Luke Hobson to take the title in 1:43.53s, with Hobson settling for silver (1:43.84s) and Japan's 18-year-old Tatsuya Murasa taking bronze (1:44.54s). Popovici said afterwards that he had seriously considered withdrawing from the competition before it started, even going as far as looking at flights home. 'It was a mental thing and it had to do with the fear of seeing my real potential,' said Popovici, who reclaimed his world crown from 2022. 'That's very scary. And so I'm really glad I didn't quit.' 'Nerve-wracking' Australia's McKeown beat a recently dislocated shoulder, nerves and old rival Regan Smith of the US to win the 100m backstroke gold, narrowly missing the world record. McKeown powered to the wall in a championship record 57.16s, with Smith having to once more settle for second, just 0.19s behind. Katharine Berkoff, also of the US, took bronze. McKeown's victory underlines her status as the undisputed force in women's backstroke. 'It's always very nerve-wracking, especially off the back of the Olympics,' said the 24-year-old, who won the 100-200m backstroke double at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. 'I was probably a bit more nervous than I would like to have been tonight.' McKeown's latest triumph came after hurting her shoulder in the lead-up to Singapore. 'It's been quite irritated but I've got a good medical team and physios to help me get through.' Germany's Anna Elendt won the first world title of her career in the women's 100m breaststroke, coming home in 1:05.19s. American Kate Douglass was second in 1:05.27s, with China's Tang Qianting third in 1:05.64s. South Africa's Pieter Coetze won the men's 100m backstroke in 51.85s in a surprise, ahead of Italy's Thomas Ceccon (51.90s) and France's Yohann Ndoye-Brouard.
ABC News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Mollie O'Callaghan wins 200m freestyle gold at swimming world championships in Singapore
Australian swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan's golden touch has continued with an emotional victory at the world championships in Singapore. O'Callaghan collected gold in the women's 200m freestyle on a Wednesday night at the worlds when Australia's fortunes fluctuated. The victory means the 21-year-old has drawn level with Grant Hackett on 10 world titles, and is one off equalling Ian Thorpe. She still has the 100m and two relays to come. Meanwhile, stalwart Kyle Chalmers laid down an ominous marker for the men's 100m freestyle final and rookie Harrison Turner won bronze in the men's 200m butterfly — Australia's first medal in the event at a world titles. But compatriot Sam Short's torrid times at major meets continued when the gold medal fancy was forced to withdraw from the men's 800m freestyle final because of gastro illness. He suspects food poisoning from lunch at the team hotel, but Swimming Australia said the source had yet to be identified. Short's Olympics last year were cruelled by illness and injury and the 21-year-old was hoping his fortunes had changed in Singapore after winning silver in in the 400m freestyle on the opening night of the titles. His disappointment at not making the blocks was in stark contrast to O'Callaghan's joy at her 200m freestyle gold. O'Callaghan triumphed in one minute and 53.48 seconds with teammate Jamie Perkins (1:56.55) finishing seventh. "Heading into this week has been a whirlwind," O'Callaghan said. "Having a big long break after the Olympics was well needed and then coming back from injury myself, I am so thankful to have an amazing coach [Dean Boxall] to guide me through this difficult time. "I know it has been hard for a lot of people to come back after the Olympics but I am very grateful to have a good support from the team to get me through this mentally and physically." Chalmers was fourth fastest into Thursday night's 100m freestyle medal race. The 27-year-old clocked 47.36 seconds in his semi-final — quicker than his 2016 Olympic gold medal swim and also faster than his silver medal effort at last year's Olympics. American Jack Alexy (46.81) topped semifinal times. And the Dolphins' medal tally received an unexpected boost when 21-year-old Turner snared bronze in the men's 200m butterfly. The 21-year-old former cross country athlete snuck into the final in lane eight and then produced an Australian record of 1:54.17 in a race won by American Luca Urlando (1:51.87). "I looked up on the board and I had to look there for a bit, I was like: 'Does it say third?'," Turner said. "It's just unreal." Australia's mixed 4x100m medley team of Kaylee McKeown, Nash Wilkes, Matt Temple and Milla Jansen finished fifth. Also on Wednesday night, French megastar Leon Marchand broke the men's 200m medley world record. Marchand clocked 1:52.69 in a semifinal, well inside American Ryan Lochte's previous benchmark of 1:54.00 set in 2011. Meanwhile at the diving world titles held concurrently in Singapore, Australian duo Cassiel Rousseau and Maddison Keeney won silver in the mixed 3m springboard synchro on Wednesday night. The silver was Keeney's second medal of the championships after winning 1m springboard gold last Saturday. AAP
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
World Aquatics Championships 2025: Leon Marchand breaks Ryan Lochte's record; Luca Urlando wins gold in butterfly
It's not a surprise that France's Léon Marchand is one of the best swimmers in the world. Marchand won four gold medals at the 2024 Olympics, destroying the competition and announcing himself as a dominant force in the sport. He took that a step further Wednesday. Marchand set a new standard in the 200m individual medley Wednesday, not only beating Ryan Lochte's record, but obliterating it by more than a second. Marchand finished with a time of 1:52.69 during the semifinals Wednesday. The previous record, which was held by Lochte, was 1:54.00. Lochte set that record at the World Championships in 2011. With the win in the semifinals, Marchand will look to carry his success over to the final Thursday. Marchand won the 200m individual medley at the World Championships in both 2022 and 2023, and will look for his third gold in the event Thursday. Luca Urlando takes home gold in 200m butterfly The 200m butterfly has proved an elusive event for Team USA on the men's side following Michael Phelps' retirement. No American man had medaled in the event since 2011, Phelps' last time winning the 200m butterfly at the World Championships. But that changed Wednesday, as Luca Urlando came away with the gold. Urlando posted a 1:51:87 time, beating Poland's Krzysztof Chmielewski and Australia's Harrison Turner for the top spot. Chmielewski finished second with a time of 1:52:64. Turner came in third, posting a 1:54:17 time. The win is a long time coming for Urlando, who was on the rise before a shoulder injury derailed him in 2022. With the win, Urlando becomes the first American man to pick up a gold medal at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. The team struggled early at the event due to an illness that caused a number of swimmers to pull out of events or post slower times than usual. The team has recovered since then, with the women leading the way. Gretchen Walsh and Katie Ledecky are among the Team USA women to pick up gold medals at the World Championships so far. Jack Alexy sets new American record in 100m freestyle American Jack Alexy looked strong during 100m freestyle prelims Wednesday. Alexy turned in an incredible time of 46.81, setting an American record. Alexy's time narrowly beat Caeleb Dressel's 46.96 from the 2019 World Championships. It was an impressive performance by Alexy, but it didn't result in a medal ... yet. Alexy still needs to compete in the final. If he can recapture his semifinal performance, Alexy could walk away from the 100m freestyle with a medal. His job did get somewhat easier Wednesday after 100m freestyle favorite Pan Zhanle was surprisingly eliminated after a poor performance in the semis.
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan marks comeback with world 200m freestyle crown
Australian swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan's golden touch has continued with an emotional victory at the world championships in Singapore. O'Callaghan collected gold in the women's 200m freestyle on a Wednesday night when Australia's fortunes fluctuated. Kyle Chalmers laid down an ominous marker for the men's 100m freestyle final and rookie Harrison Turner won bronze in the men's 200m butterfly – Australia's first medal in the event at a world championships. But compatriot Sam Short's torrid run at major tournaments continued when the gold medal hopeful was forced to withdraw from the men's 800m freestyle final because of gastro illness. He suspects food poisoning from lunch at the team hotel, but Swimming Australia said the source had yet to be established. Short's Olympics last year were upset by illness and injury and the 21-year-old was hoping his fortunes had changed in Singapore when winning silver in in the 400m freestyle on the opening night. His disappointment at not making the blocks was in stark contrast to O'Callaghan's joy at her 200m freestyle gold. O'Callaghan triumphed in one minute 53.48 seconds with teammate Jamie Perkins (1:56.55) finishing seventh. 'Heading into this week has been a whirlwind,' O'Callaghan said. 'Having a big long break after the Olympics was well needed and then coming back from injury myself, I am so thankful to have an amazing coach [Dean Boxall] to guide me through this difficult time. 'I know it has been hard for a lot of people to come back after the Olympics but I am very grateful to have a good support from the team to get me through this mentally and physically.' Chalmers was fourth fastest into Thursday night's 100m freestyle medal race. The 27-year-old clocked 47.36 seconds in his semi-final – quicker than his 2016 Olympic gold medal swim and also faster than his silver medal effort at last year's Olympics. American Jack Alexy (46.81) topped the semi-final times. And the Dolphins medal tally received an unexpected boost when 21-year-old Turner snared bronze in the men's 200m fly. The 21-year-old former cross-country athlete snuck into the final in lane eight and then produced an Australian record of 1:54.17 in a race won by American Luca Urlando (1:51.87). 'I looked up on the board and I had to look there for a bit, I was like: 'Does it say third?',' Turner said. 'It's just unreal.' Australia's mixed 4x100m medley team of Kaylee McKeown, Nash Wilkes, Matt Temple and Milla Jansen finished fifth. Also on Wednesday night, French star Leon Marchand broke the men's 200m medley world record. Marchand clocked 1:52.69 in a semi-final, well inside American Ryan Lochte's previous benchmark of 1:54.00 set in 2011. Meanwhile at the diving world titles held concurrently in Singapore, Australian duo Cassiel Rousseau and Maddison Keeney won silver in the mixed 3m springboard synchro on Wednesday night. The silver was Keeney's second medal of the championships after winning 1m springboard gold last Saturday.
CBC
13 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Summer McIntosh advances to world championship 200m butterfly final with 2nd fastest semifinal time
Toronto's Summer McIntosh will compete for her third gold medal of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Thursday, after advancing to the women's 200-metre butterfly final with the second fastest time in the semifinals.
