US breaks mixed relay record in world heats
The United States broke the mixed 4x100-meter medley world record at the FINA world championships on Wednesday while Cameron McEvoy was the fastest from the men's 100 freestyle heats.
The US quartet of Ryan Murphy, Kevin Cordes, Kelsei Worrell and Mallory Comerford clocked 3 minutes, 40.28 seconds in the heats to break the previous mixed medley relay record of 3:41.71 set by Great Britain two years ago in Kazan, Russia.
Australia (3:44.13) was the only country within 4 seconds of the Americans. The final will be held in the evening session at Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
The mixed medley relay was added to the world championships two years ago and will become part of the Olympic program at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Six world records have been broken at this year's worlds in Budapest.
The relay record is in danger of falling again in Wednesday night's final with Great Britain and Canada also qualifying behind the US and Australia.
Britain's Adam Peaty could also lower his own 50 breaststroke record in Wednesday's final, having broken it twice on Tuesday in the heats and again in the semifinals.
Australia's McEvoy was the fastest from the men's 100 freestyle heats, clocking 47.97 seconds, but all of the top eight were within a whisker of his time.
"That's been my quickest morning swim ever," said McEvoy.
"With the improvement in depth of the 100 free, you can't do a heat saying you're going to back off or not try here.
"You just have to nail it the way you want it and hope for the best."
Identical times
Four swimmers, including Nathan Adrian of the US, the 2012 Olympic champion; Britain's Duncan Scott; and Japan's Shinri Shioura, all clocked identical times of 48.46.
"It's really close, always has been, always will be," said Scott, who finished fourth in Tuesday's 200 freestyle final.
"The semis will be really close again, there won't be any backing off there, it'll be close tonight."
Japan's Kosuke Hagino, the Olympic 400 individual medley champion, was the quickest in the men's 200 IM heats, clocking 1:56.46,.
His compatriot Daiya Seto, the 400 IM world champion was fourth fastest at 0.67 seconds back.
Chinese teenager Qin Haiyang swam a new junior world record of 1:59.01 to qualify as eighth fastest for the evening semifinals.
Following her 200 individual medley gold medal on Monday, home-crowd favorite Katinka Hosszu blasted her way into the women's 200 butterfly semifinals as the fastest qualifier in 2:07.25.
China's Zhang Yufei was just behind at 0.25 seconds back with compatriot Zhou Yilin at 0.47.
As they always do when a Hungarian swimmer enters the water, the crowd roared Hosszu home.
Hungarian backstroker Sara Joo said the home support is nothing like she has experienced before in Budapest.
"I have already swum in front of a home crowd at the European Championships two times, but this one has a completely different atmosphere. It was fantastic," she said after her heat.
China's Fu Yuanhui was fastest through the women's 50 backstroke heats into the semis.
The Olympic bronze medalist over 100 clocked 27.21 seconds, just 0.15 off the world record.
Emily Seebohm, who won bronze on Tuesday when Canada's Kylie Masse broke the women's world record over 100, was eighth fastest through at 0.70 behind Fu's time.
"I'm looking forward to the 50 semi tonight and hopefully making it through to the final, I'm not a specialist in this event and I'm having fun with that," said Seebohm.
Australia's Holly Barratt, a rookie at the world championships at the veteran age of 29, was the fifth fastest.