Wang retains 200 IM title as Seto makes a splash in Hangzhou
Daiya Seto of Japan competes en route to winning the men's 200 meters butterfly final at the FINA World Championships (25m) in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday.
Chinese swimmer Wang Shun retained his 200 meters individual medley title at the FINA World Championships (25m) in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday, while two world records were renewed.
Wang, who won the gold two years ago in Windsor, Canada, finished first in 1 minute, 51.01 seconds, 1.68 seconds faster than Josh Prenot of the United States. Japan's Hiromasa Fujimori was third in 1:52.73.
"I am so excited today," said the 24-year-old Wang. "I achieved my aim. I am very happy that I retained the title and improved my time."
"I will do my best in my next events and I hope I can swim my pb (personal best)," he added.
Japan's Seto Daiya broke the men's 200 butterfly world record. Seto touched the wall first in 1:48.24 seconds, while former world record holder South Africa's Chad Le Clos trailed in 1:48.32. China's Li Zhuhao was third in 1:50.39.
Seto, who won bronze in the 400 medley at the Rio 2016 Olympics, just about held off Le Clos down the stretch to triumph.
Le Clos also beat his previous world-leading time of 1:48.56, set in Singapore in 2013, but the reigning long-course and short-course champion had to settle for silver.
"I didn't expect the world record," said Seto. "Now I will focus on the 400 IM, and I hope I can break that world record also."
Le Clos, 26, swimming out of lane one, said: "It stings to lose like that.
"I broke the world record tonight and the national record, and I got silver. I don't know how that happened."
Li was happy with his bronze. "This is my first medal at the worlds," he said. "It means a lot."
Also record-breakers were the United States, whose swimmers bettered their own nine-year world mark to surge to gold in the men's 4x100 freestyle.
Powered on the first leg by Caeleb Dressel, the brilliant 22-year-old who has drawn comparisons with US swim legend Michael Phelps, the Americans romped home ahead of the Russians in a record time of 3:03.03. Brazil finished third
That trumped their December 2009 short-course record of 3:03.30.
The US also won the women's 4X100 relay title in 3:27.78.
China's Wang Shun retained his 200 meters individual medley gold medal at the FINA World Championships (25m) in Hangzhou on Tuesday.
China's 16-year-old Wang Jianjiahe ranked fifth in the women's 200 freestyle final. Wang is the rising star of the team as she broke the 400 short-course world record at the Swimming World Cup in Budapest, Hungary, in October.
Australia's Ariarne Titmus won the gold in 1:51.38, while Mallory Comerford of the US trailed in 1:51.81. Femke Heemskerk of the Netherlands came third in 1:52.36.
The men's 400 freestyle gold was clinched by Lithuania's Danas Rapsys in a time of 3:34.01. Norway's Henrik Christiansen took the silver in 3:36.64, and the bronze went to Gabriele Detti of Italy, who finished in 3:37.54.
Hungary's Katinka Hosszu, a triple gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was a strong favorite in the women's 400 IM — and she did not disappoint.
Dubbed the "Iron Lady", Hosszu dominated the short-course world championships two years ago in Canada, carrying home seven golds.
She wasted no time getting her first victory in Hangzhou, sealing a dominant win in 4:21.40, comfortably ahead of Melanie Margalis of the US who won silver, more than four seconds back. Fantine Lesaffre of France came third in 4:27.31.
Also on Tuesday, China's Xu Jiayu topped the men's 100 backstroke semifinals in a time of 49.21.
