Day 8
Florian Wellbrock made history by becoming the first man to win gold in the open water and the pool at the same World Championships as arena swimmers enjoyed a golden sunset to the programme in Gwangju, South Korea.
Katinka Hosszu and Daiya Seto both won gold in the 400m individual medley while Gregorio Paltrinieri, Sarah Sjostrom and Cate Campbell were all among the medals.
Wellbrock was locked in a battle in the 1500m and he took over the lead with 100m to go which he never relinquished to win in 14mins 36.54secs.
The German also won the 10km open water race to write a new line in the history books.
He said: “Of course, for me it’s a big thing. I’m now the first swimmer ever who became world champion in open water and in the pool”
“I expected a medal, but not gold. My strategy was to follow Paltrinieri as long as I can. During the last 50 I only thought: keep your head down, keep fast.
“It was mentally not easy for me after the 800 (he was 17th) – but we found the reason with my coach Bernd Berkhahn.
“I felt well the last days in the pool, that’s why i was quite confident for the race.”
Defending champion Paltrinieri was third in 14:38.75.
Hosszu also made history when she became the first woman to win five world titles in one event when she took gold in the 400m individual medley.
The ‘Iron Lady’ took over the lead at the halfway point and was never subsequently threatened to win in 4:30.39 for her fourth successive title.
She said: “Very good obviously. For me going into a 400IM the last day of a world champs – it is not what you are thinking about – oh my God this is my ninth gold medal or my fifth 400IM gold. It’s not something that gets you going.
“Today was a big fight: it always is on the last day of a world champs to swim a 400IM. I like it because it’s tough, it’s challenging and it hurts a lot, it shows you are. And I am happy with the time as well: going this time at the end of a world champs is definitely really good and prepares me to swim the first day in the Olympics.”
Seto won the men’s race in 4:08.95 to add gold in the longer race to his 200m individual medley victory a year away from a home Olympics in Tokyo.
Sjostrom was second in the 50m freestyle to become the first woman to have won five medals in individual events at a single World Championships.
The 25-year-old also won gold in the 50m butterfly, silver in the 100m fly as well as bronze in the 100m and 200m freestyle.
She missed gold by just 0.02secs in 24.07 and said: “I am very happy that I could get another medal, my fifth individual medal here,” she said.
“I don’t think many people have won medals in 50, 100 and 200 freestyle before, I’m not sure.
“Especially not with two extra events on the side – the 50 and 100 fly. It was a very close race but I am happy because I had such a tough programme, I wanted to challenge myself. I didn’t know if it was the right decision to do that but I am very, very pleased I decided to do such a tough programme.”
Cate Campbell was third, 0.04secs behind Sjostrom with Ranomi Kromowidjojo sixth.
Day 7
Sarah Sjostrom won 50m butterfly gold exactly 10 years to the day after she won her first world title on the penultimate night of the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
It was a third successive gold for Sjostrom in the one-length event while Ranomi Kromowidjojo claimed her second silver in a row behind the Swede.
Bruno Fratus won his second consecutive silver in the 50m freestyle and Chad le Clos claimed bronze in the 100m butterfly
Kromowidjojo rose ahead of the field in the 50m butterfly but Sjostrom, next to the Dutchwoman in lane four, moved on to her shoulder at 25m before propelling herself in front to touch first in 25.02 with Kromowidjojo 0.33secs behind
Exactly 10 years ago a 15-year-old Sjostrom won her first world title in the 100m butterfly at the Foro Italico in Rome.
She said: “They told me! That’s very cool. I’m very happy that I could win another gold medal especially after such a tough programme I’ve been having, I don’t think I ever had such a tough programme in a big championships like this before.”
Sjostrom has won eight world titles in all since 2009 and of whether she still gets the same buzz, the 25-year-old said: “I think I’m the same. I think it’s similar. Maybe not.
“When I won my first world champs when I was younger I didn’t really understand what was going on and the process around it. It’s almost like you get used to it after a while, it’s bad.
“But it feels extra good after you have been winning two bronze and a silver medal it feels extra good winning a gold medal.”
Fratus won his second silver in a row – and third medal overall – to claim joint silver in the splash and dash in 21.45.
“I got a World Championships silver in 2017. In 2018 they put four screws around my shoulder. In 2019 I came back for a silver again.
“It’s still a little slower than I wish I had swum but I can’t complain about that. I’m on my third podium in a row. Just keep going, keep working.”
Le Clos was third in the 100m fly in 51.16, one place ahead of 200m champion Kristof Milak.
The South African said: “Tough field. My performance for myself I was happy with the bronze but my time was a bit slow for me personally but I can’t complain – two bronze medals at the World Champs.”
Margherita Panziera was fourth in the 200m backstroke, locked out of the medals by by 0.05secs, with Katinka Hosszu eighth.
Sjostrom and Cate Campbell occupied the top two slots into the 50m freestyle final with Kromowidjojo and Bronte Campbell also through.
Xu Jiayu was sixth into the men’s 50m backstroke final but Jeremy Stravius missed out in 11th.
Day 6
Cate Campbell and Sarah Sjostrom took silver and bronze in the 100m freestyle as the queens of speed collided at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
Sjostrom was ahead of the Australian at the halfway point of the blue riband event but Campbell swam the fastest second 50 of the entire field to overhaul her friend and rival and touch in 52.43secs.
Sjostrom was just behind her in 52.46.
Campbell was delighted with her effort in her first global final since the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
She said: “I was locked in a battle with Sarah but I think this is a great stepping stone for me. It shows I can mix it up with the best in the world. I got the best of Simone (Manuel, the winner) a couple of nights ago and last year and I look forward to racing her again next year.
“While I am not 100% happy with that race I think that I have shown some great improvements over the last couple of years.
“I think it will be great for me going into Tokyo without a huge target on my back. I think I’ve well and truly shifted the focus away from that now so it’s great to be back and great to be mixing it with the best in the world.”
Ryosuke Irie was fifth in the men’s 200m backstroke final in 1:56.52.
Bruno Fratus was second into the 50m freestyle final while Kristof Milak, who set a new world record in the 200m butterfly, was third fastest into the 100m fly final, one place ahead of Chad Le Clos.
Sarah Sjostrom and Ranomi Kromowidjojo were the two fastest into the final of the 50m butterfly while Margherita Panziera was third into Saturday’s 200m backstroke final with Katinka Hosszu fifth.
Day 5
Daiya Seto was ecstatic after he won the 200m individual medley to break the United States’ stranglehold that stretched back to 2001 at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
The Japanese led at the halfway point and retained his lead as the field tried to make inroads to win in 1min 56.14secs.
The 25-year-old added gold to the silver he won in the 200m butterfly and with the 400m individual medley to come.
Seto is the first non-American to win the title in nine attempts and he beamed: “This 200m was so big for me because I prefer the 400 individual medley. This is a great step-up for the 400IM.
“I need to concentrate until the last day (for the 400IM) when I want to get my next medal.
“Now I want to continue (my form) to Tokyo 2020.”
Philip Heintz of Germany was locked out of the medals by one place and Mitch Larkin of Australia was seventh.
Australia’s 4x200m women’s freestyle relay squad fended off a challenge from the United States to set a new world record at the World Championships on Thursday.
It was a duel between the two superpowers from the start but Emma McKeon held off her American rival on the final length to pull ahead and win in 7mins 41.50secs.
That time cut 0.58secs from the previous world record set by China almost exactly 10 years ago.
Franzisca Hentze was a heart-breaking fourth in the 200m butterfly with the German missing out by 0.26secs and Marcelo Chierighini of Brazil was fifth in the men’s 100m freestyle in 47.93.
Sarah Sjostrom heads the women’s 100m freestyle field into the final in 52.43 with Cate Campbell second in 52.71.
The Australian welcomed Sjostrom’s form and presence, saying: “I think excellence is driven by competition. I think if you shy away from competition then you shy away from excellence.
“I really enjoy racing the best people in the world: it wouldn’t be the World Championship final without Sarah (Sjostrom) in it and I am really glad it won’t be a World Championship final without me.”
Ranomi Kromowidjojo was ninth, three places above Charlotte Bonnet.
Ryosuke Irie was eighth into the men’s 200m backstroke final.
Day 4
Kristof Milak sent shudders across poolsides around the world as he took a sledgehammer to Michael Phelps’ world record in the 200m butterfly as arena swimmers ruled the pool on Wednesday in Gwangju, South Korea.
Milak, of Hungary, led a clean sweep in the event with Daiya Seto and Chad Le Clos rounding out the podium as the 10-year world record was reduced to 1min 50.73secs.
The 19-year-old sliced a huge chunk of 0.78secs from the previous record set by Phelps at the World Championships in Rome in 2009.
He said: “Michael Phelps was never a hero of mine. I was only nine when he swam in Rome. I have seen the videos of his races but they are poor quality.
“Katinka Hosszu is much more a hero to me because I can see her in training at the Duna Arena and I know how hard she works.”
Seto of Japan was 3.13secs adrift in second and Le Clos, who led for the first 100m before finishing in 1:54.15, was stunned, saying: “I’m pretty shocked with what a great time it was, it was unbelievable. Looking at the splits are just phenomenal.
“He actually shattered it! 1:50.7 is a freestyle time: I think I went 1:49 at nationals 200 free so that’s a very special time.
Gregorio Paltrinieri set a new European record of 7mins 39.27secs to win the 800m freestyle title while Adam Peaty swam the third-fastest time in history to win the 50m breaststroke and become the first swimmer to win six world breaststroke titles.
Paltrinieri had won a silver and two bronze medals in the 800m but he was a clear winner as defending champion and team-mate Gabriele Detti finished fifth.
He said: “I mean it’s a big surprise. After the open water last week, I was feeling really tired. It was difficult to change from the open water to the swimming pool so it’s crazy to be here right now at the top of the world. I was silver in Kazan, bronze in Budapest, so just miss the gold.”
Peaty won the 50m breaststroke in 26.06, a time only he has bettered, to win the 50/100m double for the third time.
He is the first man to have done that and moved ahead of Cameron van der Burgh and Oleg Lisogor.
He said: “I don’t know that, that’s pretty cool. I think for me because I am in such a performance mindset that my emotion just stays neutral. I think in my reflection process in the next couple of weeks when I go home that’s when it will start to sink in. Exactly like I won the Olympics it didn’t start to sink in until after I got home.”
Sarah Sjostrom won bronze in the 200m freestyle in 1:54.78 but had to be treated with oxygen following the race although she recovered sufficiently to attend the medal ceremony. Charlotte Bonnet was seventh.
Philip Heintz and Seto were second and third respectively into the final of the 200m individual medley while Marcelo Chierighini was third into the 100m freestyle final. Alessandro Miressi just missed out on an automatic place and is first reserve.
Franziska Hentke was fifth into the final of the 200m butterfly.
Day 3
Xu Jiayu won gold and Mitch Larkin dug deep on the second length to take bronze in the 100m backstroke on day three of the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
While the two arena swimmers occupied the first and third step on the podium, Ryosuke Irie of Japan was sixth.
Xu was third at the turn before overhauling the swimmers in front of him to win in 52.43.
Larkin was seventh at the halfway point but produced the quickest split in the field on the second 50 of 27.18 to move into the bronze medal position in 52.77, locking out the Olympic champion Ryan Murphy by 0.01secs.
The 26-year-old, who was world champion in Kazan, Russia, in 2015, knew he had been in a real battle to get the medal with just 0.05secs separating third from fifth.
Larkin said: “I knew Murphy and the Brazilian (Guilherme Guido) were going to be out quick, I just said try and go out with them, let them draw you out.
“But I knew with 25m out it was going to be a dog-fight and it was going to be about who wants it more
“I said to Dean (coach Dean Boxall), I want this pretty bad. I just said to myself ‘you have been through a fair bit, dig deep and see what happens’.
“I did a double take after I got (Olympic champion) Ryan Murphy on the wall, I thought he was going to be the one who won it”
He added: “I am over the moon – I’ve never won an individual worlds bronze so I can tick that one off the list.
“Mum always jokes that it is nice to have the set to be honest – it’s about standing on the podium again.”
Larkin will return on Wednesday morning to contest the heats of the 200m individual medley in which he heads the world rankings.
Adam Peaty swam the fifth-fastest 50m in history to sweep into the final while Kristof Milak and Chad le Clos are first and fifth respectively in to the 200m butterfly final.
Sarah Sjostrom reached the final of the 200m freestylewith the Swede going through in fourth place in 1:55.70.
Day 2
Adam Peaty and Katinka Hosszu both won gold as arena swimmers continued to make the podium their own on the second night of the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
Peaty swam the fourth-fastest time in history to win the 100m breaststroke in 57.14 secs, 24 hours after becoming the first man to dip under 57 seconds as ‘Project 56’ finally came to fruition in 56.88 short seconds.
The 24-year-old has now become the first man to win three successive breaststroke world titles but he was still slightly dissatisfied with his time and will look to push on further ahead of Tokyo 2020.
He said: “It’s still a 57.1 which is about a second and a half faster than the rest of them. Very happy: that constant expectation I put upon myself is a little bit disappointed in me but I think that will fuel me for next year because I know how bad I want to go low 56, even faster now, and I know exactly how to do it.
“Obviously I’ve run out of opportunities here but yeah, just enjoy it – enjoy the moment.”
Hosszu became the first woman to secure four consecutive victories in an event when she won the 200m individual medley.
The ‘Iron Lady’ led from start to finish to win in 2:07.53 and admitted the medal had extra lustre because of the emotional demands that 2018 placed up on her.
“It has been a tough journey especially coming off last year,” she said.
“From outside it might seem just another gold medal but obviously for me it is really special to be here and to be able to win this title. I am looking forward to a lot of work for next year.”
On the lessons she has learned, Hosszu added: “I learned a lot of things last year. Honestly just for me like finding my purpose and who I am. I know a lot more about myself than I thought I knew and I a think I am starting to grow up, I am 30 now, really maturing. Coming into this World Champs and really deciding I am going to prepare for Tokyo I decided to have really have fun with swimming.”
Sarah Sjostrom took silver in the 100m butterfly in 56.22 and the Swedish swimmer was philosophical about not making it four titles in a row.
“Obviously I would be more happy with a gold medal,” she said.
“I felt already in the semi final and the prelims that I can’t really hold the last 50 back together. I am quite exhausted in the end. I am actually surprised that I did 56.22 with that hard finish. I wish I could complain and say I got water in my goggles or something like that but I actually had a pretty good race with good turns, good start: it’s just the back end speed but maybe that’s just age!”
Day 1
Adam Peaty took a sledgehammer to his own world record as ‘Project 56’ came to fruition as the Briton hit the wall in the 100m breaststroke semi-final in 56.88 seconds at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
While Peaty was setting about taking his event even further through a timewarp, Gabriele Detti won bronze in the 400m freestyle.
Peaty had long talked about his ambition to be the first swimmer under 57 seconds in the 100m breaststroke and his heat swim of 57.59 was the fifth-fastest in history.
The 24-year-old returned to the Nambu International Aquatics Center in the evening and turned at halfway under world-record pace on 26.63.
He pulled away from the field, his stroke long and smooth, for a second 50 of 30.25 as he took 0.22secs off the world record he set at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow.
Peaty said: “There’s no other word except for incredible. Obviously I’ve been chasing that for three years now. Ever since I touched the wall in Rio I was like I could go faster. It always comes down to where and when you do it and what kind of run-up in the season you had.”
Peaty, who is coached by Mel Marshall at Loughborough, will now return for the final on Monday night where he hopes to go quicker again.
He joked: “It would be a bit embarrassing to get the world record and not come away with the world title!”
Detti took bronze in the opening race of the evening session as he broke his own Italian record in 3:43.23.
The 24-year-old was fourth after 350m but battled his way into the medals as he matched the bronze medals he won at the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro as well as the World Championships in Budapest in 2017.
The race was won by Sun Yang of China whom Detti congratulated, saying: “He’s the best and he won. That’s all. I’m happy and I’ll try to beat him next year.”
The Italian also dismissed concerns about the injury that had ruled him out of last year’s European Championships.
“I don’t want to think about last year. My shoulder is good.”
Elsewhere, Katinka Hosszu was fastest through to the final of the 200m individual medley in 2:07.17.
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