Commonwealth Games – Day Six Prelims: Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh Set For 400 Freestyle Showdown
The sixth and final day of action at the Commonwealth Games has arrived and while the last prelim session is short, it might feature the most-anticipated event of the competition. Racing will take place at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in the men’s 200 individual medley, women’s 400 freestyle and the men’s 400 medley relay. The women’s 400 freestyle is the can’t-miss event, as it features the duel between Australian Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus and Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh.
Here is what took place during the last morning of prelims.
Men’s 200 Individual Medley
A stacked field will battle for the medals during the evening finals, with England’s Tom Dean leading the way as the top seed. The reigning Olympic champ in the 200 freestyle, Dean showed his skill across all strokes when he registered a time of 1:59.36. He was followed by Canadian Finlay Knox, the only other athlete under two minutes for prelims. Knox checked in at 1:59.67, with title favorite Duncan Scott of Scotland next at 2:00.67.
Also advancing was New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt, who is looking for his third gold medal of the meet. Clareburt went 2:01.12 for the sixth spot and will try to complement his victories in the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly. Surprisingly, South African star Matthew Sates missed the final after finishing 12th.
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Women’s 400 Freestyle
All eyes in the final will be on Aussie Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh, as both women are expected to go under the four-minute mark in what might be the race of the meet. Titmus and McIntosh eased through their morning swims, with Titmus going 4:08.25 for the third seed and Titmus posting a time of 4:07.36 for the second seed. Topping prelims was New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather, who covered her eight laps in 4:07.27.
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Men’s 400 Medley Relay
Behind the quartet of Mitch Larkin, Sam Williamson, Cody Simpson and William Yang, Australia earned the No. 1 seed for the final in 3:34.35. England earned the second spot in 3:35.88 while Canada was disqualified. With three nations scratching out of the prelims, the event could have gone straight to finals with only eight entries.
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Hi admin, for W 400m freestyle – both 2nd seed and 3rd seed Titmus. Typo error there. Pls take note, thanks!