A Special Thanks to Deep Blue Media for providing the images from this meet FLASH! World Championships, Day Five Semifinals: Ruta Meilutyte Blasts World Record In 50 Breaststroke The fifth day of action at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne featured the final session of semifinals, as the Day Six night session is reserved solely for finals. With athletes pursuing spots in the last-day championship races, it wasn’t a surprise that the Day Five semis featured several impressive performances, including a world record from Ruta Meilutyte. Here is a recap of what unfolded Down Under. The United States’ Torri Huske, who has had a busy week between her individual and relay duties, secured the top seed for the final of the women’s 100 butterfly, posting a time of 55.23. A standout at Stanford University, Huske is expected to battle Canadian and reigning Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil in the final. Mac Neil went 55.83 to finish just behind Huske in the first semifinal. Claiming the second seed for the final was Sweden’s Louise Hansson, as she touched the wall in 55.78 to prevail in the second semifinal. In the fourth and fifth slots were Germany’s Angelina Kohler and American Claire Curzan, respectively. Kohler was timed in 56.23, with Curzan going 56.37. Photo Courtesy: Already the champion in the 200 butterfly, South Africa’s Chad Le Clos will chase the latest gold medal of his career in the 100 butterfly. Le Clos grabbed the No. 1 seed for the final with the only sub-49 clocking of the semifinals, as he touched in 48.98. There was a tie for the second position between Switzerland’s Noe Ponti and Italian Matteo Rivolta, with both athletes clocking 49.07. Lurking in fourth is Germany’s Marius Kusch, off a swim of 49.20. Photo Courtesy: The disqualification of Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte in the final of the 100 breaststroke may have motivated the veteran, as she blitzed her semifinal with a world record of 28.37, an effort that sliced .19 off the 2018 global standard of Jamaican Alia Atkinson (28.56). On the way to the final and the fastest mark of all-time, Meilutyte finished almost a half-second ahead of No. 2 qualifier Lilly King, whose 28.86 was the only other effort under 29 seconds. South African Lara van Niekerk went 29.27 for an African record and the No. 3 seed for the final. In the final of the 100 breast, Meilutyte was disqualified for performing multiple dolphin kicks off the start. Otherwise, the 2022 season has been superb for the 2012 Olympic champion. After briefly walking away from the sport and serving a doping suspension due to multiple missed tests, Meilutyte has been terrific during her comeback. Over the summer, she won gold in the 50 breaststroke at the long-course World Championships and medaled twice at the European Championships. “It’s just starting to sink in,” Meilutyte said. “I thought about being disqualified earlier in the meet. I always want to find a way to enjoy my swimming. I am so happy for this moment.” Photo Courtesy: A tightly packed field will duel for the gold medal, with Italian Nicolo Martinenghi as the top seed behind a swim of 25.60. Martinenghi was followed in second by American Nic Fink, as the reigning champion checked in at 25.64. Back in seventh, but dangerous, is Great Britain’s Adam Peaty, who clocked 25.85 to book a lane for the final. Photo Courtesy:
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Men’s 100 Butterfly
Women’s 50 Breaststroke
Men’s 50 Breaststroke
