The 2024 World Aquatics Championship saw three semifinal events on Day 3 from Doha.
Swimmers punched their tickets into the finals in the men’s 50 breaststroke, the women’s 200 freestyle and the men’s 200 butterfly.
World Championships: Women’s 200 Freestyle Semis
After making history as the first world champion from New Zeeland in the 400 free, Erika Fairweather continued her stellar meet by claiming the top seed for the finals of the women’s 200 freestyle.
Fairweather got to the wall in 1:55.75 to finish ahead of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey. The Olympic silver medalist finished in 1:56.04 to take the second seed.
Australia’s Shayna Jack claimed the third seed with a swim of 1:56.80.
Czech Republic’s Barbora Seemanova took the fourth seed in 1:57.00, followed by Australia’s Brianna Throssell (1:57.09), Brazil’s Maria Fernanda De Oliveira Da Silva Costa (1:57.11), while China’s Li Bingjie and Hungary’s Nikolett Padar tied for the seventh spot at 1:57.13.
World Championships: Men’s 50 Breaststroke semis
Australian Sam Williamson sprinted to the wall faster than anyone in the men’s 50 breast semifinals. He got to the wall in 26.41 after a reaction time of 0.62, the third best in the field.
Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi took the second seed in 26.65, ahead of USA’s Nic Fink (26.77) and Great Britain’s Adam Peaty (26.85), who has returned to major competition.
Italy’s Simone Cerasuolo took the fifth spot in 26.98, followed by Germany’s Lucas Matzerath (27.01), Peter Stevens (27.04) and Mikel Schreuders (27.05).
World Championships: Men’s 200 Butterfly semis
Italy’s Alberto Razzetti edged Japan’s Tomoru Honda in an extremely close second semifinal heat to take the top seed on the finals in the men’s 200 butterfly.
Razzetti got to the wall in 1:55.09, just ahead of Honda (1:55.20).
Just behind were Poland’s Michal Chmielewski (1:55.38) and Austria’s Martin Espernberger (1:55.40).
Rounding out the finalists were Estonia’s Kregor Zirk (1:55.64), New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt (1:55.82), South Africa’s Matthew Sates (1:55.88) and Hungary’s Richard Marton (1:56.04).
Expected to contend for gold in the 200 fly, Poland’s Krzysztof Chmielewski was disqualified in his semifinal of the 200 fly. He was the silver medalist to France’s Leon Marchand at last summer’s World Champs and figures contend for the podium at the Olympics in Paris.
