Editorial content for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships is sponsored by FINIS, a longtime partner of Swimming World and leading innovator of suits, goggles and equipment. World Championships, Day One Prelims: Sam Short Powers to Top Seed In the 400 Freestyle; Olympic Champ Ahmed Hafnaoui Lurking Australian Sam Short used the morning preliminaries of the 400-meter freestyle to make a statement at the World Championships, as the 19-year-old cruised to the top seed for the final in 3:42.44. Short moved ahead of the field at the midway point of the sixth heat and was under world-record pace at the 350-meter mark. The 400 freestyle has a rich tradition in Australia, one developed through the years by the likes of Murray Rose, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett. Now, Short will try to etch his name as a world champion over eight laps. Short’s identity as a world-class distance freestyler has grown significantly over the past year and his initial foray at the Marine Messe Hall only solidified that status. He’ll be joined in the final by countryman Elijah Winnington, the reigning world champion who qualified in seventh in 3:44.63. A logjam of athletes filled in the slots between Short and Winnginton, with Austria Felix Aubock going 3:44.14 for second and Brazil’s Guilherme Costa, the bronze medalist at the 2022 Worlds, clocking a time of 3:44.17 for third. Reigning Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia advanced to the final in the fourth position and will try to add gold to the title he captured in Tokyo. Hafnaoui bypassed last year’s World Championships, but looked strong in his first swim of the 2023 Worlds. Lurking through the first half of the race, Hafnaoui moved up over the final four laps and figures to contend for the podium during the evening session. Germany’s Lukas Martens was fifth in 3:44.42 and South Korea’s Woomin Kim was sixth in 3:44.52. Rounding out the field for the final was Switzerland’s Antonio Djakovic, who touched in 3:45.43. The United States was locked out of the final, with Kieran Smith going 3:45.77 for ninth and David Johnston placing 17th in 3:48.68.
