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: Madison Wilson (AUS), Leah Smith (USA) Leading Off 800 Free Relay Teams in Heats (Lineups) The women’s 800 freestyle relay will conclude the program on day five of the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Australia enters as the favorite after setting a world record in the event at last year’s Commonwealth Games, and Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus just finished 1-2 in the women’s 200 free, with O’Callaghan beating Federica Pellegrini’s 14-year-old world record while Titmus finished just off the old standard. The primary to challenge for Australia will come from the defending world champion United States team, a group featuring Katie Ledecky. Click here to view the full lineups for prelims. Both favored groups will rest their main stars in prelims. Australia will go with Madison Wilson, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Kiah Melverton. Wilson and Melverton joined O’Callaghan and Titmus on last year’s world-record relay. O’Callaghan and Titmus will surely return to the squad at night, with Shayna Jack an option for the team after impressive relay performances so far in Fukuoka plus at least one from this prelims roster. As for the Americans, Leah Smith, Erin Gemmell, Alex Shackell and Anna Peplowski will race. Smith is racing at her fifth World Championships, and she has been part of three gold-medal 800 free relays plus a silver-medal-winning team in 2019, but the other three swimmers are all racing at their first senior-level international competition. Ledecky, Bella Sims and Claire Weinstein are likely to enter this group at night, although Weinstein became somewhat of a question mark after her 200 free semifinal time of 1:57.03 was almost two seconds off her best time from last month’s U.S. Nationals. Canada, the winners of bronze last year, will swim a totally different foursome to last year’s lineup, with Katerine Savard on the anchor leg. 200 free Worlds bronze medalist Summer McIntosh would join the squad assuming qualification for the final and likely Taylor Ruck as well. China, the winners of Olympic gold in 2021, will have both of the country’s individual event entries, Ai Yanhan and Li Jiaping, racing in qualifying. We’ll see if any members of the gold-medal team from two years ago, including Yang Junxuan, Li Bingjie and Zhang Yufei, come in at night. Of note, Marrit Steenbergen will anchor the Netherlands while 400 free bronze medalist Erika Fairweather will swim the leadoff leg for New Zealand.
