Records Tumble As Short-course World Championships Open

Budapest, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Dec, 2024) Records tumbled on the opening day of the world short course swimming championships in Budapest with Gretchen Walsh, Noe Ponti, Summer McIntosh, Kate Douglass and two US relay teams breaking the old marks.

Walsh, a 21-year-old American, broke three world record during the day. She shattered the 50m short-course butterfly world record in her morning heat, swimming 24.02 seconds to slash 0.32sec off the record set by Swede Therese Alshammar in 2009, in the era of the now banned supersuits.

In the evening, Walsh, who won two Olympic relay golds in the summer, dipped under 24 seconds with a time of 23.94. She then wondered how she could go faster in Wednesday's final.

"I don't know what I am going to fix going into tomorrow but I am going to have to find something!" she said.

In the next race, Swiss swimmer Ponti broke the men's 50m fly record for the third time this year when he won his semi-final in 21.43.

McIntosh, a triple gold medallist at the Paris Olympics, obliterated the women's short-course 400-meter freestyle world record to take the first gold of the championships.

The Canadian 18-year-old won in 3min 50.25sec to take 1.05sec off the record set by China's Li Bingjie in October 2022.

Australian Lani Pallister took silver, 3.

48sec behind, with Canadian Mary-Sophie Hardy third.

American Kate Douglass made it four world records in four races when she won the women's 200m medley in a time of 2:01.63, 0.23 sec inside the mark set by Hungarian Katinka Hosszu in 2014.

Alex Walsh, older sister of Gretchen, was third, 1.02 back, with Briton Abbie Wood third.

Gretchen Walsh claimed a third world record, and Douglass a second, as the evening ended with the Americans sweeping the 100m freestyle relays.

Douglass led off and Walsh swum the anchor leg as the US women came home in 3:25.01 to shave 0.42 seconds off Australia's world record. Australia were second 3,24sec slower on the night. Canada, with Harvey and McIntosh swimming the first two legs, were third.

In the men's race, the American's won in 3:01.66, breaking the old mark by more than a second. Again the former record holders, in this case Italy were second, 1.99 behind. Poland were third.

Douglass led off in the women's final as the Americans came home in 3:25.0 to break Australia's world record by 0.42sec. The Australians finished second on Tuesday, 3.34 sec behind.

In the night's other finals, American Shaine Casas won the men's 200m medley and Tunisian Ahmed Jaouadi edged German former Olympic champion Florian Wellbrock to win the men's 1500m.