Fukuoka: Just over a year out from Paris 2024, Australia’s best swimmers have arrived in Japan ready to return with as many medals as possible.
The World Aquatics Championships encompass a number of water sports, including diving, water polo, synchronised swimming and open water races.
But the majority of interest and eyeballs over the next eight days will be on the pool where 42 gold medals will be up for grabs.
When and where?
The swimming program begins on Sunday (July 23) and runs until the following Sunday (July 30).
There are two sessions – morning and evening. Heats are in the morning, starting at 10.30am local time (11.30am AEST), while semi-finals and finals take place in the evening.
Finals action begins at 8pm local time (9am AEST), with anywhere between four and seven finals scheduled for each day.
Kyle Chalmers is eyeing off a gold medal in the 100m freestyle. Credit: Getty
Why do these world championships matter?
It’s been four years since there was a fully fledged longcourse world championships.
The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics meant last year’s world championships in Budapest were the first held since 2019 in Gwangju, South Korea.
However, Australia and a number of other countries didn’t send their strongest team to Budapest because the Commonwealth Games started shortly after in Birmingham.
Many of Australia’s swimmers took part in the world shortcourse championships in December in Melbourne but ultimately, results in a 50-metre pool are the ones they really care about.
Fukuoka last hosted the world championships in 2001, where Australia topped the medal tally. It was the first time Australia had, at a major meet, beaten the USA on a swimming medal tally since the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
How many swimmers has Australia sent?
The Dolphins have 31 swimmers – 16 men and 15 women – entered for races in the pool, with more than half (19) born in Queensland.
Kaylee McKeown will swim the most individual events, having entered three backstroke races (50m, 100m and 200m), plus the 200m individual medley.
Coach Dean Boxall, famous for his post-race celebration at the Tokyo Olympics after Ariarne Titmus won gold in the 400m freestyle, has 10 swimmers in his stable at these world championships.
Flynn Southam (18 years and 43 days) is the youngest member of the team, while Cam McEvoy (29 years and 71 days) is the oldest.
Who are Australia’s best chances of a gold medal?
Like the last few years, Australia’s women are expected to trump their male teammates in Japan.
Titmus will go close in the 400m freestyle against Summer McIntosh from Canada and American great Katie Ledceky, while McKeown could win three individual gold medals if she rises to the occasion.
Mollie O’Callaghan has posted the fastest times in the world this year in the 100m and 200m freestyle events but will face fierce competition from Emma McKeon, a 17-time world championship medallist, in the two-lap dash.
Shayna Jack (silver medal), Mollie O’Callaghan (gold medal) and Emma McKeon (bronze medal) after the women’s 100m freestyle final at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year.Credit: AP
When it comes to the men, Zac Stubblety-Cook (200m breaststroke), Sam Short and Elijah Winnington (400m freestyle) and Cam McEvoy (50m freestyle) loom as Australia’s best gold medal hopes.
McKeown (100m and 200m backstroke) and Stubblety-Cook (200m breaststroke) are Australia’s only world record holders in individual events.
As for relays, there could be multiple Australian gold medals. There are 10 relays – including two mixed gender ones – on the program.
If you’re going to watch one, make it the women’s 4x100m freestyle this Sunday night.
These world championships serve as qualification for relays at next year’s Olympics. The top three here automatically get a relay spot in Paris.
10 races to watch
1. Men’s 400m freestyle – Sunday 9.02pm AEST
Australia has two big gold medal hopes in Sam Short and Elijah Winnington. Short has the fastest time in the world this year (three minutes, 42.46 seconds), while Winnington won this event at the 2022 world championships. Winnington’s personal best is more than a second faster than Short but the latter is a rising star of Australian swimming who is desperate for a maiden world title.
2. Women’s 400 freestyle – Sunday 9.32pm AEST
The best race on the program. Canadian teen Summer McIntosh broke Ariarne Titmus’ world record in March and goes into the race as a narrow favourite. Titmus beat McIntosh at the Tokyo Olympics and at last year’s Commonwealth Games. Throw perhaps the greatest female swimmer of all-time, Katie Ledecky, into the mix and you’ve got three current or former world record holders battling it out.
3. Women’s 4×100 freestyle – Sunday 10.32pm AEST
Australia’s best chance of a relay gold medal. Emma McKeon, Mollie O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack will all be there in the final as Australia aim to make it three consecutive world championship gold medals in this event. Australia are blessed with depth in the 100m freestyle. They’ve won the race at the last three Olympics. Team USA is about a second slower on paper.
4. Women’s 100m backstroke – Tuesday 9.51pm AEST
Kaylee McKeown is the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion. She was 0.05 seconds shy of her world record at Australian trials last month. American Regan Smith is McKeown’s biggest rival but the Australian should prevail. Madi Wilson will also swim the event after Mollie O’Callaghan pulled out.
Kaylee McKeown.Credit: Getty Images
5. Women’s 200 freestyle – Wednesday 9.17pm AEST
Ariarne Titmus claimed gold in this event at the Tokyo Olympics but training partner Mollie O’Callaghan will be right in the mix. O’Callaghan has the fastest time this year (1:53.83s) but Titmus has a superior personal best (1:53.09s). McIntosh and Siobhan Haughey pose the biggest threat to the Australian pair.
6. Men’s 100m freestyle – Thursday 9.21pm AEST
This is Kyle Chalmers’ only individual event in Fukuoka and he is desperate for success, having never won an individual gold medal at a longcourse (50m pool) world championships. Romanian star David Popovici broke the world record last year (46.86s) and is the favourite for gold but you’d be brave to write off Chalmers (personal best 47.08s). James Magnussen was the last Australian to win the event in 2013.
7. Women’s 100 freestyle – Friday 9.02pm AEST
O’Callaghan (52.48s) and McKeon (52.52s) were Australia’s top two at trials. They have the first and third fastest times in the world this year, respectively. O’Callaghan won this event at last year’s world championships when McKeon didn’t race. McKeon is the reigning Olympic champion. This will be super tight.
8. Men’s 200m breaststroke – Friday 10.24pm AEST
Zac Stubblety-Cook won this event in Tokyo and is the world record holder (2:05.95s). However, France’s Leon Marchand has the fastest time in the world this year (2:06.59s). Stubblety-Cook clocked 2:07.86s at Australia’s trials but loves rising to the occasion on the world stage.
Zac Stubblety-Cook poses with his 200m breaststroke gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.Credit: AP
9. Men’s 50m freestyle – Saturday 9.09pm AEST
Australia’s only world championship medal in this event came courtesy of Michael Klim in 1998. Cam McEvoy might be about to add to that tally after posting a remarkable heat time of 21.27s at the Australian trials. It was 0.23 seconds faster than anyone in the world this year. The 29-year-old has revolutionised his training program and bulked up to specialise on the one-lap splash and dash.
10. Women’s 200m backstroke – Saturday 9.57pm AEST
McKeown, the reigning Olympic champion, is also the world record holder. Regan Smith will make the Australian work hard to defend her world title.
List of finals
DAY ONE – JULY 23 (all times Australian Eastern Standard Time)
- Men’s 400m freestyle (9.02pm)
- Women’s 400m freestyle (9.32pm)
- Men’s 400m individual medley (10.21pm)
- Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay (10.32pm)
- Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay (10.43pm)
DAY TWO – JULY 24
- Men’s 100m breaststroke (9.02pm)
- Women’s 100m butterfly (9.09pm)
- Men’s 50m butterfly (9.46pm)
- Women’s 200m individual medley (10.23pm)
DAY THREE – JULY 25
- Men’s 200m freestyle (9.02pm)
- Women’s 1500m freestyle (9.10pm)
- Women’s 100m backstroke (9.51pm)
- Men’s 100m backstroke (9.59pm)
- Women’s 100m breaststroke (10.45pm)
DAY FOUR – JULY 26
- Men’s 800m freestyle (9.02pm)
- Women’s 200m freestyle (9.17pm)
- Men’s 200m butterfly (9.53pm)
- Men’s 50m breaststroke (10.01pm)
- Mixed 4x100m medley relay (10.48pm)
DAY FIVE – JULY 27
- Women’s 200m butterfly (9.02pm)
- Men’s 100m freestyle (9.21pm)
- Women’s 50m backstroke (9.36pm)
- Men’s 200m individual medley (10.03pm)
- Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay (10.45pm)
DAY SIX – JULY 28
- Women’s 100m freestyle (9.02pm)
- Women’s 200m breaststroke (9.49pm)
- Men’s 200m backstroke (9.59pm)
- Men’s 200m breaststroke (10.24pm)
- Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay (10.40pm)
DAY SEVEN – JULY 29
- Women’s 50m butterfly (9.02pm)
- Men’s 50m freestyle (9.09pm)
- Men’s 100m butterfly (9.42pm)
- Women’s 200m backstroke (9.57pm)
- Women’s 800m freestyle (10.23pm)
- Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay (10.45pm)
DAY EIGHT – JULY 30
- Men’s 50m backstroke (9.02pm)
- Women’s 50m breaststroke (9.09pm)
- Men’s 1500m freestyle (9.16pm)
- Women’s 50m freestyle (9.46pm)
- Women’s 400m individual medley (10.01pm)
- Men’s 4×100 medley relay (10.19pm)
- Women’s 4×100 medley relay (10.37pm)
How has Australia gone at previous world championships?
Last year’s world championships in Budapest has an asterisk next to it, from an Australian perspective, because the Dolphins didn’t send a full-strength team.
Australia should perform well in Fukuoka and their gold medals shouldn’t be taken for granted because there was a period when they didn’t come easily for Australia.
Across six world championships from 1973 to 1991, Australia won just six gold medals.
Fukuoka 2001 and Montreal 2005 (both 13 gold medals) were Australia’s most successful world championships.
Six years ago, Australia left Budapest with just one gold medal (Emily Seebohm in the 200m backstroke).
Who are the big international names?
Romanian teenager David Popovici was inexperienced at the Tokyo Olympics but is a red-hot chance of winning the 100m and 200m freestyle double. France’s Leon Marchand could go close to breaking Michael Phelps’ remarkable 400m individual medley world record, while American Bobby Finke is tipped to clean up in the long-distance events.
As for female stars, keep an eye on Ledecky, widely regarded as the greatest female swimmer of all-time, as well as McIntosh, 16, who has entered four individual races (200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley).
Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who holds four individual world records, has entered the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, while Regan Smith will be quietly confident of picking up a number of medals.
How can I watch?
Channel Nine will broadcast the World Aquatics Championships. Ian Thorpe, Giaan Rooney and Ellie Cole will provide expert analysis, while Mat Thompson will call the action.
Nine has also secured rights to show the 2024 (Paris), 2028 (Los Angeles) and 2032 (Brisbane) Olympic Games, as well as next year’s Paralympics.
Watch the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka live on Channel Nine & 9Now.
