The United States closed out the 2024 World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on a high note. Gretchen Walsh and Regan Smith had a historic day on Sunday, breaking world records and consolidating U.S. dominance in the event.
Walsh, a two-time Olympic champion, dazzled in the 50-meter freestyle final, swimming in 22.83 seconds. This triumph not only gave her her sixth gold medal in the competition, but also marked her tenth world record in the event. Kate Douglass, also of the United States, took silver with a time of 23.05, followed by Poland’s Katarzyna Wasick, who took bronze with 23.37.
REGAN SMITH DOMINATES THE 200M BACKSTROKE
In the 200m backstroke final, Regan Smith edged Canadian star Summer McIntosh in an electrifying duel. Smith set a new world record by stopping the timer in 1:58.04, while McIntosh finished second, 1.92 seconds behind. Anastasiya Shkurdai completed the podium with bronze.
For her part, McIntosh closed her participation in Budapest with a total of three golds, a silver and a bronze, consolidating herself as one of the brightest promises of world swimming. Among other outstanding female performances, Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte was crowned champion in the 50-meter breaststroke, while Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey took gold in the 200-meter freestyle.
In the men’s event, Jordan Crooks, from the Cayman Islands, triumphed in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 20.19. Hungary’s Hubert Kos thrilled the home crowd by winning the 200m backstroke with a European and championship record (1:45.65). China’s Qin Haiyang dominated the 50m breaststroke, and American Luke Hobson closed with a world record in the 200m freestyle (1:38.61).
WORLD RECORDS IN THE RELAYS
The championship culminated with the 4×100-meter medley relay events. The U.S. women’s team set a world record with a time of 3:40.41, securing the gold medal. In the men’s category, the Russian team – swimming under the neutral athletes’ flag – made up of Miron Lifintsev, Kirill Prigoda, Andrei Minakov and Egor Kornev also set a world record (3:18.68) to take the title.
