Men’s 100 Breast - Nicolo Martinenghi Takes World Title in Adam Peaty’s Stead to Remain Fourth All-Time

When world record holder and superstar Adam Peaty announced he wouldn’t be competing at this year’s Worlds due to a foot injury, it left the door wide open for a new champion to take the throne. Peaty had won the last three World titles in the event and the last two Olympic golds, an undefeated run that began in 2015.

With Peaty out of the picture, it looked like one of the Europeans - either Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi or the Netherlands’ Arno Kamminga, or American Nic Fink, would take the World title in 2022.

Fink had taken the race out hard and led on the first 50, setting himself up to win the USA’s first World title in the event since 2007, but it was not to be for him, as he was run down by Martinenghi, who won gold at 58.26. Kamminga out-touched Fink at the wall for silver at 58.62 to 58.65.

“That’s an amazing feeling, the first world final and right away the first world title, it’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?” Martinenghi said. “I was confident before the final because I had qualified with the top time from the semis though the final was totally different. I’m very happy with the gold but of course, it’s not the same feeling without having (Adam) Peaty here.”

It was a result that didn’t seem likely when Martinenghi arrived in Budapest.

“Before the World Championships, I didn’t feel good,” Martinenghi said. “I was sick for two days and lost two and a half kilograms a week and a half ago. When I came here with my coach, I said let’s try to do our best but we don’t know. After the prelims, we said ok maybe we can do something good and after the semi-finals, we said maybe we can win.”

Martinenghi, who trains with coach Marco Pedoja, won his first major international gold, backing up his Olympic bronze last year. Even with no Peaty in attendance, he is confident in himself the next time they will race.

“(Peaty) is an inspiration for me,” Martinenghi said. “I texted him before I came here and I’m happy to be the guy that is in his position now but I know he is going to want to come back for Europeans in August. But I am younger than him, and I think he is hungry and he wants to win a lot more, but me too. Let’s see what the future gives to us.”

Martinenghi’s time of 58.26 improved on his Italian record as he remains fourth all-time. This is Italy’s first gold medal in the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships and its most recent medal in this event was a bronze by Fabio Scozzoli in 2011.

With Martinenghi’s gold, along with Thomas Ceccon’s second place in the 100 back semis, and Alessandro Miressi’s speed in freestyle, the Italians are looking dangerous in that medley relay on the last day.

“Before the race, (Ceccon) told me ‘you have to go faster because I have to see you and go faster too. We were third in the Olympics with the medley and it was me, Ceccon, Miressi, and (Federico) Burdisso and we are all the same age. It is one of the best things about our relay, we are four impressive guys and we are strong and we are all younger.”

This is Kamminga’s first Worlds medal of his career as the last Dutch male swimmer to compete in the final of the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships was Ron Dekker in 1991.  

This is also Fink’s first individual Worlds medal as this is his fourth trip to the meet at age 28.

Women’s 100 Fly - Torri Huske Repeats Budapest Success With World Title After Junior Title in 2019

The Duna Arena has been a special place for American Torri Huske. In 2019, she made her international debut with a gold medal in the 100 butterfly at the World Juniors in Budapest, which was the catalyst for her senior career.

Huske followed that up three years later, seemingly not missing a beat, in the same pool, with a gold medal in her first Worlds at the senior level. Huske, who trains with coach Greg Meehan at Stanford University, was under world-record pace at the 50 turn, as she broke her own American record with a 55.64 to remain fourth all-time.

“That was a special event for me,” Huske said. “I have no words to describe how special it was. I’m so grateful. In 2019 that was my first big international meet and I’m so happy to be back and so happy to win this 100m fly. My tactic was to focus on the second 50m to come home in the first place.”

This is the USA’s first gold medal in the event since Dana Vollmer’s triumph in 2011.

France’s Marie Wattel wins her first international medal at the world level with a silver at 56.14. That brings France’s medal total to two, following Leon Marchand’s gold in the 400 IM on Saturday night. That doubles its medal total from Tokyo last year, which is a promising sign for the French swim team two years out from a home Olympics in 2024.

“I’m really grateful for everyone around me,” Wattel said. “I’ve worked hard and really happy to be here. I was a bit scared, I just swam as I could and I’m delighted to win a medal here.”

China’s Zhang Yufei, who won silver in Tokyo last year, won bronze here with a 56.41. Zhang had been a bit of an unknown this year, having not raced as much due to China’s strict COVID protocols.

“In general, I can be happy with this result because my preparations haven’t been the best before this event,” Zhang said.

This is China’s eighth Worlds medal in the 100 fly, tying the national record for most medals in an event.

Men’s 50 Fly - Caeleb Dressel Wins Yet Another Gold, Nicholas Santos Continues to Defy Age With Silver at 42

American Caeleb Dressel won his 15th career gold medal in the 50 butterfly, the fourth most all-time for swimmers at the FINA World Championships. The pre-race hype was all focused on how any of the eight swimmers were capable of winning the one-lap event, with the entire field being separated by 0.28 seconds.

But just like he always does in a way that almost seems routine, Dressel found a way to get his hand on the wall first at 22.57. It wasn’t a best time, but it backs up his gold medal from 2019 and brings the second gold medal to the University of Florida group led by Anthony Nesty.

“In this sport, nothing is given,” Dressel said. “I knew my race plan, 18 strokes were my money number and it was exactly 18 strokes. That’s where I feel most comfortable, behind the blocks, I’m not nervous, I just don’t want to think about anything.”

Dressel also shared the podium with fellow American Michael Andrew, who won his first individual medal at the World Championships with a bronze here at 22.79.

“I knew it was going to take a 22.5 to win it,” Andrew said. “It’s disappointing to not be on top…in 2019, (Nicholas Santos) beat me by a hundredth and I came fourth, but it is nice to get my first individual medal, long course. I’m just keeping it rolling to the next one.”

Andrew, age 23, finally reaches the podium after a haul of five medals at the 2017 World Juniors. With so much promise, he finally delivered, and it gives him plenty of confidence heading into his next event, the 50 breaststroke tomorrow morning.

“It’s always awesome,” Andrew said. “As much as he is a teammate, I always want to beat him so it is nice having a guy like him in the events I race because it pushes me that much harder so I’m excited for the next couple of years of getting to race him. I see the way he pursues excellence and as an athlete, I look up to that and so every day the goal is to be on top of the podium with Caeleb.”

42-year-old Nicholas Santos raced to the silver medal - a 22.78 to capture his fourth straight medal in the event at Worlds. Santos is the oldest swimmer to win a Worlds medal, breaking his own record he set when he was 39 in 2019.

“I’m 42 years old,” Santos said. “It’s not so easy to stay here with these guys, especially Dressel. I’m really happy.”

Santos’ only event was the 50 butterfly this week and he got the job done.

“I’m feeling great right now. Getting a medal is good. I’m really happy, tired as well. 22.7 is really good for the final. Last night I didn’t swim so fast, especially the technique or the stroke wasn’t the same as usual so now I get my 22.7 to get a medal.

“For me, I need to do a lot of weights to keep my mass. The volume in the water is really low and the intensity is really high. I can swim a 50 fast but a 100 fly or free long course is really hard. I can swim short course meters but it is really painful to stay training hard to be competing with these guys.”

Women’s 200 Individual Medley - Alex Walsh Ends Katinka Hosszu’s Streak

USA’s Alex Walsh showed complete domination over four laps of the pool, leading the 200 IM final from the outset to win gold at 2:07.13, improving her best time to put her fifth all-time. This was Walsh’s first World title at age 20 after having a successful youth career where she was the 2019 Pan American Games gold medalist in the 200 IM. Walsh, who swims for coach Todd DeSorbo at the University of Virginia, was also the first American champion in the 200 IM since Ariana Kukors in 2009, as Walsh upgraded last year’s Olympic silver medal to gold.

“I’m super happy with this result,” Walsh said. “I was totally calm before the final, I knew this was gonna happen. My confidence is coming from the preps, after so many years of training. I knew what I was capable of. There was a pay-off in the last two years.”

This was also the first time since 2011 that Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu was not World champion in this event. Hosszu, age 33, had not indicated whether this was her last Worlds, as she finished seventh tonight at 2:11.37. She took a moment to acknowledge the Budapest crowd after the race, who had to be told to quiet down before the start because of their cheering for their favorite swimmer. Hosszu had won the last four World titles in the event as the streak ended, but she will keep her world record as her career seems to be coming to a close after she said in an earlier interview that she was not expecting to swim in Paris at the next Olympics.

Hosszu’s competitors paid their respects to the world record holder.

“I forgot what it’s like to have people in the crowd and I was a little shocked honestly looking up right before my race and seeing the whole stadium was full of people,” Walsh said. “I think that brought me a lot of adrenaline and it’s such an honour to race Katinka. I have really looked up to her over these years. It was fun - I knew her home crowd was rooting for her but really it made me really excited to race.”

“It was awesome to see the patriotism and the support towards Katinka and to be a part of that,” bronze medalist Leah Hayes said.

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown won the silver medal with a 2:08.57 after she surprisingly scratched the heats of the 100 backstroke this morning, an event she currently holds the world record in. The decision to scratch was to focus 100% on the 200 IM final, where a medal was finalized when she touched the wall second at 2:08.57. McKeown had the fastest time in the world in this event a year ago before the Olympics but ultimately scratched to focus on the 100 back. A similar decision was made this year in favor of the 200 IM. It wasn’t a best time for the 20-year-old, but it was her first international medal in an IM event.

That was Australia’s eighth Worlds medal in the event without ever claiming gold.

“I wasn’t expecting to get a good place in this event,” McKeown said. “It was rather for international experience, because I didn’t get to race at the Olympics. It’s just great experience, it’s really good to belong to this field.”

USA’s Leah Hayes finished with the bronze medal at 2:08.91 to break the world junior record of 2:09.57 set by China’s Yu Yiting last year at the Olympics.

Hayes, just 16, is going to be a junior in high school in the fall, and has asserted herself as one of the young talents in international swimming as she dropped a full second on her best time from earlier this year. She is the third youngest on the USA team for Budapest and the second swimmer to set a world junior record tonight (after David Popovici in the 200 free semis).

“I’ve had my eyes on that record for a while now and I’m so happy to finally get it,” Hayes said.

With Walsh and Hayes on the podium, the United States claimed multiple medals in the event at a single Worlds for the second time, after taking first and second place in 1978.

“She was really nervous in the ready room, I could kind of tell,” Walsh said. “I’m just super happy she was right next to me - I didn’t even see she got third, I was just so shocked by my time, but then I saw she got third and for her to break the 2:09 barrier at such a young age, she is on a really great path I can tell.”

“It’s extraordinary. It’s a once in a lifetime to be on the podium with my teammate and to get a medal,” Hayes said. “I wasn’t even expecting myself to medal at this championship but I gave it my all and it paid off.”