Face of Nation : A silver in the women’s 4×100-metre medley relay and Cate Campbell’s bronze in the women’s 50-metre freestyle left Australia with five gold, nine silver and five bronze medals, for a total of 19 swimming medals.
The US team finished atop the medals table with 27, including 14 golds, while Hungary placed third with four gold medals. Overall, China won the championships with 16 gold medals, with the US second on 15 and Russia third with 12 gold. Australia placed fourth with 7 gold medals thanks to additional success in diving and high diving.
The titles in South Korea have been marked by drug scandals and controversy, but also many world records. In swimming, it was Australia’s relay teams that dominated, marking the first time the men and women secured the 4×200-metre freestyle title at the same meet.
But the Americans broke the Australian women’s relay dominance on Sunday night, beating the Dolphins in the 4×100-metre medley relay in a world record 3:50.40, with Australia second at 3:53.42. The US quartet of Regan Smith, Lilly King, Kelsi Dahlia and Simone Manuel bettered their own world record of 3:51.55 set in Budapest two years ago. In the lead-off leg, Smith set a backstroke world record of 57.57 seconds.
Simone Manuel completed a sweep of the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyles, the first American woman to achieve the feat. She won four golds and six medals overall in the eight-day competition. Cate Campbell secured Australia’s other final night medal, taking out bronze in the 50-metre freestyle.
Earlier in the competition, teenager Ariarne Titmus broke Kate Ledecky’s seven-year dominance claiming the 400-metre freestyle crown — the Dolphins’ sole individual gold. Australia’s total of 19 medals almost doubles the result in 2017, when they finished eighth with 10 medals and only one gold.
American Caeleb Dressel won his eighth medal Sunday, helping the US to silver in the 4×100-metre medley relay after anchor Nathan Adrian got overtaken for gold in the closing seconds. One night after becoming the first swimmer to win three golds in one night at a worlds for the second time, Dressel set a record with eight medals, including six golds, at the biggest meet after the Olympics.
Dressel’s golds came in the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle, 50-metre and 100-metre butterfly, mixed 4×100-metre freestyle relay and 4×100-metre freestyle relay. His other silver was in the mixed 4×100-metre medley relay. Two years ago in Hungary, Dressel tied Michael Phelps’ record of seven golds at a single worlds, including three in one night. Dressel hauled the US from fourth to first on his butterfly leg with a split of 49.28 seconds.
Britain’s Duncan Scott swam the second-fastest relay split of all time in the anchor leg of the men’s 4×100-metre medley on Sunday, overhauling his US and Russian rivals to secure gold for Britain and deny Dressel a seventh world title. The Glasgow-born 22-year-old swam an incredible 46.14 seconds, the fastest since American Jason Lezak’s 46.06 at the Beijing Olympics, to give Britain their first win over the US in the event.
“I can’t say I thought I had that split in me,” said Scott, still rubbing his head in disbelief. “I’m just sort of speechless I’ve been able to put that race together.” An elated Adam Peaty said he was so pumped he would not sleep for three days. “That’s testament to who we are as racers, who we are as people,” said the Olympic and world breaststroke champion of the team, which also included James Guy and Luke Greenbank. “We just showed that the British are always up for a race.”
