Group USA hit with sickness on eve of swimming meet in Singapore

Swimming World has reported that US star and Olympic champion Torri Huske was one athlete struck down by sickness. Huske is Mollie O’Callaghan’s primary rival within the 100m freestyle occasion and an essential determine for the US of their 4x100m freestyle relay staff on night time one.

That opening night time in Japan — the place Australia picked up 4 gold medals and two world data throughout 5 occasions — was arguably probably the most dominant two-hour stretch in Australian swimming historical past.

Sam Short and Ariarne Titmus received their 400m freestyle finals, whereas the boys’s and ladies’s 4x100m freestyle relay groups defeated the US in memorable trend.

Since the world championships started in 1973, Australia had by no means claimed 4 gold medals on the identical day.

However, followers tuning into Sunday’s motion in Singapore ought to mood expectations. A repeat of Fukuoka appears unlikely.

Australia’s “crazy” begin in Fukuoka, within the phrases of since-retired Olympic nice Emma McKeon, set the Dolphins on the trail to a report haul of 13 gold medals, six greater than their American rivals. Even half that in Singapore can be thought-about a powerful return.

The cause? Australia and the US have taken totally different approaches because the Paris Olympics.

Most of the USA’s high swimmers had a shorter break after Paris. They swim extra typically at huge meets, and plenty of are entrenched within the faculty system. For them, posting quick instances all yr spherical is a non-negotiable.

The USA narrowly beat Australia on the swimming medal tally at Paris 2024, eight golds to seven.

Many of Australia’s elite swimmers have taken a slower path, aware of the lengthy highway to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. On the entire, swimmers’ instances ultimately month’s Australian trials in Adelaide weren’t spectacular.

Titmus is the most important title lacking in Singapore — as an alternative calling races for Channel Nine, the writer of this masthead — although a part of her will certainly want she was racing Ledecky and Canadian famous person Summer McIntosh.

McKeown, who swept the backstroke occasions in Fukuoka, is once more Australia’s main gold medal hope within the 50m, 100m and 200m occasions.

O’Callaghan can also be looking glory within the 100m and 200m freestyle after taking out each occasions two years in the past.

Short and Elijah Winnington, each world champions, are the very best particular person medal probabilities on night time one within the males’s 400m freestyle.

Loading

Cam McEvoy returns within the 50m freestyle after Olympic gold in Paris. Kyle Chalmers is chasing world championship gold within the 100m freestyle however might want to beat world record-holder Pan Zhanle, who took gold in Paris.

There might be no scarcity of world expertise in Singapore. McIntosh is trying to grow to be the primary swimmer since Michael Phelps to win 5 particular person golds at a single world championships.

And French star Leon Marchand — who educated with Australian coach Dean Boxall earlier this yr and spent a lot of his downtime browsing — is eyeing world data within the 200m and 400m particular person medley occasions after dropping the 200m butterfly and breaststroke occasions from his program.

Marchand received 4 particular person gold medals in entrance of his dwelling French crowd final yr – together with two in a single night time.

“I think he needed a mental break,” stated Marchand’s coach Bob Bowman, who additionally taken care of Phelps. “I think he needed to go away to Australia to get out of France for a while.”

World Aquatics Championships Singapore. Exclusive, reside and free on the 9 Network and 9Now.