World Championships Day 8: Marchand's 400 IM and Medley Relay Drama

Leon Marchand's 400 IM Challenge

• 💡 Leon Marchand narrowly qualified 7th for the men's 400 IM final at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.
• ⚠️ He nearly missed the final, easing off early in a slow preliminary heat and securing his spot by only 0.69 seconds.
• 📌 Marchand will compete from lane 1 in the final, aiming for another world title after his 200 IM record.
• 🚫 Several top swimmers, including Carson Foster (ankle injury), withdrew from the men's 400 IM preliminaries.

Women's 400 IM Highlights

• ✅ Summer McIntosh dominated the women's 400 IM preliminaries, securing the fastest time of 4:35.56.
• 🥈 Australia's Jenna Forester earned the second overall seed, while 12-year-old Yud Ziti from China impressively took the third seed.
• 🇺🇸 Two American swimmers, Emma Weyant (5th) and Katie Grimes (7th), successfully advanced to the final.

Men's 4x100 Medley Relay Prelims

• 🇺🇸 The USA team secured the top seed for the men's 4x100 medley relay final with a time of 3:29.65.
• 🥈 The Neutral Athletes B team finished second in their heat, showcasing a strong performance.
• 🇮🇹 Italy won the third heat, demonstrating their potential for the final.

USA Medley Relay Strategy

• 🎯 The US lineup featured Tommy Janton (backstroke), Campbell McKeen (breaststroke), Dare Rose (butterfly), and Jack Alexy (freestyle anchor).
• 🧠 This was a cautious strategy to ensure qualification, with Alexy expected to deliver a crucial sub-47 second split.
• 🤔 The decision to use Janton over other talented backstrokers like Shane Casus or Luca Erlando sparked debate.

Key Relay Outcomes

• ❌ Reigning Olympic champions China surprisingly failed to qualify for the final, finishing ninth.
• 🇦🇺 Australia, despite having Kyle Chalmers on anchor, also missed the final, placing 11th.
• 🇰🇷 South Korea claimed the eighth and final qualifying spot, edging out China by just 0.15 seconds.