Tokyo Times Left Behind: Ahmed Hafnaoui, Summer McIntosh Among Those Responsible for Generational Drops
After each major championship meet, a new bar is set. The winning time from an Olympics or World Championships becomes the standard that swimmers around the world look to surpass, knowing what it now takes to reach the top of the podium. Sometimes, an event can stagnate for long stretches, but those are balanced by periods of rapid improvements, with so many swimmers dropping their best times that the time required to win Olympic gold would not even reach the podium at the World Championships two years later.
At the recent World Championships, several events saw significant improvements in performance. In the men’s events, the 400 freestyle, 400 individual medley, 800 freestyle, and 1500 freestyle all witnessed remarkable leaps in times. In the women’s events, the 200 individual medley, 200 freestyle, and 400 individual medley also experienced substantial advancements. Among the swimmers responsible for these generational drops are Ahmed Hafnaoui and Summer McIntosh, who have made waves in their respective events.
Men’s Events
400 Freestyle: Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia surprised the swimming world with his upset win in the men’s 400 freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics. However, at the recent World Championships, the bar was significantly raised in this event. Australian swimmer Sam Short claimed the gold, with both Short and Hafnaoui moving into the top five all-time in the event. Germany’s Lukas Martens won the bronze medal, posting a time more than a second faster than Hafnaoui’s winning time in Tokyo.
400 Individual Medley: The men’s 400 individual medley has undergone a redefinition thanks to French swimmer Leon Marchand. Marchand broke Michael Phelps’ final world record in this event at the World Championships, solidifying his dominance. American Carson Foster is currently the second-best swimmer in this event, with Japanese swimmer Daiya Seto earning the bronze medal. Although the winning time in Tokyo by Chase Kalisz was slower than expected, Marchand’s performance has revolutionized the event.
800 Freestyle: The men’s 800 freestyle has seen a tremendous jump in performance. In both the previous World Championships and the recent one, all three medalists surpassed the winning time from the Tokyo Olympics. Ahmed Hafnaoui claimed the gold, followed by Sam Short, who broke Grant Hackett’s national record. The bar has been raised significantly in this event, showcasing the incredible progress swimmers have made.
1500 Freestyle: Bobby Finke’s gold-winning time in the men’s 1500 freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics was surpassed at the World Championships. Finke and Ahmed Hafnaoui had an incredible race, nearly breaking the world record with their finishing times in the 14:31 range. Sam Short took the bronze medal, swimming almost 2.5 seconds faster than Finke’s time in Tokyo. Florian Wellbrock and Dan Wiffen also had impressive performances earlier in the year, further emphasizing the improvement in this event.
Women’s Events
200 Individual Medley: The final of the women’s 200 individual medley at the Olympics was relatively slow compared to other global medal races in recent years. Yui Ohashi of Japan secured the gold, but at the World Championships, the competition was more intense. American swimmers Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh finished first and second, respectively, in a final missing key contenders like Summer McIntosh and Kaylee McKeown. The bronze medal went to Yu Yiting, who finished just slightly off Ohashi’s winning time in Tokyo. A full-strength field would have undoubtedly resulted in even faster times.
200 Freestyle: The 2021 Olympic final of the women’s 200 freestyle was an exceptionally close race, with Ariarne Titmus overtaking Siobhan Haughey for the gold. However, at the World Championships, Haughey narrowly missed the podium with a time only four hundredths of a second slower than her performance in Tokyo. Summer McIntosh secured the bronze medal, coming incredibly close to Titmus’ winning time. Mollie O’Callaghan’s world record-breaking swim and Titmus’ outstanding performance further emphasized the exceptional talent in this event.
400 Individual Medley: Summer McIntosh has been a standout swimmer in the women’s 400 individual medley. She holds the world record in this event, and at the recent World Championships, she claimed her second consecutive world title with a time of 4:27.11. Katie Grimes of the United States finished with the silver medal, significantly ahead of Yui Ohashi’s gold-winning time in Tokyo. Jenna Forrester of Australia also had an impressive performance, coming very close to Ohashi’s time and securing the bronze medal.
