The Opening Day of World Championships: Women’s Prelims
The World Championships began in Doha and marked a significant milestone in its history. The first event of its kind to be held in an Olympic year, featuring four women’s events – the 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 400 freestyle, and 400 freestyle relay. The Women’s World Champs made its debut in 1973 and has since become a prestigious and highly anticipated event in the world of aquatics. Let’s take a closer look at what happened during the first women’s prelims session.
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On the very first day of the competition, the 200 Individual Medley event took center stage. American swimmer Kate Douglass, the heavy favorite to claim the gold, made a stunning start by posting the top time of prelims in the 200 medley. Having secured the title of world champion back in Fukuoka, Douglass displayed remarkable form with an opening swim of 2:10.01 and secured her spot as the top seed for the semi-finals, leaving the competition trailing behind her. Canadian star Sydney Pickrem emerged as a strong contender with a time of 2:10.97, trailing Douglass by nearly a second.
Another notable performance came from Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen who checked in with the third-fastest time of the morning, clocking 2:11.45. China’s Yu Yiting, the bronze medalist in the event last summer, finished just behind Steenbergen with a time of 2:11.57. As the competition got underway, it became evident that this year’s Women’s World Championships would be full of surprises and intense competition from some of the top swimmers in the world.
