Caeleb Dressel defends 50m fly title; Kieran Smith earns spot in 200m free final
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Day 2 of the FINA World Championships was another successful day for the past and present Gators competing.
The Gators had two athletes compete in the evening session, with Caeleb Dressel claiming gold in the 50m fly final and Kieran Smith finishing eighth in the semifinal of the 200m free to earn his spot in Monday afternoon’s final.
Katie Ledecky (1500m free) and Omar Pinzon (100m back) each competed in the preliminary session as well on Sunday morning, with Ledecky earning a spot in the 1500m free final Monday.
Men’s 50m Fly Final
Dressel picked up his first individual gold of the World Championships on Sunday, winning the 50m fly. He touched the wall in 22.57, picking up his 15th world title overall.
Men’s 200 Free Semifinal
Kieran Smith swam his way into another championship final after finishing eighth overall in the 200m free semifinal with a time of 1:46.03. Smith earned his way into the semifinal session after placing 11th overall in the prelim with a swim of 1:46.73.
Women’s 1500m Free Prelim
Volunteer Coach Katie Ledecky earned a spot in the 1500m final on Monday afternoon after finishing as the top-seed with her time of 15:47.02. She led all swimmers in the field by 11 seconds and looks to defend her crown on Monday.
Men’s 100m Backstroke Prelim
In the preliminary round of the men’s 100m backstroke on Sunday morning, former Gator Omar Pinzon finished 31st with a time of 55.95.
Monday’s prelims are set to begin at 3 a.m. ET, followed by finals at 12 p.m. ET. The finals can be viewed on NBCSports.
