SINGAPORE: The gold medals were spread around on Friday at the swimming world championships, thanks to the absence of stars Léon Marchand of France and Canadian Summer McIntosh from any finals on Day 6 in Singapore.
Marchand, who has already broken the world record in the 200-meter individual medley, will try to break his own 400 IM record on Sunday, the final day.
McIntosh has won three individual gold medals already and will chase two more on Saturday and Sunday as she tries for five individual golds. Only Michael Phelps has managed that at the worlds.
The biggest race of the championships might be Saturday’s 800-meter freestyle with McIntosh and American Katie Ledecky – the world-record holder – the favorites.
The Netherlands, China, Hungary and the United States picked up individual golds Friday as the meet continues to spread them around. Britain also won its first gold and first medal in Singapore, taking the men’s 4x200 relay.
Through six days the United States and Australia top the gold-medal table with five each. The Americans have won 20 overall to 13 for Australia.
Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands powered through the last 50 meters to win the women’s 100-meter freestyle. Steenbergen won in 52.55 seconds, with silver for Mollie O’Callaghan (52.67) of Australia and bronze to Torri Huske (52.89) of the United States.
Steenbergen won this event at the 2024 worlds in Doha, but those championships were lightly attended. This race had a tough field. Both O’Callaghan and Huske are Olympic individual champions, but not in this event.
“It feels so crazy,” Steenbergen said. “In Doha, it was like, ‘OK, this is crazy to win.’ But in this field, I don’t know what to feel. I’m just so happy.”
It was the first gold medal for the Netherlands in Singapore.
Qin wins again
China’s Qin Haiyang, who holds the world record, won the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:07.41 with second for Ippei Watanabe (2:07.70) of Japan and bronze to Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands (2:07.73). Haiyang also won the 100 breaststroke in Singapore.
Haiyang swam from Lane 8 and called winning from that far outside position “a miracle.” He set the world record two years ago in the worlds in Fukuoka, Japan (2:05.48).
Hubert Kós of Hungary repeated his gold medal from a year ago at the Paris Olympics, winning the men’s 200 backstroke in 1:53.19. Pieter Coetze of South Africa, who won the 100 back, took silver (1:53.36) with bronze for Yohann Ndoye-Brouard of France (1:54.62).
Kate Douglass delivers
American Kate Douglass got the US its fifth individual gold in these championships, taking the 200 breaststroke in 2:18.50, the second fastest in history. Evgeniia Chikunova of the Neutral Athletes was second (2:19.96). Kaylene Corbett of South Africa and Alina Zmushka of the Neutral Athletes tied for bronze (2:23.52).
The Americans have been slowed through the championships with dozens of members of the team having picked up “acute gastroenteritis” at a training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore. Head Coach Greg Meehan said the “overall majority” of the team had been affected.
In the men’s 4x200 freestyle relay, Britain won its first gold and first medal with a time of 6:59.84.
China took silver (7:00.91) with bronze for Australia (7:00.98). The United States was fourth in 7:01.24.
In Friday’s semifinals, Cameron McEvoy of Australia was fastest in the men’s 50 free (21.30) and Noè Ponti of Switzerland led qualifying in the men’s 100-meter butterfly in 50.18. Gretchen Walsh of the United States was quickest in the women’s 50 fly (25.09) and Peng Xuwei of China was quickest in the 200 backstroke (2:07.76).
12-year-old Yu gets a medal
Chinese 12-year-old Yu Zidi has won a bronze medal at the swim world championships, an astounding feat for a girl who would be a sixth- or seventh-grade student depending on the school system.
Yu earned the medal by swimming in the prelims of China’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay team. She did not swim in the final on Thursday — China placed third behind winning Australia and the United States — but gets a bronze medal as a team member.
She’s been close to winning an individual medal, placing fourth in both the 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley. She still has the 400 IM to swim.
Brent Nowicki, the executive director of World Aquatics, said the governing body would look at its age-limit rules. The limit is now 14, but athletes can reach the worlds if they surpass a tough time standard.
“I didn’t think I’d have this conversation, but now I think we have to go back and say is this appropriate?” he said this week in Singapore. “Is this really the right way to go forward and do we need to do other things? Put other guardrails up? Do we allow it under certain conditions? I don’t know the answer.”
He called Yu “great.” He also said officials had to be “careful” about the age issue.
 

LONDON: Newcastle have rejected Liverpool’s opening bid to sign unsettled Sweden striker Alexander Isak, according to reports on Friday.

Isak has been training at his old club Real Sociedad this week after reportedly telling Newcastle he wants to leave St. James’ Park.

The 25-year-old has been linked with Liverpool since the end of last season and the Premier League champions are now believed to have formalized their interest with an offer of around £110 million ($159 million) plus potential add-ons.

But Newcastle, who reportedly value Isak at £150 million, remain keen to hold onto their prize asset and have rebuffed Liverpool’s initial bid.

Isak, who joined Newcastle in a £60 million move from Real Sociedad in 2022, scored 23 Premier League goals last season to help Newcastle qualify for the Champions League.

He has three years left on his Newcastle contract, but did not travel to Asia for the Magpies’ ongoing pre-season tour, with the club saying he had a minor thigh injury.

On Thursday, Real Sociedad confirmed he was at their Zubieta facility with his own trainers.

It was reported on Friday that Newcastle had told Isak he could agree a new deal containing a get-out clause for next year, but he responded by insisting he wants to move now.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has already bolstered his attacking options by signing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike and Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz during the current transfer window.

But the Reds are keen to make their forward line even more formidable by adding Isak as they look to win back to back English titles for the first time since the 1980s.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe struck a defiant note earlier this week when he said: “He is still our
player. He’s contracted to us.

“We, to a degree, control what is next for him. I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us.

“My wish is that he stays, but that’s not in my full control.”

Liverpool have spent over £250 million so far in the summer window, with Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili joining Wirtz and Ekitike at Anfield.



Newcastle have rejected Liverpool’s opening bid to sign unsettled Sweden striker Alexander Isak, according to reports on Friday. (AFP/File)