Archive photo of Linnea Mack

The U.S. performance on the second day of the FINA Swimming World Cup Budapest leg was headlined by another butterfly gold for Tom Shields and a repeat gold for the U.S. mixed 4x50-meter freestyle relay team. Entering tomorrow’s final day of the short-course-meter meet, the U.S. sits in third place on the total-medal leaderboard with 10 and tied for second in gold medals with three.

For Shields, the California Aquatics product, the gold increased his total medal count to five (four gold, one silver) across the Berlin and Budapest legs of the FINA Swimming World Cup. Today’s gold came via the 200-meter butterfly, where his 1:51.18 time was more than three seconds ahead of the next-closest competitor. Shields is entered to compete in tomorrow’s 50m butterfly, which would complete a butterfly sweep in Budapest if he can capture gold. 

The U.S.’ 4x50m freestyle relay team repeated as gold medalists after last weekend’s first-place finish in Berlin. Today’s team was comprised of Daniel Diehl (YMCA of Cumberland), Quintin McCarty (Pikes Peak Aquatics), Kristina Paegle (Indiana Swim Club) and Anna Moesch (StreamLine Aquatics Club), which resulted in a 1:32.34 showing to out-touch the Hungarian team by a tenth for first place. Paegle, who split a 23.94, was the fastest female in the field — a title that she also claimed during her showing in last weekend’s relay.

Erin Gemmell (Nation’s Capital Swim Club) won the first U.S. medal on the day, going 1:55.04 to finish third in the 200m freestyle. Gemmell, 16, was the second-youngest athlete in the final and was the youngest medalist by four years. This is the second bronze of Gemmell’s time in Europe after finishing third in the 400m freestyle last weekend in Berlin.

Linnea Mack, of Team Elite, added a bronze of her own with a 56.96 performance in the women’s 100m backstroke. The time is nearly 1.4 seconds faster than her performance last weekend in the event.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, Lydia Jacoby (Seward Tsunami Swim Club), continued her momentum this summer by capturing silver in today’s 100m breaststroke in 1:05.40. The swim is Jacoby’s second-fastest time ever, only behind her 1:05.20 showing in Berlin last weekend.

Additional U.S. performances in today’s finals include:
• Michael Cotter (TAC Titans): 4th, 200m I.M., 1:58.21
• Quintin McCarty (Pikes Peak Aquatics): 4th, 50m backstroke, 23:91
• Emma Weber (University of Denver Hilltoppers): 4th, 100m breaststroke, 1:06.54
• Daniel Diehl (YMCA of Cumberland): 5th, 50m backstroke, 24.19
• Linnea Mack (Team Elite): 5th, 50m butterfly, 25.76
• Kennedy Noble (YMCA Westside Silver Fins): 5th, 100m backstroke, 57.91
• Josh Parent (Bluefish Swim Club): 5th, 1500m freestyle, 15:13.00
• Blake Pieroni (Sandpipers of Nevada): 5th, 100m freestyle, 47.09
• Spencer Aurnou-Rhees (New Albany Aquatic Club): 6th, 200m I.M., 1:58.82
• Berit Berglund (Carmel Swim Club): 6th, 100m backstroke, 58.49
• Carl Bloebaum (Mason Manta Rays): 6th, 200m butterfly, 1:57.22 
• Grant Davis (Chattahoochee Gold Swim Club): 6th, 1500m freestyle, 15:14.96
• Claire Tuggle (Santa Maria Swim Club): 6th, 200m freestyle, 1:56.70
• JoJo Ramey (Fishers Area Swimming Tigers): 7th, 100m backstroke, 59.17
• Brice Barrieault (Sandpipers of Nevada): 10th, 1500m freestyle, 15:39.82
• Eli Shoyat (Northern Kentucky Clippers): 11th, 1500m freestyle, 15:44.31
• Zoe Dixon (NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, Inc): 12th, 400m I.M., 4:43.47
• Paige Kuwata (Sandpipers Of Nevada): 13th, 400m I.M., 4:45.27

The FINA Swimming World Cup Budapest leg concludes tomorrow with prelims beginning at 10 a.m. local/4 a.m. ET and finals at 6 p.m. local/noon ET. Additional details on the event, including schedule, athletes and results, can be found here.