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The Americans added six more medals to their total, including individual gold medals by Nic Fink in the men’s 200-meter breast and Rhyan White in the women’s 200m back, on the third finals session of the 15th FINA World Championships (25m) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The U.S. leads the total medal count with 16 – four gold, four silver and eight bronze. 

Fink grabbed the gold in the opening event of the night from lane one, just out-touching Arno Kamminga from the Netherlands, 2:02.28 to 2:02.42. It marked the first short course world title in the event by a U.S. swimmer since Brendan Hansen won it back in 2004. Will Licon finished third for the U.S. in 2:02.84. 

“I was using my peripherals a little bit and was able to gauge where everyone was,” Fink said. “I knew I was in the thick of it, even at the end. I knew it was going to be a tight race, these guys are so good, so I’m happy to get my hand on the wall first.”

White topped the field in the women’s 200m back, edging Canadian Kylie Masse by about half a second, 2:01.58 to 2:02.07. An American swimmer has now won the event at the past two short course Worlds, as Lisa Bratton won it in 2018. Isabelle Stadden finished right behind Masse to take bronze in 2:02.20. White decided to make a move towards the end of the third 50, and it paid off with a gold.

“I knew it was going to be a really close race tonight,” she said. “Me and Ozzie [Quevedo] talked before the race and we just decided that I should make my move when I felt it was right, and I felt like that was the end of the middle 50, so that’s when I picked it up.”

The American quartet of Shaine Casas (23.16), Fink (25.82), Claire Curzan (24.85) and Abbey Weitzeil (23.21) finished second in the mixed 4x50m medley relay with a final time of 1:37.04, not far off the Netherlands who took first in a new championship record of 1:36.20. The silver medal also will be received by Katharine Berkoff and Kate Douglass for their preliminary swims in the event.

Weitzeil won an individual bronze medal earlier in the session in the women’s 100m free final, touching in 51.64 to finish behind Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey (50.98) and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom (51.31). Haughey’s time was a new championship record. Torri Huske finished sixth in the final at 51.93. 

In other events on Saturday, Tom Shields finished sixth in the men’s 100m fly in 49.80. Emma Weyant finished seventh in the women’s 800m free in 8:20.13. Huske and Curzan both advanced to the women’s 50m fly final as they posted matching 25.20s to tie for the fifth seed.  

Melanie Margalis advanced to the women’s 100m IM final in eighth at 58.96. Casas will swim the men’s 50m back final tomorrow after finishing third in semi-finals at 23.23. Ryan Held earned the top seed going into the men’s 50m free finals at 20.81.

The competition continues with prelims at 12:30 a.m. ET, while finals will resume tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. ET. For more information on the event, visit https://www.fina.org/competitions/2/15th-fina-world-swimming-championships-25m-2021.