The pool competition of the World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023 continues tonight in the U.S. time zones (Monday morning in Japan) with another exciting batch of prelim swims.  

While the finalists will be determined late into the evening here in the United States, here’s a closer look at the athletes entering tonight’s prelims session: 

Women’s 100m Backstroke
Athletes: Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Sun Devil Swimming) and Katharine Berkoff (Missoula, Mont./Missoula Aquatic Club/NC State) 

• Smith won last year’s world title in 58.22, which is 0.51 seconds slower than her time at last month’s Phillips 66 National Championships. 
• Berkoff’s 58.01 at last month’s Phillips 66 National Championships was a new personal best. Should she go sub :58, she would become just the second American (joining Smith) to ever break that barrier. 

Men’s 100m Backstroke
Athletes: Ryan Murphy (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./California Aquatics) and Hunter Armstrong (Dover, Ohio/New York Athletic Club/California Aquatics) 

• Murphy is seeking his first world title in this event. Previously swam the event at World Championships in 2022 where he got silver, fourth in 2019 and bronze in 2017. 
• Armstrong won the bronze medal in this event at the 2022 world championships. 
• Both Armstrong and Murphy have personal bests below the :52 mark. Entering competition, only 10 swims in history have been under :52. 
• Last U.S. title in event was courtesy of Matt Grevers in 2013. 

Women’s 100m Breaststroke
Athletes: Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club) and Lydia Jacoby (Seward, Alaska/Seward Tsunami Swim Club/University of Texas) 

• King has the chance to become the first swimmer in competition history to win three 100m breaststroke world titles. 
• Last time Jacoby and King competed in the same event internationally was the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan when Jacoby took gold and King took bronze. 
• Since 2001, there have been three occasions (2005, 2009, 2017) where both Americans have medaled in the event at World Championships. 

Men’s 200m Freestyle
Luke Hobson (Reno Nev./Lakeridge Swim Team/University of Texas) and Kieran Smith (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield Aquatic Club) 

• Hobson makes international debut at this World Championships. 
  Smith finished sixth in the event at the 2022 World Championships – just 0.18 seconds off the podium. 
• Only once since 1982 has the U.S. had multiple swimmers on the same world championships podium in the 200m free. The feat was last accomplished in 2011 when Ryan Lochte won gold and Michael Phelps won silver. 
   

Women’s 1500m Freestyle
Athletes: Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) and Katie Grimes (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada) 

• Ledecky and Grimes finished first and second, respectively, at the 2022 World Championships. If they repeat, it would be the first time in competition history where two women from the same country have repeated 1-2 finishes. 
• Ledecky enters the meet as the winningest (four golds) female 1500m freestyle swimmer. The only world title that has escaped her since 2013 was at the 2019 World Championships, when she had to withdraw due to illness. 

Watch Day 2 prelims on Peacock at 9:30 p.m. ET tonight and semifinals/finals at 7:00 a.m. ET tomorrow. The morning’s session will feature semifinals in men’s and women’s 100m backstroke, the women’s 100m breaststroke and the men’s 200m freestyle. Finals will include the men’s 100m breaststroke, women’s 100m butterfly, men’s 50m butterfly and women’s 200m individual medley. 

More than 1,110 swimmers from 192 countries and the World Aquatics Refugee Team have descended on the city of Fukuoka, Japan to compete in the swimming portion of the 20th edition of these world championships.