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USA Swimming continued its strong showing during the third night of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Highlighted by Katie Ledecky’s (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) continued distance dominance, a silver in the men’s 200-meter freestyle, and a pair of podium finishes in the women’s 100m backstroke. 

Ledecky captured her sixth world title in the 1500m freestyle, clocking a time of 15:26.44 to secure gold in commanding fashion. With this gold, Ledecky secured her twenty-eighth world championship medal, continuing to rewrite the history books. In the men’s 200m freestyle, Luke Hobson (Reno, Nev./Longhorn Aquatics) surged to silver with a time of 1:43.84; his second-fastest time, topped only by his Paris Olympics silver in the same event. Teammate Gabriel Jett (Clovis, Calif./California Aquatics) placed eighth in his first final on the international stage. 

In the women’s 100m backstroke final, Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Longhorn Aquatics) took silver with a time of 57.35, and Katharine Berkoff (Missoula, Mont./Wolfpack Elite) claimed bronze with a time of 58.15, giving USA Swimming a strong 2-3 finish. Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./New York Athletic Club) added to the medal count with a silver in the women’s 100m breaststroke, finishing in 1:05.27. The performance marks another major medal for the versatile swimmer who has medaled across breaststroke, butterfly, and IM events at the international level.

Claire Weinstein (White Plains, N.Y./Sandpipers of Nevada) and Erin Gemmell (Potomac, Md./ Longhorn Aquatics) secured their lanes for tomorrow’s final in the 200m freestyle while Luca Urlando (Sacramento, Calif./Dart Swimming) and Carson Foster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Unattached) followed suit in the 200m butterfly.

Through three days of competition, USA Swimming heads into Wednesday’s competition atop the medal table with 10 total medals.

Men’s 200m Freestyle – FINAL

2 – Luke Hobson (Reno, Nev./Longhorn Aquatics), 1:43.84

8 – Gabriel Jett (Clovis, Calif./California Aquatics), 1:45.92

Hobson on his feelings after the race: “Obviously, I always wanted to go for the win, and I’ve been working towards it for a couple of years now, and I just have to keep working towards it. Overall though, I was really happy with that swim. Great time. It’s great to have two people under 44 in the finals again, so hopefully many more great races to come.”

Hobson on what it takes to beat the world record: “I think we just need to keep pushing each other and have a couple more years to keep working at it. That record is very fast, but I think it will be attainable one day if we keep working on it, you’ve got to keep chipping away.”

Women’s 1500m Freestyle – FINAL

1 – Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club), 15.26:44

Ledecky on her race plan: “I just wanted to try to get out fast, but comfortable enough that I can build from there. Happy with the time, happy with the swim.”

Ledecky on her win: “I love this race. This race is the race where I broke my first WR in 2013, lots of great races and memories over the years. Happy to do it (again) in Singapore. Thanks to the crowd for coming out to support us swimmers tonight.”

Ledecky on racing the 1500m versus the 800m: “They're all stressful in some ways, relaxing in some ways. I just try to enjoy each one. I certainly feel very confident in my 1500, my ability to hold a pace. So, I just wanted to lock into a fast pace from the start and hold on to it.”

Women’s 100m Backstroke - FINAL

2 – Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Longhorn Aquatics), 57.35

3 – Katharine Berkoff (Missoula, Mont./Wolfpack Elite), 58.15

Smith on what she was thinking about just before the race: “I was thinking about the start. During my semi-finals swim, my start was my weakest point. It’s something I take a lot of pride in, so, I was thinking about how I wanted my start to be and how I wanted to feel, and it worked out well, because that was one of my better starts in a while.”

Smith on the first thing that ran through her head when she saw the scoreboard: “I was very pleasantly surprised that it was a 57.35, and I was very surprised how fast it took to win gold. I know that the year after the Olympics, everyone is kind of doing their own thing, having fun and decompressing, so I was surprised at how quick it was to win gold, but I was also really happy with my swim.”

Berkoff on the race: “I’m really happy with that swim. I was just trying to execute my own race, just get the details right. It’s been an uncertain week, and I was really happy with how I executed it.

Berkoff on receiving her medal from IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who was a backstroker herself: “It’s so cool. I love the generational stuff, so it was really special.”

Women’s 200m Freestyle – Semifinal

1 – Claire Weinstein (White Plains, N.Y./Sandpipers of Nevada), 1:54.69

8 – Erin Gemmell (Potomac, Md/ Longhorn Aquatics), 1:56.03

Men’s 200m Butterfly – Semifinal

1 – Luca Urlando (Sacramento, Calif./Dart Swimming), 1:52:84

4 – Carson Foster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Unattached), 1:54.30

Women’s 100m Breaststroke – FINAL

2 – Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./New York Athletic Club), 1:05.27

Douglass on winning silver: “I’m really happy with it. I think this is my first time swimming the 100m breaststroke on the international stage, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But I didn’t think I’d be able to go the time that I did tonight, so I’m really happy with it.”

Competition continues tomorrow, Wednesday, July 30 at the World Aquatics Championships Arena. Prelims begin at 10 a.m. Singapore standard time/ 10 p.m. ET, while finals start at 7 p.m. Singapore standard time/ 7 a.m. ET. Tomorrow’s finals include the men’s 800m freestyle, women’s 200m freestyle, men’s 200m butterfly, men’s 50m breaststroke, and the men’s 4x100m medley relay.  

Meet information and the complete competition schedule are available here.