It's not uncommon for semi-finals to upstage finals at showcase events, qualification for finals a less tense moment than the final in which the win tops the time.

July 30, 2025, joined the ranks of time trials that topped bill when four-times Olympic champion Léon Marchand wiped 1.31sec off the World record over 200m medley.

24.10 - 52.50 - 1:24.63 - 1:52.69 WR Léon Marchand Singapore 2025
24.89 - 53.48 - 1:26.51 - 1:54.00 WR Ryan Lochte Shanghai 2011

That grants Marchand the medley WR double, the 400m due on championship curtain-closing Sunday, this August 3, here in Singapore.

In day 4 finals, Mollie O'Callaghan's victory in the 200m freestyle delivered weighty 2023-2025 World-title bookends to her golden chapter in Olympic waters, her story including the gratitude she feels towards the folk who have helped her navigate the stresses, strains, injuries and upsets along the way to the joy, glory and dreams fulfilled.

The story of Luca Urlando touches on all of that, too. He's 23 - and a prince of perseverance (links to coverage below) with a Wold title to his name at 23 after the chances of that happening swung from sky high to doldrum low and back up again o a place where there was a platform waiting at a new level. Urlando intends this to be the moment he gets off the swing and finds his way to a home Olympics in 2028 a fighting-fit contender.

Ahmed Jaouadi became the second Tunisian to lift the World 800m free title in the past three years with a 7:36.88 effort the magnitude of which is masked by the efforts of the shiny suited in an event tainted by more than its fair share off anti-doping controversies.

There was Italian gold for Simone Cerasuolo in the 50m breaststroke, and Canada made the Mixed 4x100m medley podium with the only national record worth speaking off, the neutral winners racing nationless here in Singapore, so somewhat contradictory to shove an NR on the back of a CR that will remain forever neutral in a history book swimming in a sea of asterisks.

Some may wish to stick a "Be Kind" badge all over it, but sport has come to learn off late that such a badge simply means 'be kind to one group even if that means being unkind to another far more aggrieved party'. Think males in female racing if you're looking for an example: it's unkind and unfair to women. In sport, it's a good thing to leave politicos at the door, and this site's policy on the neutrals at the championships is to wait and see what happens next. If the mixed medley champions are called by the murderer Putin to stand for a snap so that he can slap a flag over neutrality - as he has done on lots of occasions - then we need never include neutrals in our coverage again, for, whether with their consent or not, those athletes could not possibly be called neural. Rather, they would be Team Putin's Pawns in a game dangerous for them and the rest of us.

MEDALS TABLE AT THE HALF-WAY POINT

SOS Coverage

THAT WORLD RECORD

1:52.69 - IM, FASTER THAN SPITZ OLYMPIC GOLD ON FREESTYLE

M200IM: Marchand Monsters The Medley World Record: 1:52.69 - Faster Than Spitz On Freestyle

Léon Marchand left behind his best of 1:54.06, for Olympic gold as the hero of his Home Games last year, as he leapt over Lochte, the whole 1:53 zone, and landed beyond the speed of Spitz on the fastest stroke of all four - freestyle

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

DAY 4 FINALS

W200 Free: O’Callaghan Keeps Dolphins A Gold Ahead Of Eagles At Half-Time In Singapore

“I know it has been hard for a lot of people to come back after the Olympics but I am very grateful to have a good support from the team to get me through this mentally and physically. A positive environment definitely makes a world of difference.” - Mollie O’Callaghan

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

M200 ’Fly: Urlando Ushers In The Alchemy Of Promise To World Title For A Prince Of Perseverance

“It’s huge. Winning a world championship was my goal from the beginning of the season. To be able to actually do it is a whole other thing and doing it in a best time fashion... I truly can’t put it into words ... it’s a huge stepping stone for 2028” - Luca Urlando

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

M800 Free: Jaouadi Leaves Rest In Need Of Jump Leads With 7:36 Scorcher

The new 800m World champion has travelled a steep trajectory of progress since clocking 8mins 10.34 as a 17 year old: at 18, for to 7:53.99; at 19, 7:42.07; and now at 20, 7:36.88 as the fastest ever in textile with a World title in the bank.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

M50 Breast: Cerasuolo Makes A Splash With Debut Dash Title For Italy

“(I feel) lots of happiness. It’s a dream come true. I don’t know what to say. At the moment, I am a bit confused but I told myself ‘Finally I made it’. - Simone Cerasuolo

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Related - Peaty's Plans:

Adam Peaty targets four LA 2028 golds despite minimal training since Paris

Olympian says he wants to compete at 2026 Commonwealth Games and European Championships before ‘beating America on home turf’ at age of 33 with 50m sprint added to next Games

The TimesCraig Lord

Also In Singapore

Mixed 4x100m Medley: A 51.78 Lead-Off & Title For A Team With No Name

What’s impossible to report without knowing what happens next…

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

The Records - Day 4:

Championship, continental and national... heats, sets and finals:

Men's 200m medley - Semi-finals
Léon Marchand - France - 1:52.69 WR / CR / ER / NR

Mixed 4x100m medley - Finals:

Canada 3:40.90 NR
Kylie Masse (58.69)
Oliver Dawson (59.63)
Joshua Liendo (49.64)
Taylor Ruck (52.94)

Neutral 3:37.97 CR
Miron Lifintsev (51.78)
Kirill Prigoda (57.56)
Daria Klepikova (55.97)
Daria Trofimova (52.66)

Men's 100m freestyle
Semi-finals
Jack Alexy United States 46.81 NR

Here are the swims from Day 3 rounds, with day 4 finals:

Women's 200m freestyle
Heats
Jo Hyun-ju South Korea 1:58.10 NR

Men's 800m freestyle
Heats
Victor Johansson Sweden 7:44.81 NR
Kuzey Tunçelli Turkey 7:45.13 NR

Men's 50m breaststroke
Heats
Taku Taniguchi Japan 26.65 NR
Ronan Wantenaar Namibia 26.85 NR
Samy Boutouil Morocco 27.78 NR
Samuel Yalimaiwai Fiji 28.54 NR
Joao Carneiro Luxembourg 28.57
Panayiotis Panaretos Cyprus 28.61
Samyar Abdoli. Iran 28.69
Adrian Robinson Botswana 28.70
Denis Svet Moldova 28.73
Matthew Lawrence Mozambique 28.82
Zach Moyo Zambia 29.04 NR
Ashot Chakhoyan Armenia 29.12 NR=
Semi-finals
Koen de Groot Netherlands 26.71 NR
Antoine Viquerat France 26.93 NR

Men's 200m butterfly
Heats
Krzysztof Chmielewski Poland 1:52.89 NR
Raekwon Jibril Noel Guyana 1:59.89 NR
Semi-finals
Chen Juner China 1:54.02 NR
Krzysztof Chmielewski Poland 1:52.64 NR
Harrison Turner Australia 1:54.17 NR

Mixed 4x100m medley
Heats
Poland 3:44.22 NR
Ksawery Masiuk (53.31)
Dominika Sztandera (1:06.20)
Jakub Majerski (50.99)
Katarzyna Wasick (53.72)

Mexico 3:49.34 NR
Celia Pulido (1:00.97)
Miguel de Lara (1:00.94)
Miranda Grana (59.33)
Andrés Dupont (48.10)

Aruba 3:59.70 NR
Patrick Groters (56.97)
Mikel Schreuders (1:02.15)
Avigayle Tromp (1:03.57)
Elisabeth Timmer (57.01)

Uganda 4:05.65 NR
Kirabo Namutebi (1:09.52)
Tendo Mukalazi (1:06.78)
Jesse Ssuubi Ssengonzi (53.55)
Gloria Muzito (55.80)

Armenia 4:06.45 NR
Varsenik Manucharyan (1:08.36)
Ashot Chakhoyan (1:03.52)
Yeva Karapetyan (1:03.58)
Levon Kocharyan (50.99)

Kenya 4:07.72 NR
Imara Thorpe (1:07.27)
Haniel Kudwoli (1:05.51)
Stephen Nyoike (57.91)
Sara Mose (57.03)