Fukuoka (Japan).- French Leon Marchandwho sprayed world record of 400 styles in power mythical Michael Phils (Beijing 2008), joined the experienced Australian side in the first session of the finals of the Fukuoka World Cupwith the victories of Ariane Timus (400 free) and the women’s 4×100 relayalso with world record, and masculine, as well as the gold of sat short (400 free).

If a priori the career of the 400 free women was the star of the first session at the end of the worldthe show offered by Merchant it eclipsed everything.

And he did it because smashed in 1.34 seconds a record dating back to 2008but above all because its owner was a swimming legend: Michael Phelps. Merchant swam 15 years later in 4:02.50, Phelps I had done it in 4:03.84.

The French of Toulouse received from the hands of Phelps his medal, a great way to receive the relay, from a swimmer wishing to write history, who won three medals at the last World Cup (gold in the 200m and 400m medley, silver in the 200m butterfly), and that at 21, he has many years to reign over the world styles.

Merchant was the protagonist, but also the prodigious demonstration of the Australian team, which won the four gold medals at stake in the first session (400 freestyle, men and women, 4×100 in both categories).

The first gold medal went to Ariane TimusOlympic champion in the 400m freestyle, who also put her name on First world record at the Fukuoka World Cupafter winning the final with 3:55.38 American style Katy Ledecki (3:58.73), second, and the world record holder, the young Canadian Summer McIntosh, fourth at the end.

Titmus, Ledecky and McIntosh, the three fastest swimmers in the distance, put on a great show in the pool Marine Mass of Fukuoka. The oceanic dominated the race from start to finish, at first she was worried about McIntoshbut never for Ledecky.

The American lost her world title in a race that went from minus to plus, but she didn’t come to win. tit resisted the pressure of McIntosh in the first 200 meters (1:56.94 by 1:57.47) and from the 300, Ledecky pressed and finished second, the Canadian collapsed and lost the bronze, which went to the New Zealander Erika Fairweather.

The third world record of the session was also the work of the team.Aussie‘. He 4×100 women I swim in 3:27.96below the previous mark, which this same team had with 3:29.69 since the Tokyo Games.

Australians swam with Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Meg Harris and Emma McKeon and they prevailed UNITED STATES Already China. In the men’s version of the same distance, there was a victory for the ocean men, but without a world record this time.

The quartet formed by Jack Cartwright, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor and Kyle Chalmerswhich imposed itself on the teams of Italy and of UNITED STATES. Spainwho competed in the final, finished eighth.

The gold was also taken by another Australian, sat shortprotagonist of the 400 free, a high-level event, with the first two, Shorts and Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, who is the current Olympic champion, breaking the record of the German paul bierderman (3:40.07), one of the few survivors of the polyurethane era (Rome 2009).

Court and Hafnaoui swam 350 meters under the record of bedermann. In the end, the young man wonAussie‘ With 3:40.68, two tenths less than the Tunisian. German lukas martens he took bronze with 3:42.20.

China Yufei Zhang was the fastest in the semi-finals of 100 butterfly with 56.40 ahead of the American Torri Huske, who has the best world mark of the year (56.18), and today he swam in 56.76. the canadian Margaret McNeil (56.78) was third fastest.

The Australians will also be in the final Emma McKeon and Brianna Throsell, the German Angelina Kohlerthe american Gretchen wash and the French Marie Wattel.

In the 50 butterfly, the Frenchman Maxime Grousset (22.72) was the best in the semi-finals, where the Spaniard was also Mario Molla, who finished tenth with 23.16 and lowered his mark a little more.

Among those classified for the final are the American Dare Pinkenglish StonesItalian Thomas Ceconthe egyptian Samealso British Benjamin ProudyPortuguese Gear and the Austrian Simon Bucher, who had to sever ties with Trinidadians Dylan Carter.

The Chinese qinhaiyang was the fastest in the 100m breaststroke semi-final, ahead of the German Lucas Matzerath and the American Nick Fink, while in the 200 styles, the American Alex Walsh she was the fastest in the semi-finals. China Yit Yu was second and the Dutch Marrit Steenbergen the one who achieved the third fastest time in the semi-final.