It starts to get busy for Missy Franklin on Tuesday.
The four-time 2012 Olympic gold medalist swims twice in the evening session (Universal Sports, noon ET) at the world swimming championships after qualifying into the 200-meter semifinals Tuesday morning. Franklin will also swim in the final of the 100 backstroke, where she is the clear favorite for gold.
Franklin, working on the second and third events of a potential eight-event schedule in Barcelona, qualified safely fifth into the 200 free semifinals. The top eight women from the semis will reach Wednesday’s final. She should have no problems there.
But before that, she swims in the 100 backstroke final. By semifinal times, it would appear this final should be close among the Olympic champ Franklin (59.31), Olympic silver medalist Emily Seebohm (59.38) and American Elizabeth Pelton (59.44).
However, Franklin slipped off the start in Monday’s semifinals and still posted the fastest time. There’s talk Franklin could challenge the world record of 58.12 held by Britain’s Gemma Spofforth.
The other American superstar, Ryan Lochte, also swims his first individual final in the first event of Tuesday’s evening session. Lochte, in the second of a potential seven events, is the defending world champion in the 200 free, but he finished fourth at the 2012 Olympics.
He’s the second fastest qualifier into the eight-man final and will have to overtake Russian top seed Danila Izotov, who also owns the fastest time in the world this year set before the world championships.
Americans could win four of Tuesday’s five finals. Katie Ledecky will battle defending world champ Lotte Friis of Denmark in the women’s 1,500 free. Ledecky already won gold in the 400 free and may win four total golds in Barcelona.
Matt Grevers will attempt to follow up his Olympic title with a world title in the men’s 100 backstroke, where another American, David Plummer, is the No. 2 seed behind him.
The last final, the women’s 100 breaststroke, is an open-and-shut case. Lithuanian Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte, 16, broke the world record in the semifinals Monday.
In other preliminary action Tuesday, all three medalists from the men’s 100 breast advanced to the 50 breast semis. Two Americans and Olympic champion Chad le Clos led the qualifiers into the men’s 200 butterfly semis. In the men’s 1,500 free, U.S. champion Connor Jaeger qualified ahead of world and Olympic champ Sun Yang into Wednesday’s final.
NBC, Universal Sports broadcast schedule | Live results
Photos: Swimming on world newspaper front pages Tuesday
Here’s the order of events in Tuesday’s evening session:
Men’s 200 Freestyle Final
Field
1. Danila Izotov (RUS) 1:45.84
2. Ryan Lochte (USA) 1:46.06
3. Kosuke Hagino (JPN) 1:46.87
4. Robbie Renwick (GBR) 1:46.95
5. Yannick Agnel (FRA) 1:47.01
6. Conor Dwyer (USA) 1:47.05
7. Thomas Fraser-Holmes (AUS) 1:47.21
8. Cameron McEvoy (CHN) 1:47.31
Preview
By semifinal times, this should be a two-man race between Izotov and Lochte, but there are two more men to watch out for. Izotov’s world-leading time from the World University Games is a half-second better than anyone else this year and a second better than Lochte. But we don’t know much Lochte left in the tank from that semifinal swim. It’s closer to a coin flip as to who’s the favorite. The two men who also have a shot at gold are Japan’s Hagino, who won silver in the 400 free in a Japanese record time, and the Olympic champion Agnel, who seems to be slowly working into form in Barcelona.
Medal Picks
Gold: Lochte
Silver: Izotov
Bronze: Agnel
Women’s 100 Backstroke Final
Field
1. Missy Franklin (USA) 59.31
2. Emily Seebohm (AUS) 59.38
3. Elizabeth Pelton (USA) 59.44
4. Aya Terakawa (JPN) 59.80
5. Fu Yuanhui (CHN) 59.82
6. Daryna Zevina (UKR) 59.90
7. Simona Baumrtova (CZE) 59.99
8. Belinda Hocking (AUS) 1:00.24
Preview
That Franklin slipped off the start in her semifinal and still led all qualifiers is a pretty impressive feat for the collegian to be. A second gold at these championships is in her sights. Silver and bronze should be shared among three women — Seebohm, Pelton and Terakawa. Seebohm is the Olympic silver medalist with the third fastest time in the world this year. Terakawa is the Olympic bronze medalist with the second fastest time in the world this year. Pelton is the wild card. She failed to final in this event at 2011 worlds and didn’t make the Olympic team.
Medal Picks
Gold: Franklin
Silver: Seebohm
Bronze: Terakawa
Men’s 50 Breaststroke Semifinals
Field
1. Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) 26.78
2. Felipe Lima (BRA) 27.11
3. Glenn Snyders (NZL) 27.27
4. Christian Sprenger (AUS) 27.30
5. Kirill Strelnikov (RUS) 27.36
6. Giulio Zorzi (RSA) 27.37
7. Biaorong Gu (CHN) 27.38
8. Joao Gomes Junior (BRA) 27.39
9. Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) 27.43
10. Kevin Steel (USA) 27.45
11. Dawid Szulich (POL) 27.48
11. Damir Dugonjic (SLO) 27.48
13. Mattia Pesce (ITA) 27.52
13. Barry Murphy (IRL) 27.52
15. Johannes Skagius (SWE) 27.57
16. Eetu Karvonen (FIN) 27.58
Preview
This is an event not on the Olympic program. The three medalists in Monday’s 100 breast — Sprenger, van der Burgh and Lima — are among the top four qualifiers. They also happen to hold the three fastest times in the world this year. The 2011 world champion, Felipe Silva of Brazil, did not make it to worlds in this event. Steel is the U.S. champion with the fifth fastest time in the world this year. 2011 world silver medalist Fabio Scozzoli surprisingly failed to make the semifinals.
Women’s 1500 Freestyle Final
Field
1. Lotte Friis (DEN) 15:49.18
2. Katie Ledecky (USA) 15:49.26
3. Kristel Kobrich Schimpl (CHI) 15:54.30
4. Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP) 16:00.31
5. Boglarka Kapas (HUN) 16:02.58
6. Lauren Boyle (NZL) 16:02.90
7. Chloe Sutton (USA) 16:04.72
8. Danlu Xu (CHN) 16:05.59
Preview
This is a two-woman battle for gold between Friis, the defending world champion, and Ledecky, whose competing in this non-Olympic event at a major international meet for the first time. The potential No. 3, Britain’s Jazmin Carlin, failed to make the final. This will be the toughest of Ledecky’s three individual swims to win gold. But if she beats out Friis, she’s got a great shot at four golds total at worlds. The crowd will be rooting hard for Belmonte Garcia, silver medalist to Ledecky in the 800 free at the Olympics.
Medal Picks
Gold: Ledecky
Silver: Friis
Bronze: Belmonte Garcia
Men’s 100 Backstroke Final
Field
1. Matt Grevers (USA) 52.97
2. David Plummer (USA) 53.10
3. Jeremy Stravius (FRA) 53.23
4. Ryosuke Irie (JPN) 53.41
5. Camille Lacourt (FRA) 53.42
6. Kosuke Hagino (JPN) 53.68
7. Ashley Delaney (AUS) 53.74
8. Gareth Kean (NZL) 53.81
Preview
Here we have Grevers, the Olympic champion, Plummer, who beat Grevers at U.S. trials, and Stravius, the co-2011 world champion. Any three of them could win it. Both Japanese — the Olympic and world bronze medalist Irie and the teen sensation Hagino — could also crash the podium. Lacourt shared that 2011 world title with Stravius and has a medal shot, too. Grevers must be considered the favorite, but it’s a pretty deep final.
Medal Picks
Gold: Grevers
Silver: Plummer
Bronze: Stravius
Women’s 200 Freestyle Semifinals
Field
1. Camille Muffat (FRA) 1:56.53
2. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 1:56.73
3. Federica Pellegrini (ITA) 1:56.79
4. Charlotte Bonnet (FRA) 1:56.82
5. Missy Franklin (USA) 1:56.90
6. Melanie Costa Schmid (ESP) 1:57.01
7. Bronte Barratt (AUS) 1:57.14
8. Femke Heemskerk (NED) 1:57.44
9. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 1:57.64
10. Kylie Palmer (AUS) 1:57.67
11. Shannon Vreeland (USA) 1:58.08
12. Alice Mizzau (ITA) 1:58.10
13. Michelle Coleman (SWE) 1:58.17
14. Qiu Yuhan (CHN) 1:58.38
15. Samantha Lucie-Smith (NZL) 1:58.87
16. Barbara Rojas-Jardin (CAN) 1:58.93
Preview
All the major players made the semifinals — and there are a lot of them. Muffat is the Olympic silver medalist, world bronze medalist and world leader for 2013. Hosszu is coming off an impressive win in the 200 individual medley Monday. Pellegrini is the two-time defending world champion and the world-record holder. Franklin shouldn’t have a problem making Wednesday’s eight-woman final, but she will have her hands full tomorrow. She was fourth in the Olympics in this event. Olympic champion Allison Schmitt shockingly didn’t make the U.S. team for worlds.
Men’s 200 Butterfly Semifinals
Field
1. Tyler Clary (USA) 1:56.03
2. Chad le Clos (RSA) 1:56.21
3. Tom Luchsinger (USA) 1:56.32
4. Nikolay Skvortsov (RUS) 1:56.47
5. Chen Yin (CHN) 1:56.48
6. Leonardo De Deus (BRA) 1:56.52
7. Pawel Korzeniowski (POL) 1:56.61
8. Yuki Kobori (JPN) 1:56.64
9. Bence Biczo (HUN) 1:56.70
10. Wu Peng (CHN) 1:56.96
11. Takeshi Matsuda (JPN) 1:57.14
12. Grant Irvine (AUS) 1:57.18
13. Jordan Coelho (FRA) 1:57.19
14. Joseph Schooling (SIN) 1:57.23
15. Velimir Stjepanovic (SRB) 1:57.34
16. Roberto Pavoni (GBR) 1:57.37
Preview
This will be just the second time since 1998 that Michael Phelps is not part of the 200 fly field at a worlds or Olympics. He won every world title from 2001 to 2011 save 2005, when he did not swim it. All of his former chasers are into the semifinals — the Olympic 200 backstroke champion Clary, the Olympic 200 fly champion le Clos, the 2005 world champ Korzeniowski and Olympic medalists Wu and Matsuda. Luchsinger, on his first worlds team, is in great shape to make the eight-man final Wednesday as well.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke Final
Field
1. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) 1:04.45
2. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) 1:05.29
3. Rikke Moller Pedersen (DEN) 1:05.99
4. Jessica Hardy (USA) 1:06.10
5. Breeja Larson (USA) 1:06.61
6. Viktoria Solnceva (UKR) 1:06.67
7. Jennie Johansson (SWE) 1:06.96
8. Marina Garcia (ESP) 1:07.12
Preview
The last event Tuesday night will be quite anti-climactic. Meilutyte nearly broke the world record in the prelims, and then she took it by a tenth in the semis. Nobody will stop her in the final. Silver is not quite a lock, but it would be a surprise if it doesn’t go to Efimova, who was fourth in 2011. But don’t count out the Americans. Hardy was the world-record holder until Monday. Larson was sixth at the Olympics, but Meilutyte is the only woman in this field from the top five in London.
Medal Picks
Gold: Meilutyte
Silver: Efimova
Bronze: Hardy
