Us Swimmers Battling Outbreak Of ‘acute Gastroenteritis’ At World Championships

The United States aquatics squad is battling an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis that has affected respective athletes astatine nan commencement of nan World Aquatics Championships successful Singapore.

Team officials confirmed nan unwellness originated during a pre-meet training campy successful Phuket, Thailand, and has compromised aggregate performances arsenic title sewage nether measurement connected Sunday.

USA Swimming spokesperson Nikki Warner told reporters that each squad members traveled to Singapore, but declined to specify really galore were impacted by nan infectious condition. At slightest 3 swimmers were intelligibly affected: reigning Olympic 100m butterfly champion Torri Huske, 18-year-old Claire Weinstein and 16-year-old Luca Mijatovic.

Huske was withdrawn from nan heats of her signature arena connected Sunday. While nan squad initially said nan move was to attraction connected relays, it’s now clear her withdrawal was illness-related. Weinstein was besides pulled from nan 400m freestyle. Mijatovic did compete successful nan men’s 400m freestyle prelims, but swam astir 15 seconds slower than his introduction time, appearing visibly unwell during nan race.

Katie Ledecky, nan astir accomplished personnel of nan American squad, showed nary signs of unwellness and posted nan fastest qualifying clip successful nan women’s 400m freestyle prelims astatine 4:01.04.

She’ll look disconnected successful that last pinch Summer McIntosh, nan 17-year-old Canadian phenom who began her quest for 5 golden medals connected Sunday. McIntosh, who won 3 golds astatine nan 2024 Paris Olympics and holds nan world grounds successful nan 400m freestyle astatine 3:54.18, is nan favourite alongside Ledecky. The American holds nan year’s second-fastest clip astatine 3:56.81.

Though McIntosh owns nan world record, she has yet to triumph golden successful nan 400 free astatine an Olympics aliases world championships. She is besides targeting golden this week successful nan 200m and 400m individual medleys and nan 200m butterfly. Only Michael Phelps has ever claimed 5 individual golds astatine a azygous world championship.

The men’s 400m freestyle last is besides connected Sunday’s schedule, pinch Germany’s Lukas Märtens – nan caller world grounds holder astatine 3:39.96 – entering arsenic nan favorite. The time concludes pinch some nan men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay finals.

The championships people an important trial for Team USA arsenic it looks to rebound from a disappointing capacity astatine nan Paris Games, wherever nan Americans won conscionable 8 golds – their fewest since 1988 – though still capable to lead nan badge table. The US men claimed only 1 of those titles and get successful Singapore pinch what caput coach Greg Meehan described arsenic nan youngest American squad successful caller memory.