Katie Grimes competes during the women's open water 10-kilometer at the 2022 FINA World Championships on June 29, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary.
Rising Star Katie Grimes Wins Silver Twice
Katie Grimes, a 16-year-old who last year in Tokyo became the youngest U.S. Olympic swimmer since Amanda Beard at age 14 in 1996, captured silver medals in the 1,500 freestyle and 400 medley.
In the women’s 1,500 free, it was Katie and Katie who finished one-two. Ledecky won the event with Grimes 14.74 seconds behind her in second place.
“She’s got such a bright future ahead of her,” Ledecky said of Grimes.
Grimes also jumped out of the pool and finished fifth in the open water 10K, posting the second-best finish by an American woman. Only three-time Olympian Haley Anderson has ever done better, winning a silver medal in the 2019 FINA World Championships.
Four-Peat Title For Women’s Water Polo
The U.S. women’s water polo team won its fourth straight world title on Saturday, extending a domination of the sport that has included seven world championships and three Olympic titles since 2003.
Maddie Musselman, a two-time Olympian, scored five goals and was named game MVP in a 9-7 win over Hungary in the world title game. Ryann Neushul added three goals.
The U.S. won all six matches at the world championships, outscoring its opponents by a combined 94-33.
Ashleigh Johnson, a two-time Olympian, was named Top Goalkeeper of the tournament.
Young Answers The Call, Wins Silver With Schnell
Two-time Olympian Katrina Young was happy to get the call.
When Tarrin Gilliland withdrew from the competition due to an injury, Young was contacted to see if she could dive with 2020 Olympian Delaney Schnell in the women’s 10-meter synchronized event. Young said yes, the two practiced for a few weeks and then they won a silver medal in Budapest.
“It was incredible,” said Young, who won her third world championships medal but first silver. “It was a pretty last-minute change. It was a lot of stress going into the event, but it worked out.”
Schnell, who won a silver medal with Jessica Parratto in the same event in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, also won a world bronze medal with Carson Tyler in the mixed synchro 10-meter.
Schnell and Young rallied from an eighth-place spot in the standings after the second round of the finals and beat out Malaysia’s Pandelela Pamg and Nur Dhabitah Sadri by 0.72 points for second place. Schnell and Young scored 299.40 points.
Ryan Murphy celebrates after winning the men's 200-meter backstroke final at the 2022 FINA World Championships on June 23, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary.
Olympic Champ Murphy Wins First World Title
Ryan Murphy, a two-time Olympian who has won six Olympic medals, won the 200 backstroke for his first individual world title .
“This is what I work for,” Murphy said. “Every day I wake up with a sense of urgency. I’m trying my best; I’m giving it everything I’ve got, and I’ve got really great people around me.”
Murphy won the 200 back in his Olympic debut in 2016 and finished second in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
He also won two silvers Budapest in the 100 backstroke and men’s 4x100 medley relay and swam in the prelims of the mixed 4x100 medley, which the U.S. eventually won.
Sarah Bacon Dives For Silver Again
Sarah Bacon captured her second consecutive world silver medal in the women’s 1-meter springboard event. Bacon overtook Canada’s Mia Vallee for second place, scoring in the 7s on her front 2.5 somersaults pike.
“Mia and I have been diving alongside each other basically all year throughout the NCAA season,” Bacon said. “I knew it was going to be a tough battle, but I pulled through in the end and hit my last dive.”
Another Golden Finish For Finke
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke charged from behind to overtake two Olympic medalists in the 800 free to not only win but to set an American record.
Finke won the event with a time of 7 minutes, 39.36 seconds, breaking an American record he had set in Tokyo. He covered the final 50 meters in 25.93 seconds.
“Coming off of Tokyo and just my expectations for myself,” he said, “this one means a little bit more.”
The win in Budapest was Finke’s first world title. He won a silver medal in the 1,500 freestyle, where he also set an American record.
