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2024 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP-SHANGHAI
Sparks flew in the women’s 200m butterfly on night one of the first stop of the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Shanghai, China.
American Regan Smith put the U.S. national record on notice with a swift mark of 2:01.85 to get to the wall first. That fell just .12 outside Kelsi Dahlia‘s national standard of 2:01.73 put on the books at the 2018 Short Course World Championships.
Smith’s lifetime best now inserts herself into the list of top 5 women’s performers all time in slot #5.
Top 5 Women’s SCM 200 Butterfly Performers All-Time
- Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 1:59.61, 2014
- Liu Zige (CHN) – 2:00.78, 2009
- Katinka Hozzsu (HUN) – 2:01.12, 2014
- Kelshi Dahlia (USA) – 2:01.73, 2018
- Regan Smith (USA) – 2:01.85, 2024
Behind Smith this evening was 17-year-old Chen Luying of the host nation who scorched a mark of 2:02.71. Although it’s indicated as a new World Junior Record, Chen has actually already been faster this year.
Competing at the Chinese National Short Course Championships last month, Chen unleashed a lifetime best of 2:02.52. That performance sliced .44 off the previous World Junior Record Japanese Olympian Suzuka Hasegawa registered in 2017, ranking the teen as the 6th-fastest women’s 200m butterfly performer in history.
Bronze tonight went to Laura Lahtinen of Finland with the 21-year-old putting up a new national record of 2:03.13 to land on the podium.
Lahtinen held the former national record at 2:05.13 notched at the 2022 Short Course World Championships so she hacked exactly 2 seconds off that result to establish a new personal best.
Splits for her former record versus her new are below.
Former Finnish national record:
New Finnish national record:
