The pool competition of the World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023 moves on to Day 6 in the U.S. time zones (Friday morning in Japan) with another slate of exciting swims on the docket.  

Here’s a closer look at the athletes entering tonight’s prelims session: 

Men 100m Butterfly
Last year’s world championships was the first time the U.S. missed the podium in this event since 2015. Dare Rose and Thomas Heilman both posted their personal best times to qualify for this meet at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships. 

• Athletes: Dare Rose (Jersey City, N.J./California Aquatics) and Thomas Heilman (Crozet, Va./Cavalier Aquatics/Piedmont Family YMCA) 
• U.S. has won seven of last 10 world titles in the event. 

Women 200m Backstroke
Rhyan White won bronze at last year’s world championships in this event. She currently holds the third-fastest time in the world this year with 2:05.77. 2019 world champion Regan Smith has the second-fastest time in the world this year at 2:03.80. 

• Athletes: Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Sun Devil Swimming) and Rhyan White (Herriman, Utah/Wolfpack Elite/Wasatch Front Fish Market) 
• If both Americans medal, it would be the first time in competition history with two American medalists in back-to-back World Championships. 
• The U.S. has medaled in the event at every World Championships since 2003. 
• Smith’s 2:03.80 at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships was her first time going 2:03 since she won gold at the 2019 World Championships. 

Men 50m Freestyle
Ryan Held currently holds the second-fastest time in the world this year with his 21.50 from the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships. Jack Alexy’s time of 21.63 is the fourth-fastest in the world this year.  

• Athletes: Ryan Held (Springfield, Ill./New York Athletic Club) and Jack Alexy (Mendham, N.J./California Aquatics) 
• Held and Alexy enter the meet as the seventh- and eighth- fastest Americans in event history. 
• The U.S. is searching for a fifth consecutive World Championships medal in the event. 

Women 50m Butterfly
Gretchen Walsh set an American record with her time of 25.11 at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships, which is also the second-fastest time in the world this year. Huske finished sixth in this event at last year’s world championships. 

• Athletes: Gretchen Walsh (Nashville, Tenn./Nashville Aquatic Club/University of Virginia) and Torri Huske (Arlington, Va./Arlington Aquatic Club) 
• The U.S. is searching for its first world title and second overall world championships medal in the event’s history since it was added to the schedule in 2001. 

Women 800m Freestyle: Ledecky has won every world title in this event since 2013 and she’s not looking to slow down now. She owns the fastest time in the world this year (8:07.07). Jillian Cox makes her debut in a senior-level, long-course meter international competition. She swam the 800m freestyle at last year’s Junior Pan Pacific Championships and FINA World Championships (25m). 

• Athletes: Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) and Jillian Cox (Cedar Park, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics) 
• Last year, Ledecky became the first female in American history to five-peat as world champion. She will look to Fukuoka to win her sixth world title in a row. 

Watch Day 6 prelims on Peacock at 9:30 p.m. ET tonight and semifinals/finals at 7:00 a.m. ET tomorrow. The morning’s session will feature semifinals in the men’s 100m butterfly, the women’s 200m backstroke, the men’s 50m freestyle and the women’s 50m butterfly. Finals will include the women’s 100m freestyle, the women’s 200m breaststroke, the men’s 200m backstroke, the men’s 200m breaststroke and the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay. 

More than 1,110 swimmers from 192 countries and the World Aquatics Refugee Team have descended on the city of Fukuoka, Japan to compete in the swimming portion of the 20th edition of these world championships. The World Aquatics Swimming Championships medal table, sorted by federation and by athlete, can be found here. 
 
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