Armstrong wins men’s 50m backstroke world title

FUKUOKA: American Hunter Armstrong won the men’s 50m backstroke title at swimming’s world championships on Sunday.

Armstrong touched the wall in 24.05sec to beat compatriot Justin Ress on 24.24 and China’s Xu Jiayu on 24.50.

Ress was the defending champion in the event, while Armstrong is the world record-holder.

It was the US team’s fifth gold medal of the championships.

Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, who had the second-fastest time of the year behind Ress, was banned from competing in Fukuoka because of his country’s involvement in the war in Ukraine.

Canada’s Summer McIntosh won the women’s 400m individual medley.

McIntosh came home in 4min, 27.11sec to finish ahead of American Katie Grimes on 4:31.41 and Australia’s Jenna Forrester on 4:32.30.

She had already won gold in the women’s 200m butterfly earlier this week in Fukuoka. She also won bronze in the 200m freestyle.

Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui won the men’s 1,500m freestyle title.

Hafnaoui came home in 14min, 31.54sec to finish ahead of American Bobby Finke on 14:31.59 and Australia’s Sam Short on 14:37.28. Hafnaoui’s time was less than a second off the world record of 14:31.02 set by China’s Sun Yang in 2012. Agencies

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