FUKUOKA, Japan – Canadian swimmer Maggie MacNeil won silver in the 100m butterfly at the World Aquatics Championships on Monday.

Mac Neil of London, Ontario completed the course in 56.45 seconds. China’s Yufei Zhang triumphed in 56.12 seconds while America’s Torri Huske completed the podium in 56.61 seconds.

“Honestly, I’m happier with my ranking than my time,” Mac Neil said in a statement. Obviously I was hoping to be able to swim faster. That’s something I need to improve on next year, but it’s always nice to be back on the international stage.”

Mac Neil, 23, entered the competition as the reigning Olympic champion.

“This is my first gold medal at a World Championship,” said Zhang, who described rivals Man Neil, McKeon and Huske as “old friends.”

Zhang added that she changed her approach and held back in the first part of the race before “swimming the last 50 meters as fast as she could.”

Last season, Mac Neil did not compete in any individual events of the World Championship as she focused on her mental and physical health.

“I think it’s very important to be able to take a step back and the fact that I’ve only competed in the relay competitions has given me a whole new perspective on the sport,” she said. Being able to come back, regain confidence and win my first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games was another big step for me. In general, I am very satisfied with the decisions I have made.”

In addition, Canadians Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm have qualified for the 100m backstroke final, which takes place on Tuesday evening.

Masse, from LaSalle, Ontario, finished second in her run in the semifinals and was fourth fastest overall with a time of 59.06 seconds. Calgary’s Wilm finished third in his run with a time of 59.35.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” said Masse, who won three medals including a silver medal in the 100m backstroke at the 2022 World Championships.

American Regan Smith was the fastest in the 100m backstroke with a time of 58.33 seconds.

In the men’s 100m breaststroke, Qin Haiyang dominated from start to finish.

Qin took the gold medal just minutes ahead of her compatriot Zhang in the women’s 100m butterfly. After outperforming all other swimmers by more than a second in the semifinals, Qin outperformed all his rivals in the finals.

For second place there was a triple tie between American Nic Fink, Italian Nicolo Martinenghi and Dutchman Arno Kamming, all running 58.72.

Several notable absentees

However, this race was marred by the absence of several headliners.

The Brit Adam Peaty, two-time Olympic champion and world record holder over the distance, is on sabbatical and is conspicuous by his absence in Japan. He said in an interview that he took a break “to get his sanity back.”

Peaty is one of the best swimmers in his discipline, posting 19 of the top 20 times in the 100m breaststroke. His record is 56.88 seconds.

In addition, USA teammates Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh, teammates at the University of Virginia, made the double in the women’s 200m individual medley ahead of China’s Yu Yiting. It was the first time two American swimmers had accomplished this feat at World Aquatics.

16-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh would have been the favorite for the event, but decided not to do so due to a scheduling conflict. McIntosh was content with fourth place in the 400m freestyle on Sunday – at the same time handing over her world record to Australia’s Ariarne Titmus. McIntosh already holds the mark in the 400 IM, set in early 2023 with a 4:25.87.

Italy’s Thomas Ceccon won the 50m butterfly, a non-Olympic discipline, in 22.68. He beat Portugal’s Diogo Matos Ribeiro (22.80) and French Maxime Grousset (22.82) on the wall.

Fukuoka is missing several big butterfly specialists, including American Caeleb Dressel and Hungarian Kristof Milak. Dressel didn’t make it to Team USA after a long layoff, while Milak said he was in poor shape, either physically or mentally.