Leah Hayes sets new World Junior record in 200 IM

Leah Hayes set a new World Junior record in the 200-meter individual medley, touching the wall at 2 minutes, 8.81 seconds during the event’s final at the 2022 World Championships.

The 16-year-old broke Yiting Yu’s record time of 2:09.57, set at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hayes’ blistering pace earned her third place in the race and makes her the fastest American 18 and under as well.

American swimmer Alex Walsh finished ahead of Hayes, taking first place in the 200 IM with a time of 2:07.13.

With her victory, Walsh becomes the fifth fastest swimmer of all time in the event, logging the best 200 IM time since Katinka Hosszu recorded a 2:07.02 swim in 2019.

Torri Huske had a historic swim as well, setting an American record to win the 100-meter butterfly. The 19-year-old touched the wall at 55.64 to break her own record set at the 2021 Olympic Trials.

“It’s kind of surreal. I feel like I haven’t really processed it yet,” Huske said after the race. “I’m just happy I went a best time more than the place. At the end of the day, I just want to see that I’m improving myself.”