Cam McEvoy Swims 21.13 in 50 Free PRELIMS at 2024 World Championships

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 11th – February 18th, 2024
• Doha, Qatar
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Official Entries
• Live Results
• How To Watch
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap
• Day 5 Prelims Recap | Day 5 Finals Recap
• Day 6 Prelims Recap

The field in the men’s 50 freestyle prelims lit up the pool in Doha on Friday morning, led by the defending World Champion Cam McEvoy in a time of 21.13.

That’s just .07 seconds shy of his Australian Record and is the 6th-best swim in history, and the second-fastest swim ever done outside of an event final.

Fastest Performances, Men’s LCM 50 Free (All Rounds)

1. 20.91, Cesar Cielo, Brazil – 2009 Brazilian Nationals
2. 20.94, Fred Bousquet, France – 2009 French Nationals
3. 21.04, Caeleb Dressel, USA – 2019 Worlds
4. 21.06, Cam McEvoy, Australia – 2023 Worlds
5. 21.11, Ben Proud, Great Britain – 2018 Euros
6. 21.13, Cam McEvoy, Australia – 2024 Worlds
7. (TIE) Ashley Callus, Australia – 2009 AIS Invitational/Florent Manaudou, France – 2015 World Championships
9. 21.20, George Bovell III, Trinidad & Tobago – 2009 World Championships
10. 21.23, Alain Bernard, France – 2009 French Nationals

Fastest Performances, Men’s LCM 50 Free (Non-Finals

1. 21.11, Ben Proud, Great Britain – 2018 Euros (semis)
2. 21.13, Cam McEvoy, Australia – 2024 Worlds (prelims)
3. 21.20, George Bovell III, Trinidad & Tobago – 2009 World Championships (swim-off)
4. 21.24, Ashley Callus, Australia – 2009 AIS Invitational (prelims)
5. 21.29, Duje Draganja, Croatia – 2009 Worlds (semis)
6. (TIE) 21.37, Nathan Adrian, USA – 2015 Worlds (semis)/Andrea Vergani, Italy, 2018 Euros (semis)
8. 21.40, Cullen Jones, USA – 2009 Worlds (semis)
9. 21.42, Krisztian Takacs, Hungary – 2009 Worlds (swim-off)
10. (TIE) 21.45, Stefan Nystrand, Sweden – 2009 Worlds (semis)/Pawel Juraszek, Poland – 2018 Polish Nationals (prelims)

McEvoy, who early in his career was a 100/200 freestyler with great closing speed, came close to a World Record in the 100 free in 2016.

While he never fully stopped competing after that, he did go into a lull while focusing on his education in physics and mathematics, never really regaining the form he showed in 2016.

Last year, though, he re-emerged as one of the fastest ever in the 50 freestyle, armed with a new training regiment that included more than a dozen hours a week of rock climbing and a focus on strength.

Now McEvoy rolls into the semi-finals with a .43 second advantage on his next-closest competitor, 21-year-old Vladyslav Bukhov of Ukraine.

SwimSwam: Cam McEvoy Swims 21.13 in 50 Free PRELIMS at 2024 World Championships