Olympic gold medalist Jack Alexy secured his first individual world championship title in the 100-meter freestyle at the Short Course World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. Alexy edged out Brazil's Guilherme Santos with a time of 45.38 seconds, adding to his gold medal from the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay earlier in the competition. Teammate Chris Guilano finished just behind in fourth place with a time of 45.51.
Alexy's victory comes on the heels of a world record-breaking performance in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, where the American team, including Alexy, Guilano, Luke Hobson, and Kieran Smith, took home gold. Alexy's lead-off time of 45.05 set both American and championship records, and his individual 100-meter time was just shy of Kyle Chalmers' world record from 2021.
Team USA continued its strong showing at the championships, with several other athletes earning medals. Gretchen Walsh, the women's 4x200-meter free relay team, Kate Douglass, Lilly King, Regan Smith, Carson Foster, and Kieran Smith all contributed to the American medal count.
The Short Course World Championships continue through Sunday with more events to come.
