The eighth competition day of the 19th FINA World Championships bade farewell to two disciplines: swimming and artistic swimming, with nine finals contested here on Saturday.

The first final of the day was the mixed duet free, where China's duo Shi Haoyu and Zhang Yiyao got 88.4000 points to take the bronze, while Italian Giorgio Minisini and Lucrezia Ruggiero won the gold on 90.9667 and Japan's Sato Tomoka and Sato Yotaro claimed the silver on 89.7333.

The women's team highlight routine was the last final for artistic swimmers, and it concluded with the victory of Ukraine (95.0333), who beat two Mediterranean nations, Italy (92.2667) and Spain (91.9333).

American swimmer Justin Ress won the men's 50m backstroke with a time of 24.12 seconds to beat his compatriot Hunter Armstrong in 24.14 and Poland's Ksawery Masiuk in 24.49.

Masiuk, just 17-year-old, is the youngest medalist in this event at the major aquatics tournament, breaking Kliment Kolesnikov's record of 19 years and 19 days set in 2019 with a bronze.

Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte won the women's 50m breaststroke with 29.70 seconds, her second world title nine years after claiming the women's 100m breaststroke gold in 2013.

Italy's Benedetta Pilato (29.80) and Lara Van Niekerk from South Africa (29.90) took the silver and bronze respectively, while Tang Qianting from China finished fourth (30.21).

The men's 1500m freestyle final ended with a new meeting record of 14:32.80 thanks to Italian swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri, who beat American swimmer Bobby Finke (14:36.70) and Florian Wellbroke from Germany (14:36.94).

Sarah Sjoestroem from Sweden was the fastest in the women's 50m freestyle final with a time of 23.98 seconds, surpassing Katarzyna Wasick from Poland (24.18) and Meg Harris from Australia (24.38).

It has been Sjoestroem's 10th world title. She is the fifth swimmer to win at least 10 individual gold medals at the worlds after Michael Phelps (United States, 15), Katie Ledecky (United States, 14), Sun Yang (China, 11) and Ryan Lochte (United States, 10).

Hungarian fans gathered eagerly to cheer for Katinka Hosszu in the women's 400m medley, but the local heroine fell short of the podium and finished fourth.

The women's 400m medley final was won by Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh in 4:32.04, followed by American Katie Grimes (4:32.67) and Emma Weyant (4:36.00). China's Ge Chutong finished sixth in 4:38.37).

McIntosh, 15 years and 311 days old, is the second-youngest world title winner of the event after Tracy Caulkins (United States, 15 years and 224 days) in 1978, and the first Canadian to claim four medals at a single worlds.

Italy won the men's 4x100m medley relay in 3:27.51, their very first medal of the event at worlds, beating the United States (3:27.79) and Britain (3:31.31) to the second and third places respectively. China finished eighth in 3:34.62.

The last final of the day was the women's 4x100m medley relay, and the U.S. won the gold in 3:53.78 for a record eighth time at the worlds. The silver went to Australia (3:54.25) while the bronze to Canada (3:55.01), and China finished sixth in 3:57.73.

From Sunday, diving and open water swimming will join water polo to be competed at the worlds.

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