The United States, the great winner of the last day of the Fukuoka Swimming World Championships

The party is over. The closing day, the eighth, of the formidable Fukuoka Swimming World Championships produced a last world record, the tenth, to the final compliment of the palate.

It came from the hand of Ruta Meilutyte, who, after equaling on Saturday, in the semifinals, the record of the 50 breaststroke (29.30), surpassed it in the final with 29.16. Another “bite” of consideration for such a short journey. The other tests, as if they did not want to share, getting in the way, the primacy of the Lithuanian, returned from her own psychological hell, flirted with the records without conquering them.

It was about again Sarah Sjöström. His record (23.61) in the, also, semifinals of the 50 free foreshadowed another in the final. But, with 23.62, the Swede lacked, then, one hundredth to match it and two to beat it.

It wasn't that close, but it wasn't that far either, in the 1,500m, the Tunisian long-distance runner, already winner in the 800m and silver in the 400m, Hahmed Hafnaoui. His 14:31.54 was close to Sun Yang's 14:31.02, set at the 2012 London Games.

The other individual winners of the day were Hunter Armstrong (USA) in the 50 backstroke (24.05) and, in the 400 IM, the Canadian pearl, Summer McIntosh (4:27.11), who, already in the first section, the butterfly, He sank to the bottom of the pool the hopes of the “other Katie”, American: Grimes, second with 4:31.41.

A question hung in the air. Well, in the water: would the United States finally win a relay? Six had been played, between men, women and mixed, and the Americans had won five silvers and one bronze.

The answer was: yes. And twice, in the 4×100 styles. The masculine and the feminine. Both already decided at the first exchange, in the inaugural back section, with the relays of Ryan Murphy and Regan Smith. The boys won in 3:27.20, a Championships record. The girls, with 3:52.08.

Those two golds in the events that brought the curtain rounded off a great day for the stars and stripes, with three golds and four silvers in one go. A final burst of pride to overtake China and maintain those historical hierarchies that place the United States and Australia as the great powers.

And so the ranking was left, in which the golds rule: Australia: 25 medals (13-7-5); United States, 38 (7-20-11) and China, 16 (5-3-8).

With the calendars still dragging the consequences of the covid, the next World Cup event will take place in Doha, in February 2024, with the Paris Games on the horizon.