Stars Absent, Gold Medals Abound at Aquatic Championships

At the swimming world championships in Singapore, Friday's events saw a diverse distribution of gold medals amidst the absence of star swimmers Léon Marchand and Summer McIntosh from any finals. Spectators are now looking forward to a high-stakes 800-meter freestyle race featuring Canadian Summer McIntosh and American Katie Ledecky on Saturday.

Amidst fierce competition, several countries succeeded in claiming gold medals Friday. The Netherlands, China, Hungary, and the United States emerged victorious in various events. Meanwhile, Britain relished their first gold medal, topping the men's 4x200 relay. The United States, holding five golds in total, is tied with Australia for the leading position at the championships.

Chinese prodigy Yu Zidi, at just 12 years old, impressed with a bronze medal as part of China's 4x200-meter freestyle relay team prelims. The youngster's performance has sparked discussions on age-limit rules within competitive swimming, drawing comments from World Aquatics about potential future adjustments.

(With inputs from agencies.)