GWANGJU, South Korea, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen qualified for semifinals in the opening race on the first day of swimming competition at the 18th FINA World Championships in the South Korean city of Gwangju on Sunday.

Ye finished second in two minutes and 9.45 seconds in the women's 200m individual medley (IM) preliminaries, 2.43 seconds behind the frontrunner Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, the three-time defending champion in the 200m IM.

Melanie Margalis of the United States came third in the heats among 36 competitors. Chinese swimmer Yu Yiting placed 16th to punch the last tickets to the semifinals scheduled for later in the day.

The swimming events of the Gwangju worlds began on Sunday, with a total of 42 gold medals up for grabs in the pool. The first four golds will be awarded on the first day.