Jordan Wilimovsky swam a personal best, 14:48.23, to win his heat of the 1500-meter freestyle in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, advancing to the Saturday final as the No. 3 overall seed.

Swimming out of lane 3, Wilimovsky started the race with a measured pace, but moved into the top 3 around the halfway point of the race and took over the lead by the 1,000 meter mark. He held the lead for the remainder of the heat, holding off a challenge from Mack Horton, the gold medalist in the 400-meter freestyle from Australia, over the final 100 meters.

Wilimovsky’s previous personal best, 14:49.19, came at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July. He finished second in that race to secure his spot in Rio.

Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, the defending world champion, had the top time of the prelims with a 14:44.51. Sun Yang of China, the London Olympic champion in the 1500 free, finished seventh in his heat and did not make the final.

Wilimovsky will also swim the 10 kilometer open water event Tuesday. He is the defending world champion at that distance.

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