MOSCOW, Russia, October 12. A pair of world records fell during night one of the FINA World Cup stop in Moscow.
Women’s 800 free
Spain’s Mireia Belmonte, who already holds the world record with a 7:59.34 from the Berlin stop of the World Cup, threw down a 29.79 final split to collect the top check in the distance freestyle event. She wound up cruising through the event with a 8:19.55 overall, demonstrating the massive difference in training levels compared to the meets that took place right after the FINA World Championships.
Reigning World Cup Queen Katinka Hosszu, who always swims an astounding schedule, wound up taking a distant second in 8:22.17 after challenging Belmonte through 600 meters. But, that’s another paycheck for Hosszu as she keeps amassing huge wads of cash on the circuit. Germany’s Sarah Kohler finished third in 8:25.53.
China’s Chen Ziyi (8:33.42), Russia’s Elizaveta Gorshkova (8:35.95), Hungary’s Evelyn Verrastzo (8:37.32), Ukraine’s Anna Stetsenko (8:46.53) and Russia’s Daria Klimova (8:52.53) rounded out the top eight finishers in the timed final event.
Men’s 400 IM
He already has a fourth-ranked 4:01.52 to his credit from the Eindhoven stop of the FINA World Cup circuit, but Hungary’s David Verrastzo did not need that type of speed this evening in the distance medley. Swimming almost by himself, he clocked a three-second victory with a 4:06.92.
Russia’s Dmitriy Gorbunov won the exciting race of the finale heat, touching out compatriot Alexander Tikhonov, 4:10.28 to 4:10.49, for second-place honors. Russia’s Semen Makovich wound up fourth overall in 4:12.68.
China’s Haobo Wei (4:13.33), Russia’s Sergey Kashperskiy (4:13.72), Russia’s Mikhail Mikheev (4:14.08) and Russia’s Alexander Osipenko (4:16.40) made up the rest of the top eight finishers in the timed final event.
Men’s 100 free
With a big time cheer from the Russian crowd, the Sizzling Siberian Vlad Morozov blasted his way to a dominant victory in the sprint freestyle event. He clocked a scorching 45.68 for the win. That’s nearly as fast as his top-ranked time of 45.52 from the World Short Course Championships as he continues to track down Evgeny Lagunov’s Russian record of 45.36 from the 2009 European Championships.
Australia’s Kenneth To placed second in 46.87. To knows how to play the World Cup game, as it is all about maximizing podium placements. And, while he finished more than a second behind Morozov, he still managed to cash a second-place check. It’s not as fast as his fifth-ranked 46.62 from Eindhoven, but it definitely was enough to make some money.
Poland’s Konrad Czerniak checked in with a third-place time of 47.34 to collect a third-place check ahead of Russia’s Nikita Konovalov. Konovalov managed to take fourth in 47.68.
Japan’s Shinri Shioura (47.74), Russia’s Andrey Grechin (47.99), Russia’s Evgeny Lagunov (48.05) and Russia’s Ivan Alexeev (48.38) also competed the sprint title.
Women’s 200 free
Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom powered her way to victory in the 200 free this evening with a 1:53.76. It was more than a second off her second-ranked 1:52.26 from the Eindhoven stop, but as has been the case so far at this Moscow stop, that type of top end speed isn’t likely to be on display here in Russia. It’s mostly a battle for cash.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu snagged her second silver of the night as she continues to pile up stacks of cash in what is already an epic FINA World Cup circuit for her as she’s in the six-figures in winnings. Hosszu dropped a 1:54.15 for second, well off her third-ranked 1:52.32 from Eindhoven as well.
Spain’s Melanie Costa rounded out the podium with a third-place time of 1:54.28, while Russia’s Veronika Popova touched fourth in 1:54.85.
Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina (1:56.86), Russia’s Vitalina Simonova (1:58.07), The Netherlands’ Maud Van Der Meer (1:58.54) and Hungary’s Evelyn Verraszto (2:00.27) made up the rest of the championship finale.
Men’s 50 breast
The man who can sprint everything, the evergreen Roland Schoeman of South Africa, threw down the top-ranked sprint breaststroke time of the season with a 25.83. That swim eclipsed his previous top time of 25.86 from the Eindhoven stop of the World Cup.
Schoeman, a four-time Olympian, just keeps on churning out masterful performances as he transitions to the twilight of his career. He’s already an Olympic gold medalist from 2004, and could have called it a career following the 2012 London Olympics. But, competitions like the FINA World Cup have served to extend his career as he can literally win any 50 sprint on the planet.
Croatia’s Sasa Gerbec finished well behind with a second-place time of 27.09, while Russia’s Kirill Strelnikov took third in 27.20.
Russia’s Igor Golovin (27.26), Germany’s Hendrik Feldwehr (27.26), Russia’s Oleg Utekhin (27.35), Russia’s Oleg Kostin (27.41) and Russia’s Anton Panferov (27.43) turned in fourth through eighth-place efforts.
Women’s 100 breast
Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte threw down the first world record of the stop in an epic women’s 100-meter breaststroke finale, earning herself a $10,000 world-record bonus. Meilutyte, who joined Yuliya Efimova and Rikke Moller Pedersen to rewrite all three women’s long course breaststroke world records in Barcelona this summer, returned to form tonight with a sizzling 1:02.36. That swim blasted Rebecca Soni’s world record of 1:02.70 from 2009, and also beat Leisel Jones’ World Cup mark of 1:03.00 from the 2009 Berlin stop.
Comparative splits
Soni: 30.08, 1:02.70 (32.62)
Meilutyte: 29.56, 1:02.36 (32.80)
There may not be another better all-around breaststroke talent on the planet than the youngster Meilutyte as the Olympic gold medalist continues to put up stunning times.
Meilutyte, just 16, already has put together one of the finest breaststroke careers in history. At 15, she became the youngest Lithuanian to win an Olympic gold medal with her win in the 100 breast. She defended that standing with a win in the 100 in Barcelona this summer, and also took home silver in the 50 breast for good measure.
Now, she owns three world records. She holds both the 50 (29.48) and 100 (1:04.35) records in long course competition from her efforts at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona.
Efimova raced to silver in the finale with a 1:03.53, while Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson took third in 1:04.64.
Japan’s Kanako Watanabe (1:06.82), Great Britain’s Sophie Allen (1:07.42), Russia’s Maria Temnikova (1:07.5), Japan’s Miyu Otsuka (1:07.76) and Croatia’s Ana Radic (1:09.06) also vied for the title in the historic finale.
Women’s 100 fly
Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom doubled up following the epic swim by Ruta Meilutyte. She surged to a 57.04 to win the butterfly event, nearly cracking the top 10 in the world in the process. Sjostrom definitely has the sprinter speed to do some major damage and make serious money on the FINA World Cup circuit.
Singapore’s Li Tao ascended to the podium with a second-place time of 57.65, while Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu earned her third podium check of the night with a third-place time of 57.67.
The Netherlands’ Inge Dekker (58.89), Russia’s Daria Tcetkova (59.11), Germany’s Theresa Michalak (59.13), Russia’s Anastasia Lyazeva (1:00.78) and Great Britain’s Sophie Allen (1:01.20) rounded out the championship finale in the event.
Men’s 100 back
Another FINA World Cup veteran, Bobby Hurley blazed his way to victory in the men’s 100-meter backstroke event. He clocked a 50.32 for the win, just off his fourth-ranked season best of 50.18. Hurley is a short course world titlist, having won the sprint 50 at the Istanbul meet in 2012, and has plenty of confidence and experience while competing on the circuit.
Aussie teammate Ashley Delaney claimed the second-place check with a time of 51.13, while Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki checked in with a 51.28 for third.
Russia’s Nikita Konovalov (52.15), Russia’s Sergey Makov (52.28), Russia’s Anton Butymov (52.44), Brazil’s Henrique Rodrigues (52.87) and Russia’s Anton Anchin (52.97) also competed in the finale.
Women’s 50 back
Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina closed out the halfway point of the evening with a 27.12 for the win in the women’s sprint backstroke. Meanwhile, the Ironlady Katinka Hosszu collected her fourth check in just half a night of swimming as she posted a 27.46 for second-place honors. That’s three silvers and a bronze. It’s not the usual gold-medal run that Hosszu typically has on the World Cup, but it keeps on piling up the overall series points to secure the big checks at the end of each cluster.
Russia’s Alexandra Papusha downed Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson for third, 27.63 to 27.76.
Russia’s Nadezhda Vinyukova (27.88), Russia’s Olga Klyuchnikova (28.01), Japan’s Sayaka Akase (28.07) and Russia’s Daria Kartashova (28.40) comprised the rest of the heat.
Men’s 200 fly
It wasn’t the world-record pace that netted him $10,000 in Eindhoven, but South Africa’s Chad le Clos certainly had what it took to capture the victory this evening. Le Clos led wire-to-wire in the distance fly event, clocking a time of 1:49.83 for the win. That was plenty enough speed to earn him the first-place check.
USA’s Tom Shields, the only American in Moscow this weekend, raced to a 1:51.98. It took a 28.64 down the stretch to move himself to second in the race. That’s only half-a-second off his American record of 1:51.31 from the Berlin stop in August, and puts him in line to break the record again at some point throughout the rest of the World Cup circuit.
Poland’s Pawel Korzeniowski faced a bit down the final 50 to wind up third in 1:52.06 as the top three swimmers were in another stratosphere of ability compared to the rest of the finale this evening.
Russia’s Nikolay Skvortsov (1:54.40), Alexander Kudashev (1:56.14), Evgeny Iskakov (1:57.98) and Sergey Strelnikov (1:59.02) placed fourth through seventh, while Brazil’s Luiz Pedro Ribeiro Pereira drew a disqualification.
Women’s 200 IM
In her incredible FIFTH swim of the night, Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu finally broke through with a win. While nowhere in the same vicinity as the remarkable 2:03.20 world record she turned in at the Eindhoven stop, Hosszu still managed to dominate the finale tonight with a 2:06.86. That’s a gold, three silvers and a bronze thus far tonight for the Ironlady of the sport of swimming.
Great Britain’s Sophie Allen cashed a second-place check with a 2:08.29, while Germany’s Theresa Michalak wound up with a third-place finish in 2:09.74.
Russia’s Vitalina Simonova (2:09.99), Sweden’s Louise Hansson (2:11.18), Japan’s Miyu Otsuka (2:12.75), Japan’s Miho Takahashi (2:13.47) and Spain’s Mireia Belmonte (2:13.86) made up the other finale finishes.
Men’s 400 free
South Africa’s Myles Brown churned his way to the top of the podium in the middle-distance freestyle event. He clocked a 3:41.79 for the win, while doing so mostly alone. Australia’s Bobby Hurley, maximizing his World Cup circuit points with an off event, managed to take second with a 3:43.89, while Brazil’s Lucas Kanieski finished third in 3:44.75.
Brazil’s Marcos Oliveira (3:45.99), Russia’s Dmitry Bokankhel (3:46.40), Brazil’s Miguel Leite Valente (3:46.44), Russia’s Mikhail Polishchuk (3:47.07) and China’s Wei Haobo (3:50.23) finished fourth through eighth in the finale.
Women’s 50 free
It’s been a profitable night for Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom as she captured her third first-place check of the night. This time, she blazed to a 24.20 in the women’s splash-and-dash for the win. That time vaulted her to eighth in the world rankings in what proved to be a swift swim for the Swede.
Germany’s Dorothea Brandt also posted a strong time with a 24.38 for second-place honors, while Russia’s Rozaliya Nasretdinova (24.42) finished third.
Russia’s Veronika Popova (24.87), Russia’s Daria Ustinova (25.03), The Netherlands’ Maud Van Der Meer (25.04), The Netherlands’ Inge Dekker (25.10) and Russia’s Elizaveta Bazarova (25.18) clinched fourth through eighth.
Men’s 200 breast
The Russian crowd in Moscow had another home favorite pull off a victory with a huge cheer as Viatcheslav Sinkevich dominated the men’s 200-meter breaststroke finale with a time of 2:05.61. He won by more than a second, giving the Russia crowd another win.
Great Britain’s Michael Jamieson, who is gearing up for the Duel in the Pool in his native Scotland in December, cruised to second in 2:06.90, while Russia’s Oleg Kostin picked up third-place honors in 2:07.32.
Poland’s Mikolaj Machnik (2:07.85), Russia’s Aleksandr Palatov (2:09.36), Russia’s Vladislav Finochenko (2:09.38) and Russia’s Mikhail Dorinov (2:09.39) collected fourth through seventh. Meanwhile, Russia’s Marat Amaltdinov drew a disqualification.
Men’s 100 IM
The Russians went back-to-back as the Sizzling Siberian Vlad Morozov rocketed to his second sprint victory of the night. Morozov prevailed in the sprint medley with a surging 51.61, early as fast as his fourth-ranked season best of 51.50 from the Eindhoven stop.
Australia’s Kenneth To picked up yet another cash prize with a second-place time of 51.83, while Trinidad and Tobago’s George Bovell earned third-place honors with a 52.88.
Brazil’s Henrique Rodrigues (53.47), Russia’s Anton Panferov (54.76), Russia’s Andrey Shabasov (54.87), Croatia’s Dominik Straga (55.50) and Russia’s Alexander Klyukin (55.59) completed the rest of the top eight finishers in the always-enjoyable sprint medley.
Women’s 200 back
Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina swept the backstroke events on the night, capturing the longer event with a time of 2:02.95. That, along with her effort in the sprint backstroke earlier in the evening, netted her a pair of first-place checks.
Japan’s Sayaka Akase finished well behind Zevina with a 2:05.69, but that was good enough to earn a paycheck. Meanwhile, in her SIXTH swim of the night, Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu rolled to a 2:07.21 for third place overall. That’s a gold, three silvers and two bronzes as Hosszu kept on pulling in the cash.
Russia’s Daria Ustinova (2:07.60), Russia’s Polina Lapshina (2:08.58), Russia’s Irina Prikhodko (2:09.83), Hungary’s Evelyn Verraszto (2:11.83) and Russia’s Alexandra Papusha (2:12.07) also competed in the finale.
Men’s 50 fly
Again, proving he can sprint anything, South Africa’s Roland Schoeman doubled up with a 22.36 to win the men’s 50 fly, beating fly specialist Chad Le Clos. Le Clos, meanwhile, gave South Africa a strong 1-2 punch in the event with a 22.55 for silver. Germany’s Steffan Deibler rounded out the podium in 22.86.
USA’s Tom Shields (22.94), Russia’s Nikita Konovalov (23.08), Poland’s Konrad Czerniak (23.30), Great Britain’s Ben Proud (23.51) and Russia’s Evgeny Koptelov (23.68) finished fourth through eighth to conclude the finale.
Mixed 200 medley relay
With all the hullabaloo at the end of last month when the IU Hoosiers decided to take advantage of newly recognized FINA event to try to set eight world records, today began the process to close out that blip on swimming’s history. While FINA rejected six of the records, the organizations decided to keep the short course meter mixed 200 medley and freestyle times from Indiana.
IU’s James Wells, Cody Miller, Gia Dalesandro and Olivia Barker clocked a 1:49.87 in the event on Sept. 26 as part of the IU Fall Frenzy. Although the best time ever in the event actually stands to France’s Jeremy Stravius, Florent Manaudou, Melanie Henique and Anna Santamans, who posted a 1:38.74 November of last year before FINA began officially recognizing the event this past summer.
This evening, Russia’s Sergey Makov (23.98), Andrey Grechin (26.90), Daria Tcvetkova (25.97) and Ekaterina Borovikova (24.85) demolished IU’s world record with a time of 1:41.70. They are still well off the best time ever by France, but the world record is now much closer to the top time expected in the event.
Russia’s B team of Vitaly Borisov (24.36), Oleg Utekhin (26.93), Olga Klyuchnikova (27.02) and Viktoriia Andreeva (24.85) took second in 1:43.16, while Japan’s Sayaka Akase (27.66), Kanako Watanabe (31.24), Shinri Sioura (23.10) and Kenta Ito (21.36) took third in 1:43.36.
Brazil (1:46.58), China (1:48.72), Singapore A (1:50.13) and Singapore B (1:54.08) also competed in the finale.