NICE, France, February 2. THERE may not be any money-meet swimmer better than Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu in the history of the sport. While she is still a world-class swimmer when it comes to the top international events, no one ever has quite figured out the formula she has for stepping up on regular occasions and winning multiple titles at cash meets.
By the end of the three-day Nice International Long Course Meet, Hosszu won three titles on night one following a bout with food poisoning, two on the second day and four on the final day for a final tally of nine wins overall.
Hosszu continued where she left off last night, on top of the podium. She won the women’s 200-meter fly in 2:10.31 for her sixth victory of the meet. France’s Lara Grangeon took silver more than a second back with a 2:11.77, while France’s Camille Muffat placed third in 2:14.59.
Hosszu doubled up this evening with a 29.07 in the women’s 50-meter back for her seventh triumph of in France. Spain’s Melanie Costa Schmid took second in 30.08, while France’s Melanie Henique pocketed third place overall in 30.20.
Hosszu collected her second title trifecta of the meet, winning the women’s 200-meter IM with a 2:12.61 for her eighth victory overall. France’s Charlotte Bonnet took second in the 200 IM with a 2:16.43, while Spain’s Beatriz Gomez Cortes posted a third-place 2:16.51.
Then, in one of the highest-profile head-to-head matchups of the meet, Hosszu clipped Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte in the women’s 100-meter free, 55.48 to 55.64, for her amazing fourth title of the night. France’s Camille Muffat comprised the rest of the podium with a third-place time of 55.65 in what proved to be a close finish with France’s Charlotte Bonnet taking fourth in 55.70.
France’s Jeremy Stravius picked up the men’s 200-meter fly title in 1:58.65, while compatriot Jordan Coelho posted a second-place time of 1:59.82 in the finale. Spain’s Carlos Peralta Gallego rounded out the top three with a third-place time of 2:01.75. Stravius doubled up with a 25.77 to win the men’s 50-meter backstroke as he followed Hosszu’s schedule throughout the night. Ukraine’s Andrii Khloptsov touched second in 26.54, while Hungary’s David Foldhazi earned third in 27.17.
Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte posted the first sub 31-second 50-meter breaststroke of the year so far as she clocked a 30.88 to win the sprint event. Spain’s Jessica Vall Montero posted a 32.41 for second, while Italy’s Veronica Panattoni placed third in 33.60. France’s Eddie Moueddene followed with a 28.67 to win the men’s 50-meter breaststroke. Ukraine’s Evgeniy Kurkin snared second in 29.37, while Italy’s Andrea Bolognesi placed third in 30.02.
Spain’s Melanie Costa Schmid kicked off the final day on France with a 4:13.72 to top the women’s 400-meter freestyle finale. Teammate Beatriz Gomez Cortes touched second in 4:17.19, while Lithuania’s Jurate Scerbinskaite raced her way to third in 4:19.05. That’s a Lithuanian record for Scerbinskaite, lowering her 4:19.32 set last February at the Lithuanian Winter Championships.
Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Romanchuk continued a strong meet with a 3:51.67 to win the men’s 400-meter free. Meanwhile, Spain’s Miguel Duran Navia finished second in 3:54.50 with France’s Lucas Vigorito touching third overall in 3:58.63.
Hungary’s David Foldhazi, who has enjoyed an uptick in his career after joining Katinka Hosszu’s training group last year, won the 200-meter IM in 2:04.51. Portugal’s Alexis Santos finished second in 2:06.48, while Spain’s Marc Sanchez Torrens picked up third in 2:08.07. Great Britain’s Ben Proud picked up the men’s 100-meter free title in 50.05 to close out the day. Russia’s Sergey Fesikov placed second in 50.33, while Ukraine’s Andrey Govorov finished third in 50.74.
Results For: Nice International Long Course Meet: Day Three