BERLIN, Germany, October 22. MISSY Franklin set the first world record of her career in what proved to be a swift first night of finals at the Berlin stop of the FINA World Cup.
Women's 800 free
Denmark's Lotte Friis easily captured the distance freestyle victory with a time of 8:16.99. Friis moved to fourth in the early world rankings with her swim. Kylie Palmer owns the top swim with an 8:16.55 from July in Australia. Russia's Elena Sokolova took second in 8:21.91, while Sarah Kohler finished third overall in 8:25.88.
Great Britain's Jessica Thielmann (8:27.90), Isabelle Harle (8:33.24), France's Camille Muffat (8:36.64), Melanie Radicke (8:39.31) and Norway's Cecilie Johannessen (8:39.68) also swam in the final heat.
Financials: Friis picked up $1,500 for her victory, her first check of the series. Sokolova, meanwhile, earned $1,000 with the second-place finish, pushing her circuit tally to $3,500 after winning $2,500 in Moscow. Kohler became the 68th female to win a cash prize on the circuit with her $500.
Men's 100 free
Canada's Brent Hayden raced to victory in the sprint event with a top time of 47.06. That swim moved him to second in the early season rankings, behind only James Magnussen's top-ranked 46.82 from July in Australia. Sweden's Stefan Nystrand, who now stands third in the world with a 47.08 from Stockholm, took silver with a time of 47.23. Australia's Matthew Abood finished third in 47.39 to better his eighth-ranked season best of 47.59 from July.
Belgium's Pieter Timmers (47.90), Germany's Steffan Diebler (47.90), Portugal's Tiago Venancio (47.99), Italy's Filippo Magnini (48.00) and Ukraine's Andrii Govorov (48.88) completed the rest of the championship heat.
Financials: Hayden improved to $6,000 for the overall series with his $1,500 first-place prize, while Nystrand increased his winnings to $4,000. Abood won $500 for third place, to push his tally to $1,500.
Women's 200 free
Allison Schmitt downed the American record in the event with a scorching fast time of 1:52.08. Her effort smashed the 1:52.91 set by Katie Hoff in Dubai last December, and also downed the World Cup record of 1:52.42 set by Femke Heemskerk during the Berlin stop last year.
The time, however, is not the fastest legally swum time for Schmitt. Schmitt clocked a time of 1:51.67 in Manchester during the Duel in the Pool that year. That time was not ratified as an American record by USA Swimming since it had already implemented a techsuit ban domestically earlier in the year. All time, Schmitt's unratified effort put her second in the performers list. Her time tonight is the fourth fastest of all time behind Federica Pellegrini (1:51.17), Schmitt (1:51.67) and Pellegrini (1:51.85).
Australia's Angie Bainbridge finished second in 1:53.02 to better her third-ranked season best of 1:53.03, while USA's Missy Franklin earned third in 1:53.26.
Daniela Schreiber (1:54.41), Silke Lippok (1:55.46), Great Britain's Joanne Jackson (1:55.60), USA's Chelsea Chenault (1:56.49) and Denmark's Pernille Blume (1:57.51) rounded out the finale.
Financials: Schmitt, who is heading into her senior year at Georgia, has bypassed $5,750 in earnings thus far on the circuit, and will have to turn down the $1,500 for the win. Meanwhile, Franklin has earned $6,250 during her time on the circuit, but will be bypassing the prize money to maintain her NCAA recruitability. Bainbridge, however, cashed $1,000 for her runner-up finish to push her circuit tally to $5,500.
Men's 50 breast
New Zealand's Glenn Snyders dominated the sprint breast with a winning time of 26.88. That lowered his third-ranked season best of 26.92 set in Moscow, but could not close the distance with Fabio Scozzoli (26.11) or Li Xiayin (26.86) who stand second and third. The Netherlands' Robin van Aggele finished second in 27.07, while Norway's Aleksander Hetland took third in 27.10.
Li (27.11), Russia's Stanislav Lakhtyukhov (27.22), Marco Koch (27.40), Erik Steinhagen (27.47) and Greece's Georgios Syrianos (27.59) also vied for the title.
Financials: Snyders earned $1,500 with the win, pushing his overall series earnings to $4,000, while van Aggele picked up his first check of the circuit with $1,000 for his runner-up finish. Hetland won his second third-place check of the circuit for $1,000 overall.
Women's 100 breast
Sweden's Jennie Johansson clipped Denmark's Rikke Moller Pedersen, 1:05.60 to 1:05.64, for the victory. Johansson missed her third-ranked season best of 1:05.27 from Stockholm, while Pedersen moved to fourth in the world this year. Australia's Sally Foster placed a distant third in 1:06.54.
USA's Andrea Kropp (1:06.79), Italy's Lisa Fissneider (1:06.94), Korea's Darae Jeong (1:06.96), Germany's Dorothea Brandt (1:07.01) and Finland's Jenna Laukkanen (1:07.82) finished fourth through eighth in the finals.
Financials: Johansson cracked $4,000 for the series with a winning total of $1,500. She now has earned $4,500 during her time on the World Cup circuit. Pedersen ($1,000) and Foster ($500) were a pair of first-time cash prize winners during the event.
Men's 400 IM
Superstar Michael Phelps, who has vowed that he has retired from the long course 400 IM since winning at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, still teases the world from time to time by swimming a 400 IM either in short course meters or yards. This evening, he cruised to victory in the distance medley with a 4:01.49, crushing the previously top-ranked time in the world of 4:03.10 set by Chad Le Clos in Stockholm. Japan's Daiya Seto (4:02.85) finished second to also clear Le Clos' time, while Japan's Yuya Horihata placed a distant third with a 4:09.05.
Yannick Lebherz (4:09.75), Poland's Lukasz Wojt (4:12.85), Great Britain's Lewis Smith (4:13.96) and Great Britain's Joseph Roebuck (4:15.63) also swam in the final heat, while France's Sebastien Rouault scratched.
Financials: In what is likely pocket change for the millionaire, Phelps has now earned $6,000 during his two meets on the circuit thus far. Seto, meanwhile, moved to $5,500 in winnings, while Horihata earned his second third-place check for $1,000 overall.
Women's 100 fly
Sweden's Therese Alshammar continued her mastery of the short course season with yet another triumph. This time, she checked in with a 55.62 to win the 100 fly. That effort far surpassed her previously top-ranked time of 55.99 from Stockholm, and threatened her Swedish record of 55.53 from the Stockholm stop last year.
Great Britain's Fran Halsall debuted on the World Cup scene this year with a runner-up time of 56.98 for fourth in the rankings, while Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen finished third in 57.30.
USA's Allison Schmitt (58.29), Russia's Mario Ugolkova (58.76), Poland's Otylia Jedrzejczak (59.04), Belgium's Kimberly Buys (59.27) and Alexandra Wenk (59.32) comprised the rest of the finale.
Financials: Short course star Alshammar became just the second person this year to move into the five-digit territory in winnings. With her $1,500 for the win, she improved her tally to $10,000 overall. South Africa's Chad Le Clos leads all swimmers with $18,500 thus far. Halsall ($1,000) and Ottesen ($500) were first-time money winners.
Men's 100 back
Spain's Aschwin Wildeboer posted the two fastest times in the world today. First, he clocked a 51.70 in prelims before upping the ante with a victorious 50.23 in the finale. Both of those times beat the previously top-ranked 51.89 of Hayden Stoeckel from July. Wildeboer has been faster in his career with an all-time fourth-ranked 49.05 from the European Short Course Championships in 2010.
China's Cheng Feiyi finished second in 51.74 to also clear Stoeckel, bettering Cheng's season best of 52.14 set in Moscow. Great Britain's Ryan Bennett rounded out the podium with a third-place 52.21.
Poland's Radoslaw Kawecki (52.40), USA's Jacob Pebley (52.60), Stefan Herbst (52.82), South Africa's Gerhard Zandberg (52.96) and Jan-Philip Glania (53.40) finished fourth through eighth.
Financials: Wildeboer ($1,500) and Bennett ($500) are first-time money winners, while Cheng pushed his overall winnings to $3,000 for the circuit.
Women's 50 back
Australia's Rachel Goh snared the sprint back triumph in 26.80, missing her top-ranked season best of 26.63 from Stockholm. Teammate Belinda Hocking took second in 27.02 to move to fourth in the world, bettering her season best of 27.08 also from Stockholm. Great Britain's Elizabeth Simmonds finished third in 27.09, slower than her preliminary time of 27.00 that ranks her third in the world.
Russia's Anastasia Zueva (27.22), Ukraine's Daryna Zevina (27.22), Slovakia's Katarina Milly (28.02), Finland's Hanna-Maria Seppala (28.02), and Jenny Mensing (28.17) also swam in the final.
Financials: Goh has quietly made some nice money during the circuit with $7,000 so far, including this event's $1,500 check. Hocking increased her winnings to $4,500, while Simmonds ($500) became another first-time money winner.
Men's 200 fly
South Africa's Chad Le Clos captured his 10th gold medal of the circuit with a 1:50.15 to win the distance fly event. That performance moved him to the top of the world rankings, ahead of Hidemasa Sano's 1:51.33 from Stockholm. Le Clos became just the eighth member of the 1:50 club with his swim, as he moved to fourth all time in the event. Kaio Almeida (1:49.11), Nikolay Skvortsov (1:49.46) and Pawel Korzeniowski (1:50.13) are the only men to have swum the event faster than Le Clos.
Sano, meanwhile, took second this evening with a 1:50.58 to set the Japanese record. That time broke the 1:50.64 set by Takeshi Matsuda during the Tokyo stop of the World Cup in 2010. Great Britain's Michael Rock finished well back in third with a 1:54.07.
Korzeniowski (1:54.24), Belgium's Egon van der Straeten (1:54.83), Germany's Tim Wallburger (1:55.12), Tom Siara (1:56.03) and Serbia's Velimir Stjepanovic (1:56.11) made up the rest of the finale.
Financials: The undisputed star of the circuit thus far, Le Clos moved into the $20,000-range with his victorious $1,500 check. He now stands atop all money winners with $20,000 overall. Sano's runner-up $1,000 moved him to $5,500 overall, while Rock ($500) was a first-time money winner.
Women's 200 IM
Canada's Erica Morningstar dominated the event with a winning time of 2:06.97. That swim smashed her top-ranked time of 2:07.90 set in Stockholm and downed Julia Wilkinson's Canadian record of 2:07.01. Morningstar became just the 11th member of the 2:06 club with the swim. Great Britain's Sophie Allen finished second in 2:08.78, while Korea's Choi Hye Ra placed third in 2:08.98.
Japan's Izumi Kato (2:09.27), Theresa Michalak (2:09.32), Great Britain's Aimee Willmott (2:11.90), Belgium's Fanny Lecluyse (2:14.74) and Korea's Kim Seo Yeong (2:18.21) placed fourth through eighth.
Financials: Morningstar, like Goh, is another swimmer who has gone about her business earning some significant winnings. Morningstar now has $7,000 in her checkbook thanks to her World Cup swims. Choi pushed her overall tally to $3,500, while Allen ($1,000) is a first-time money winner.
Men's 400 free
With a partisan crowd behind him, Germany's Paul Biedermann posted a swift time of 3:41.19 for the win. That time fell short of his top-ranked effort of 3:40.40 from the Moscow stop. Great Britain's Ross Davenport hit the wall second in 3:44.78, while Serbia's Stefan Sorak finished third in 3:45.04.
Ukraine's Sergii Frolov (3:45.49), Japan's Yuya Horihata (3:45.50), Austria's David Brandl (3:45.67), Christian Kubusch (3:47.77) and Denmark's Frans Johannessen (3:47.84) posted the rest of the finals swims.
Financials: Biedermann moved to second on the winnings list with $7,500 for the circuit. Sorak pushed his overall tally to $4,000, while Davenport joined the money-winning club with $1,000 for his second-place effort.
Women's 50 free
Sweden's Therese Alshammar doubled up with her second triumph of the night. In the splash-and-dash, Alshammar clocked a 23.67 to best her top-ranked 23.80 from Stockholm. Her 23.67 is well short of her all time second-ranked 23.27 from the Singapore stop of the 2009 World Cup. Germany's Britta Steffen made her return to competition after suffering from a string of maladies. She took second in 24.07 to move to second in the rankings behind only Alshammar. Meanwhile, Great Britain's Fran Halsall took third in 24.17 for fourth in the rankings.
Daniela Schreiber (24.28), Australia's Angie Bainbridge (24.64), Germany's Dorothea Brandt (24.73), Great Britain's Amy Smith (24.76) and Finland's Hanna-Maria Seppala (24.95) placed fourth through eighth.
Financials: Alshammar picked up $3,000 so far this evening, pushing her grand total to $11,500 for the series. Halsall cashed a $500 check to move to $1,500 for the night, while Steffen ($1,000) became a first-time winner.
Men's 200 breast
With his home fans in attendance, Germany's Marco Koch snagged the distance breaststroke title with a 2:04.61 to better his previously top-ranked 2:04.97 set in Dubai. Japan's Naoya Tomita (2:05.11) and Kazuki Otsuka (2:05.29) finished second and third with Otsuka besting his season best of 2:06.36 from Stockholm. Tomita also clipped his season best of 2:05.13 from Stockholm, closing in on Koch as the top-ranked swimmer.
Canada's Michael Brown (2:07.06), New Zealand's Glenn Snyders (2:08.27), Korea's Choi Kyuwoong (2:09.29), Canada's Paul Kornfeld (2:10.03) and Slovakia's Tomas Klobucnik (2:11.38) also swam in the finale.
Financials: Koch jumped ahead of compatriot Paul Biedermann for second in the overall winnings rankings with his $1,500 for the victory. Those winnings pushed his grand total to $8,000, ahead of Biedermann's $7,500. Tomita improved to $6,000 overall, while Otsuka earnings are now $1,500.
Men's 100 IM
Michael Phelps completed an IM double this evening with a 51.65 to win the sprint medley. That performance far surpassed Kenneth To's previously top-ranked 51.93 from July, and is a lifetime best for Phelps in the event. His previous top time had been a 52.14 from the 2009 Stockholm World Cup stop. Phelps improved to seventh all time in the event. Great Britain's James Goddard (52.05) and Australia's Kenneth To (52.46) placed second and third.
Russia's Sergei Fesikov (52.59), Great Britain's Liam Tancock (53.30), Germany's Markus Deibler (53.62), Japan's Yuma Kosaka (53.75) and Russia's Dmitry Zhilin (53.85) rounded out the championship heat.
Financials: Phelps' second win of the night tied him for third in the overall winnings race with $7,500. To increased his overall winnings to $4,500, while Goddard won his first check with a $1,000 for runner-up.
Women's 200 back
USA's Missy Franklin set her first world record with a blazing fast time of 2:00.03 in the distance dorsal. That swim beat the 2:00.18 set by Japan's Shiho Sakai during the Berlin stop of the 2009 World Cup circuit. It also smashed Franklin's previous American record of 2:02.01 set in Dubai last December.
Franklin later posted the following on her Facebook, demonstrating her appreciation for all involved:
"Thank you so much for all the congratulations everyone. I still cant even think straight and feel like I am in a dream. Did that really just happen?? Don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight:) Thank you to all my teammates, coaches, and family and friends who have helped me accomplish everything that I have. I wouldn't be anything without you.
Comparative Splits
Franklin: 28.64, 58.86 (30.22), 1:29.61 (30.75), 2:00.03 (30.42)
Sakai: 27.91, 58.66 (30.75), 1:29.49 (30.83), 2:00.18 (30.69)
As seen by the comparative splits, Franklin's superior swimming made up for an initial 50-meter deficit of .73 seconds behind the world record pace. She cut half-a-second from the pace at the 100-meter mark, then pushed to with .12 seconds at the 150. Her final kick moved her right by the record and nearly into the unheard of 1:59 territory.
Only four swimmers have broken 2:01, with Franklin now standing atop the mountain in the event. Kirsty Coventry and Elizabeth Simmonds are also members of the 2:00 club with matching lifetime bests of 2:00.91.
Australia's Belinda Hocking finished second in 2:01.24 for second in the world rankings, breaking her Australian record of 2:02.61 from Berlin in 2009. Simmonds checked in with a third-place 2:02.54.
Ukraine's Daryna Zevina (2:02.85), Russia's Anastasia Zueva (2:07.10), Jenny Mensing (2:07.20), Belgium's Kimberly Buys (2:08.29) and Canada's Brooklyn Snodgrass (2:09.53) also vied for the title.
Financials: Franklin's world record bonus of $10,000 jumped her to a total of $17,750 that she will be turning down to maintain collegiate eligibility, pushing her ahead of Alshammar ($11,500) for the overall lead. She is the first swimmer to earn a $10,000 world record bonus. Hocking improved to $5,500 overall, while Simmonds cashed her second $500 check of the evening.
The overall FINA World Cup World Record Bonus funding is $50,000. Should more than five swimmers set world records during the circuit, they will then get equal shares of the $50,000.
Men's 50 fly
Australia's Geoff Huegill clipped his top-ranked time of 22.70 with a winning effort of 22.67 in the sprint fly. Germany's Steffen Deibler finished second in 22.89, while Russia's Evgeny Korotyshkin placed third in 22.95.
USA's Tyler McGill (23.10), Belgium's Francois Heersbrandt (23.22), Ukraine's Andrii Govorov (23.29),Serbia's Milorad Cavic (23.34) and Great Britain's Antony James (23.63) also competed in the finale.
Financials: Huegill moved his winnings to $5,000, while Korotyshkin now has $5,500 overall. Deibler joined the money-making club with $1,000 for his second-place finish.