Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte kicked off the second night at the Mare Nostrum stop of Canet with a world best in the women’s 50-meter breast.
Meilutyte unleashed a sizzling time of 29.88 for the win, barreling past Yuliya Efimova’s 30.39 from Russian Nationals as the top time in the world this year.
That swim finished only half-a-second off Meilutyte’s world record of 29.48 from the 2013 World Championships, and is just a day after Meilutyte blasted a 1:05.46 world best in the 100-meter breast in Canet.
The Netherlands’ Moniek Nijhuis finished second in the 50 with a time of 30.77 to move up to seventh in the world, while Australia’s Sally Hunter posted a 31.36 for third tonight.
Great Britain’s Adam Peaty just missed his world best in the men’s 50-meter breast with a scorching time of 26.89 for the win. Peaty previously clocked a 26.88 during the British University Championships, which is not far off his world record of 26.62 from last summer.
South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh placed second in the sprint breast tonight with a time of 27.35, while Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki wound up third in 27.56.
Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen took home the women’s 50-meter fly title in 25.53. That swim fell a bit short of her second-ranked season best of 25.48.
Bahamas’ Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace claimed second tonight in 25.98, just missing her fifth-ranked season best of 25.93, while France’s Melanie Henique took third overall in 26.10.
Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh pocketed the men’s 50-meter fly crown in 23.68. France’s Mehdy Metella took second in 23.18 with Great Britain’s Ben Proud earning third in 23.82.
Great Britain’s Daniel Jervis clocked a 15:05.65 to win the men’s 1500-meter free. Germany’s Soren Meissner took second in 15:07.90 with Faroe Island’s Pal Joensen claiming third in 15:09.17.
Canada’s Audrey Lacroix followed with a 2:07.63 to win the women’s 200-meter fly and move to seventh in the world rankings.
Japan’s Natsumi Hoshi took second in 2:08.15, off her fourth-ranked season best of 2:06.66 from Japanese Nationals. Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Jakabos snagged third in 2:08.58.
Cseh doubled up from his 50 fly win with a close conquest of the men’s 200-meter fly. Cseh touched out Japan’s Masato Sakai, 1:56.12 to 1:56.14, for the victory. That swim is just off his eighth-ranked season best of 1:55.95 from the Eindhoven Swim Cup.
Denmark’s Viktor Bromer placed third in 1:56.26 with South Africa’s Chad le Clos finishing a surprising fourth in 1:56.36.
Great Britain’s Jazmin Carlin cranked out a 4:05.43 for the women’s 400-meter free victory. That performance came up a bit short of her second-ranked season best of 4:03.51 from British Nationals.
Spain’s Melanie Costa took second in 4:08.32 with China’s Dong Fuwei placing third in 4:09.65.
Denmark’s Mie Nielsen popped a 59.40 to win the women’s 100-meter back. The swim came up short of her third-ranked season best of 59.14 from the Golden Tour.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu finished second in 1:00.06 with Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry taking third in 1:00.64 in what proved to be a stacked podium.
Japan’s Ryosuke Irie put up a 53.39 to win the men’s 100-meter back. He’s been faster this year with a second-ranked 52.99 from Japanese Nationals.
Jeremy Stravius finished second in 54.03, off his sixth-ranked 53.46 from French Nationals. Great Britain’s Christopher Walker-Hebborn placed third in 54.36.
The two top-ranked 200 breaststrokers in the world battled in their pet event tonight in Canet with second-ranked Rikke Moller Pedersen clipping top-ranked Kanako Watanabe.
Pedersen won in 2:22.54, off her season best of 2:12.60, while Watanabe placed second in 2:22.73, off her season best of 2:20.90. Spain’s Jessica Vall Montero finished third in 2:25.71.
Germany’s Marco Koch led a German 1-2 in the men’s 200-meter breast with a 2:08.57. That swim shot him to third in the world rankings behind only Yasuhiro Koseki (2:07.77) and Adam Peaty (2:08.34).
Christian Vom Lehn took second in 2:09.69 with Great Britain’s Michael Jamieson earning third in 2:12.79. Peaty wound up fourth in 2:13.05, while Koseki drew a disqualification.
Femke Heemskerk led a Netherlands 1-2 in the women’s 100-meter free with a 53.63. That’s a second off her top-ranked 52.69 from the Eindhoven Swim Cup.
Ranomi Kromowidjojo placed second tonight in 53.99, a bit off her eighth-ranked 53.69 from Eindhoven as well. Bahamas’ Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace wound up third in 54.29.
The Netherlands’ Sebastiaan Verschuren followed with a 49.06 to win the men’s 100-meter free. France’s Mehdy Metella (49.16) and Jeremy Stravius (49.33) took second and third. Le Clos won the B final with a time of 49.58.
Japan’s Kosuke Hagino, who leads the world with a 1:56.30 in the men’s 200-meter IM at the Japanese Nationals, won the event in Canet with a time of 1:56.82.
USA’s Ryan Lochte wound up taking second in 1:57.98, off his third-ranked season best of 1:57.20. Japan’s Daiya Seto, ranked second in the world with a 1:56.82 from Japanese Nationals, took third tonight in 1:58.01.
Great Britain’s Hannah Miley, already top ranked in the world in the 400-meter IM with a 4:32.15 from British Nationals, won the event tonight in 4:33.51. That time is faster than Aimee Willmott’s second-ranked time of 4:33.66.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu placed second tonight in 4:34.17, cutting more than a second off her third-ranked 4:35.19 from the Charlotte stop of the Arena Pro Swim Series. Willmott, meanwhile, took third tonight in 4:35.69.
Vida Heaney Petra Wilson Stacey Armstrong
Vida Heaney Petra Wilson Stacey Armstrong