Arno Kamminga In 58.18 Blast Over 100 Breaststroke; 1:56.31 Spanish 200 IM Mark For Hugo Gonzalez
Arno Kamminga is a man with the Tokyo podium in his sights after he went 58.18 in the 100 breaststroke and Hugo Gonzalez climbed to second in the 200IM rankings in 1:56.31 at the Mare Nostrum in Barcelona.
Yulia Efimova completed a clean sweep of the breaststroke events with victory in the 50 and 200, the latter in 2:21.86.
Kristof Milak went 48.86 in the 100 free with Sergio De Celis Montalban setting a Spanish record of 49.08 and Chad Le Clos won the 200 fly in 1:55.83 with the Hungarian world record-holder not competing.
Arno Kamminga Cements His Place At The Top Table
Photo Courtesy: Lex v Lieshout Fotografie
The Netherlands swimmer went 2:07.23 in the 200 on Saturday after winning the 50 in 27.06 and he returned to the Club Natacio San Andreu on Sunday morning to post 58.47 in the prelims.
Come the evening and the European silver medallist – who became only the second man to go through the 58 barrier when he went 57.90 in April – split 27.18/31.00 to record a time only he and world record-holder Adam Peaty have bettered.
It came a day after Peaty went 58.22 in morning finals at the British Swimming Glasgow Meet and was 0.08 outside the time in which Kamminga claimed his first international long-course medal in Budapest.
While the Olympic champion owns the top four times this year, Kamminga holds the next three.
Christopher Rothbauer of Austria was 2.65 behind in second in 1:00.83 with Gonzalo Carazo Barbero third (1:01.81).
Hugo Gonzalez Rattles Rankings Again
Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto
Gonzalez has been tearing up European waters and Spanish record books in recent weeks.
The Spaniard won the continental title last month with a charge at the death to overhaul defending champion Jeremy Desplanches in a national record of 1:56.76.
There was also silver in the 100 back and bronze over 50 in a national record of 24.47.
Come Sunday and the 22-year-old split 25.28/54.87/1:28.55 and came home in 27.76 to lower his own mark by 0.45.
With that he leapfrogged Mitch Larkin, who swam 1:56.74 in April, to go second behind Duncan Scott in the rankings, the Briton having gone 1:55.90 at the national trials.
It was also a Mare Nostrum record, lowering the 1:56.82 set by Japanese 400IM Olympic champion Kosuke Hagino exactly 10 years ago to the day.
Alexis Santos was 4.37 adrift in second in 2:00.68 with Arjan Knipping third (2:00.92).
Yulia Efimova Sweeps The Titles
Efimova is only scheduled to race the 100 breaststroke in Tokyo having failed to qualify in the longer event.
However, she is on fine form and her time was better than the 2:21.86 with which she claimed European bronze.
The Russian split 33.75/1:09.58/1:45.37 before coming home in 36.49, the only sub-37 in the field
Jessica Vall was second in 2:24.68, 0.29 ahead of Marina Garcia Urzainqui (2:24.97).
Kristof Milak: Photo Courtesy: Hungarian Swimming Federation
Milak was third at halfway behind Jesse Puts and Daniel Zaitsev in the 100 free before a second 50 of 25.32 propelled him to first.
De Celis Montalban had been in sixth at 50 but he came back in 25.33 to slice 0.10 from the national mark of 49.18 set by Markel Alberdi in 2015.
Cristian Quintero Valero was third in 49.15 with Bruno Fratus – who won the 50 on Saturday – in fifth.
Kira Toussaint won the 100 back in 59.21 before returning minutes later in the next women’s race to finish second in the 50 free in 25.59 behind Lidon Munoz del Campo (25.11).
Barbora Seemanova won the 200 free in 1:58.03, Katinka Hosszu clinched the 400IM in 4:40.34 ahead of Rio silver medallist Mireia Belmonte (4:42.17) and Maria Mata Cocco took the 100 fly in 59.74.
Andriy Govorov and Thom de Boer tied for first in the 50 fly in 23.43, Victor Johansson won the 400 free in 3:50.12, Nicolas Garcia Saiz won the men’s 200 back in 1:59.45 and Dylan Carter took the 50 in 25.51.
Tamila Holub of Portugal won the women’s 1500 in 16:23.95
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