Arno Kamminga moved up to sixth all-time with a Dutch 100m breaststroke record and Danas Rapsys made up a deficit of 0.49secs at the final turn to beat Sun Yang in the 200m freestyle on the first day of the FINA Champions Swim Series in Shenzhen, China.
Kamminga, fresh from double 100m and 200m gold at last month’s European Short-Course Championships in Glasgow, clocked 58.61 to cut 0.04secs from his previous best set at the Swim Cup Amsterdam in December as he continues his notable progress.
Danas Rapsys – Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer
Sun, whose future will be decided in the coming days with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport following that rancorous night in September 2018 looming, was 0.12 ahead of Rapsys at the halfway point, a lead he extended going into the last 50.
Rapsys, though, unleashed a final length of 26.19 to win in 1:46.50, 0.03secs ahead of the Chinese.
There were also notable early-season performances from Vladimir Morozov and Chinese quartet Liu Xiang, Xu Jiayu, Yu Jingyao and Wang Shun.
Arno Kamminga; Photo Courtesy: Foto Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia /Insidefoto
It has been quite a few months for Kamminga who went inside 59 seconds for the first time in November 2019 when he lowered the Dutch record to 58.98 at the Kazan leg of the World Cup before his efforts in Amsterdam.
However, on Tuesday in Shenzhen it was world bronze medallist Yan Zibei who appeared to be en-route for victory, turning 0.53secs ahead in 27.54, before 24-year-old Kamminga came back in 30.54 to win by 0.41 from the Chinese who clocked 59.02.
Olympic 200m champion Dmitriy Balandin was third in 1:00.55 with Ilya Shymanovich rounding out the field in 1:00.64.
Kamminga’s time would have been good enough for third at last year’s World Championships, relegating Yan to fourth in the process.
Now 24, Kamminga’s best at 21 was 1:01.24 but now he sits only behind Adam Peaty – who continues his foray into outer orbit on a best of 56.88 – Shymanovich (58.29), James Wilby and Cameron van der Burgh (both with bests of 58.46) and Brenton Rickard (58.58).
World-record holder Liu unleashed a thunderclap in the 50m backstroke, her time of 27.36 just 0.03secs outside Olivia Smoliga‘s winning time at the World Championships in Gwangju last July.
Kamminga’s Netherlands team-mate Kira Toussaint, the 50m European short-course champion, was 0.71 adrift in second.
World champion Xu was out in 25.53 to win the 100m backstroke in 53.01, a time good enough for sixth last July in Gwangju, South Korea, with Matt Grevers second in 53.54.
Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Wang finished 4.02secs ahead of second-placed Michael Andrew in the 200IM in 1:57.76. The gap between the two at the final turn was 1.91secs but the Chinese came home in an eye-watering 27.84.
Wang, who won the 2019 Military World Games title in Wuhan, China, in 1:56.25, produced splits of 25.48, 30.06, 34.38 and 27.84, his speed at this stage of the season auguring well as he looks to improve on his bronze from Rio 2016 as well as a challenge to Daiya Seto who will be in front of a Japanese home crowd.
Morozov, fresh from a continental 50m breaststroke record among five titles at last month’s European Short-Course Championships, won the 50m free in 21.70, daylight and 0.33secs between the Russian and Kristian Gkolomeev, the Greek who shared silver with Bruno Fratus of Brazil at the 2019 worlds as Morozov finished fourth.
Yu Jingyao; Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Ye Shiwen said on Monday that she intended to be on the podium in all the two IMs and 200 breast come Tokyo but she had to be content with second in the latter on Tuesday.
Instead it was her fellow Chinese Yu, who just failed to make the world semis as Ye finished fourth, who took the initiative, going out in 32.30 to Ye’s 33.49, her lead never threatened to touch first in 2:24.64, 1.39secs ahead of the 2012 double IM champion.
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey won the women’s 100m freestyle in 53.47, just 0.02 outside the time she did in the semis at worlds last year, with Femke Heemskerk second in 53.83.
Michelle Coleman (54.04) and 2012 Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo (54.15) rounded out the field.
Olympic bronze medallist Tamas Kenderesi won the men’s 200 fly in 1:55.17, almost two seconds quicker than the time he clocked for eighth in Gwangju.
Nicholas Santos led home a speedy 50 fly field separated by 0.23, the Brazilian – who turns 40 on Valentine’s Day – winning in 23.28, 0.02 ahead of Andrii Govorov with Oleg Kostin (23.42) and Andrew (23.51) third and fourth.
Elena di Liddo won the 100 fly in 58.37 with Katinka Hosszu fourth in 1:02.32, Liu Yaxin won the 200m backstroke in 2:10.34 ahead of Hosszu (2:12.12) and Ajna Kesely of Hungary took the honours in the 400 free in 4:09.05.
Team Pebley – comprising Jacob Pebley, Govorov, Kromowidjojo and Haughey – won the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay in 3:28.40.