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MOSCOW, Russia, November 5. THE first finals session of the FINA World Cup stop hosted by Moscow featured a pair of world records, and a handful of World Cup records being set.
Marieke Guehrer and Evelyn Verraszto made the most of their swims tonight, producing two global marks for the fans in attendance.
Women's 800 free
Denmark's Lotte Friis dropped a commanding time of 8:12.94 as she conquered the distant event. She still came up three seconds short of her personal best, but she still easily claimed the first-place check.
Germany's Jaana Ehmcke wound up taking second overall with a time of 8:21.02, while teammate Isabelle Harle completed the podium with a third-place time of 8:30.65.
Men's 100 free
In a star-studded finaled, Russia's Sergey Fesikov emerged victorious with a time of 45.87 to lower his national record of 46.30 set at the Durban stop of this year's circuit. Canada's Brent Hayden placed second in 46.14 to clip his national record of 46.27 set in March of this year. Sweden's Stefan Nystrand rounded out the top three in 46.16.
Women's 200 free
Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom cruised in the finale with a winning time of 1:54.02. She finished just half-a-second shy of Josefin Lillhage's national record of 1:53.55. Hungary's Agnes Mutina held off Russia's Daria Belyakina, 1:56.30 to 1:56.63, for second place overall.
Men's 50 breast
The first World Cup record of the meet fell as South Africa swept the podium. World-record holder Cameron van der Burgh, who has a 25.43 to his credit, ripped off a 25.58 in the sprint breast event. That swim beat teammate Roland Schoeman's circuit record of 25.90 set in Durban last month. Schoeman, who has performed surprisingly well in the sprint breast event, took second in 25.80 – under the previous circuit mark as well. Compatriot Neil Versfeld completed the podium sweep with a 26.52. Brazil's Felipe Lima took fourth in 26.61 to lower Eduardo Fischer's national record of 26.73 set in May 2009.
Women's 100 breast
The United States' Jessica Hardy rattled the world record with a sterling time of 1:03.75. She came up just short of Leisel Jones' global mark of 1:03.72 set in Canberra in April 2008. With the time, she became only the second person to clear 1:04 as she wiped out her American record of 1:04.15 set at the Durban stop. That time also stood as the World Cup record. Hardy had an incredible first 50 with a 29.96 split that was just off her world record of 29.45 also set in Durban.
Denmark's Rikke Moeller Pedersen checked in with a second-place time of 1:04.43 to beat her national record of 1:04.59 set in Odense last month. Jones settled for third overall in her comeback meet with a 1:04.61.
Men's 400 IM
Hungary's David Verraszto topped the distance medley with a time of 4:03.45, while South Africa's Chad Le Clos wound up second in 4:06.41. Russia's Andrey Krylov completed the top three in 4:10.08.
Women's 100 fly
Australia's Felicity Galvez scared the world record in the event with a sterling time of 55.82. That swim wiped out Therese Alshammar's World Cup record of 56.12 set in Durban, and came up just short of Jessicah Schipper's world and Australian record of 55.68.
Alshammar settled for second-place cash with a time of 56.23, while Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen checked in with a third-place time of 57.09.
Men's 100 back
Peter Marshall of the U.S. just missed the World Cup record with a winning time of 49.49. He owns the circuit standard with a 49.40 set at the Durban stop. Russia's Stanislav Donets (50.12) and Arkady Vyatchanin (50.39) completed the top three.
Women's 50 back
Australia's Marieke Guehrer became the first world-record breaker of the Moscow stop with a swift time of 26.17 in the sprint back event. The performance beat Sanja Jovanovic's global standard of 26.23 set last December. Notably, Guehrer also beat Emily Seebohm's Australian mark of 26.87 set in March 2009.
Brazil's Fabiola Molina took second in 26.61, while The Netherlands' Hinkelien Schreuder placed third in 26.72. Molina clipped her national record of 26.63 set in Durban last month.
Men's 200 fly
No one could compete with Russia's Nikolay Skvortsov as he tore through the 200 fly in an impressive time of 1:51.30. That swim gave Skvortsov the win by more than four seconds, but fell short of his world record time of 1:50.53.
South Africa's Chad Le Clos placed second overall in 1:55.32, while France's Thomas Vilaceca wound up third in 1:55.52.
Women's 200 IM
Hungary's Evelyn Verraszto nearly broke the 2:06 barrier with a world-record swim of 2:06.01. That effort wiped out Kirsty Coventry's global mark of 2:06.13 set at the 2008 World Short Course Championships. The win also crushed Verraszto's national record of 2:07.93 set back in December 2008.
Here are the comparative splits:
Verraszto: 27.88, 59.96 (32.08), 1:36.81 (36.85), 2;06.01 (29.20)
Coventry: 27.95, 58.91 (30.96), 1:35.82 (36.91), 2:06.13 (30.31)
Whitney Myers of the U.S. placed second in 2:08.79, while Brazil's Joanna Maranhao-Melo took third overall in 2:09.03.
Men's 400 free
Russia's Nikita Lobintsev gave Yuri Prilukov's national record of 3:37.35 a run, but wound up settling for the overall victory in 3:38.40. Denmark's Mads Glaesner placed second in 3:40.10, while Mikhail Polishchuk gave Russia a 1-3 finish with a 3:40.65 in the middle distance event.
Women's 50 free
In an exciting finish, Australia's Marieke Guehrer touched out The Netherlands' Hinkelien Schreuder, 23.92 to 23.95. Meanwhile, Sweden's Therese Alshammar took third overall in 24.11.
Men's 200 breast
South Africa's Neil Versfeld captured the distance breaststroke title with a time of 2:04.15, while Ukraine's Igor Borysik finished second overall in 2:04.86. Borysik's time lowered his national record of 2:05.47 set in December 2008. Meanwhile, Russia's Grigory Falko gave the home team a 1-3 outcome with a 2:05.49 for third place.
Men's 100 IM
Russia's Sergey Fesikov downed the World Cup record in the sprint medley with a time of 51.45. He beat Ryk Neethling's previous standard of 51.52 set back in 2005. He also lowered his national record of 51.96 set at the Durban stop this year. South Africa's Darian Townsend took home a silver with a 52.09, while Austria's Markus Rogan claimed third overall in 53.60 – just missing his national record of 53.57 also set in Durban.
Women's 200 back
Ukraine's Daryna Zevina barely missed the Ukrainian record in the event with a winning effort of 2:04.59. The finished just .02 seconds off Iryna Amshenikova's 2006 mark of 2:04.57. Hungary's Evelyn Verraszto, fresh off a world record performance in the 200 IM, took second in 2:05.91 to lower the Hungarian standard. Nikolett Szepesi set the previous mark with a 2:06.07 back in November 2008. Russia's Kseniya Moskvina completed the podium with a 2:07.88.
Men's 50 fly
South Africa's Roland Schoeman closed down the evening with a near World Cup-record setting performance when he clocked a 22.33 in the sprint fly. The time came up just short of his 22.32 set in Durban last month. Russia's Evgeny Korotyshkin touched second in 22.50 to lower his Russian record of 22.51 set in December 2008. Meanwhile, South Africa went 1-3 with Lyndon Ferns taking third in 22.93.