DOHA – The final session of finals at the FINA World Short Course Championships featured five more world records falling by the wayside.
Women’s 200 free relay
Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia Dalberto/Lapresse
The Netherlands lowered its official world record in the women’s 200 free relay even further at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
The Netherlands’ quartet of Inge Dekker (24.09), Femke Heemskerk (23.24), Maud van der Meer (24.03) and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (22.88) raced the way to a 1:34.24.
That swim undercut the 1:35.74 set by Esmee Vermeulen (25.09), Kromowidjojo (23.01), van der Meer (23.89) and Dekker (23.75) this morning in prelims, with the key being the amazing anchor from Kromowidjojo tonight.
The Netherlands still owns the world best and European record with a 1:33.25 from 2009, but FINA did not retroactively recognize all potential world records upon recognizing this event last year.
Team USA had a chance at the world record, but could not withstand the incredible anchor by Kromowidjojo.
Madison Kennedy (24.06), Abbey Weitzeil (23.40), Natalie Coughlin (23.39) and Amy Bilquist (23.76) placed second in 1:34.61. That swim crushed the American record of 1:37.27 set by the Kara Lynn Joyce-led Georgia Bulldogs at the 2004 NCAA Championships in College Station.
Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen (23.73), Julie Levisen (24.30), Mie Nielsen (23.49) and Pernille Blume (23.96) picked up bronze in the event in 1:35.48.
Italy (1:35.78), France (1:36.32), China (1:38.58), Japan (1:38.76) and Brazil (1:38.78) also swam for the world title tonight.
Men’s 100 free
Photo Courtesy: FINA Doha 2014
Brazil’s Cesar Cielo charged his way to the title in the men’s 100 free at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Cielo threw down a swift time of 45.75, the second-fastest time in the world this year.
With the win, he joins compatriot Fernando Scherer and Sweden’s Lars Frolander as the only men to win the 100 free short course title twice in a career.
Russia’s Vlad Morozov has the fastest time in the world with a 45.51 meet-record relay leadoff earlier this week, but did not wind up competing in the individual even this week.
France’s Florent Manaudou, already a winner and world-record breaker in the 50 free and 50 back, snared the silver in the 100 with a time of 45.81 as just the third man under 46 seconds this year.
Russia’s Danila Izotov picked up bronze in 46.09.
Australia’s Tommaso D’Orsogna (46.13), Australia’s Cameron McEvoy (46.66), Belgium’s Pieter Timmers (46.90), Brazil’s Joao de Lucca (47.05) and Japan’s Shinri Shioura (47.38) also competed in the finale.
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Women’s 50 back
Photo Courtesy: CBDA
Brazil won a second straight world title as Etiene Medeiros clipped the world record in the 50 back at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Medeiros powered her way to a 25.67 for the win. That swim not only beat the meet record of 25.87 by Emily Seebohm yesterday, it nipped Sanja Jovanovic’s world record of 25.70 from 2009.
With Medeiros’ win, Brazil now has won a total of eight medals this week. That equals the most ever by a Brazilian squad from 2010.
Seebohm, meanwhile, checked in with a silver-winning time of 25.83, also under her meet mark.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, who already set world records in the 100 back, 200 back, 100 IM and 200 IM this week, missed out on a backstroke sweep with a bronze-winning 25.96.
Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina (25.99), USA’s Felicia Lee (26.16), Poland’s Aleksandra Urbanczyk (26.37), Great Britain’s Georgia Davies (26.38) and Czech Republic’s Simona Baumrtova (26.38) closed out the finale.
Lee just missed the American record of 26.13 set by Olivia Smoliga to win in 2012.
Men’s 200 back
Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia Dalberto/Lapresse
Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki provided some outside smoke with a lane 8 title defense in the men’s 200 back at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Kawecki turned in a world-leading time of 1:47.38 for the win. That’s better than Mitch Larkin’s 1:47.72 from the Australian Championships earlier this year as the top time in the world.
Kawecki joins Ryan Lochte (2006, 2010) and Aaron Peirsol (2002, 2004) as the only swimmers to take this world title twice in a career.
Lochte, meanwhile, grabbed silver with a time of 1:48.20. That’s his record 36th career medal in short course worlds history. He’s won 21 golds, nine silvers and six bronzes, and has picked up six medals this week already.
Larkin wound up taking bronze in 1:48.35, while Japan’s Ryosuke Irie touched fourth in 1:48.77.
USA’s Tyler Clary (1:49.87), Colombia’s Omar Pinzon (1:50.88), Japan’s Yuki Shirai (1:51.67) and Israel’s David Gamburg (1:52.24) finished fifth through eighth.
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Women’s 200 breast
Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr
Japan’s Kanako Watanabe had to turn on the jets down the stretch, but she managed to take home the 200 breast world title at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Watanabe charged home in a 35.44 to take the title with a world-leading 2:16.92. That swim was well off Rikke Moller Pedersen’s meet record of 2:16.08 from 2012, but almost a second faster than Alia Atkinson’s top time this year of 2:17.84.
Japan’s Rie Kaneto took home silver in 2:17.43, with Watanabe and Kaneto both coming up short of Kaneto’s Asian record of 2:16.73 from the 2009 Berlin stop of the FINA World Cup.
Pedersen, who led through 150 meters, faded to bronze with a time of 2:17.83.
Canada’s Kierra Smith (2:18.30), China’s Shi Jinglin (2:18.64), Russia’s Maria Astashkina (2:18.95), Canada’s Martha McCabe (2:19.17) and Russia’s Vitalina Simonova (2:19.65) placed fourth through eighth.
Atkinson, meanwhile, missed out on finals this morning with a 10th-place effort. She likely was battling the hangover from becoming the first Jamaican world titlist with her world-record tying effort in the 100 breast.
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Men’s 100 IM
Photo Courtesy: Azaria Basile
Germany’s Markus Deibler punched the wall in world-record time in the men’s 100 IM at the FINA World Short Course championships.
Deibler hit the wall in 50.66, nipped Ryan Lochte’s world and meet record of 50.71 from the 2012 edition of the championships.
That’s a big win for Deibler as he had to take down the other two fastest sprint IMers in the world in Lochte and Vlad Morozov. Morozov took second in 50.81, while Lochte wound up third with a 51.24.
Deibler joins recent German world titlists Paul Biedermann (400 free) and Britta Steffen (100 free), who each snagged a victory in 2012 in Istanbul.
That’s Lochte’s record 37th career short course medal. He’s now won 21 golds, nine silvers and seven bronzes, and has earned seven medals this week.
Japan’s Kosuke Hagino, Swimming World’s World Swimmer of the Year, wound up fourth overall in 51.30.
Russia’s Sergey Fesikov (51.35), Brazil’s Henrique Rodrigues (52.20), Japan’s Takuro Fujii (52.26) and Poland’s Marcin Cieslak (52.27) also competed in the finale.
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Women’s 100 fly
Photo Courtesy: FINA Doha 2014
Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom broke the 55-second barrier in the women’s 100 fly with a world-record win at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Sjostrom scorched the pool with a smoking time of 54.61. That swim downed the previous world record of 55.05 set by Diana Bui Duyet back in 2009. Incidentally, it also lowered Sjostrom’s meet record of 55.13 from yesterday.
Sjostrom joins Slovakia’s Martina Moravcova and Italy’s Ilaria Bianchi as the only women to win both the European and world title in the 100 fly. She also managed to win both the 50 fly and 100 fly this week.
China’s Lu Ying raced her way to second in 55.25, smashing her Asian record of 55.95 from the Beijing stop of the FINA World Cup this year.
Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen wound up with a bronze-winning time of 55.32 in one of the fastest podiums of all time.
The Netherlands’ Inge Dekker (56.40), China’s Chen Xinyi (56.49), Italy’s Ilaria Bianchi (56.67), Belgium’s Kimberly Buys (56.82) and Brazil’s Daiene Marcal Dias (57.26) finished fourth through eighth in the finale.
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Men’s 50 breast
Photo Courtesy: FINA Doha 2014
Brazil’s Felipe Silva chalked up a meet record in the men’s 50 breast at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Silva checked in with a time of 25.63 to clear Adam Peaty’s meet mark of 25.75 from yesterday. It also bettered Silva’s world-leading 25.71 from the Jose Finkel Trophy meet.
Silva is just the third man to win the 50 and 100 breast, joining Ukraine’s Oleg Lisogor (2002, 2006) and USA’s Brendan Hansen (2004).
Peaty wound up tying world-record holder Cameron van der Burgh for silver with matching 25.87s.
Slovenia’s Damir Dugonjic (26.03), Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli (26.15), France’s Giacomo Perez-Dortona (26.18), Russia’s Kirill Prigoda (26.23) and Brazil’s Joao Gomes Jr. (26.39) completed the championship field.
Women’s 50 free
Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch
Ranomi Kromowidjojo continued a busy, yet successful, night with a winning effort in the 50 free at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Kromowidjojo put up a 23.32 for the win, just missing Marleen Veldhuis’ meet record of 23.25 and Kromowidjojo’s world record of 23.24. But, her time was good enough to be a new world leader. Kromowidjojo had the previous top time this year with a 23.43 here at Worlds.
Kromowidjojo’s win gave her the Dutch record for most gold medals (8) at short course worlds. Femke Heemskerk is second with seven and could tie Kromowidjojo later tonight in the 200 free.
Australia’s Bronte Campbell grabbed second in 23.62 with Germany’s Dorothea Brandt taking third in 23.77.
USA’s Madison Kennedy finished fourth in 23.86, just missing Dara Torres’ American record of 23.82 from 2007.
Bahamas’ Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (23.93), The Netherlands’ Inge Dekker (24.02), Italy’s Erika Ferraioli (24.09) and Russia’s Rozaliya Nasretdinova (24.19) also put up swims in finals.
Men’s 200 fly
Photo Courtesy: FINA Doha 2014
Chad le Clos challenged his world record in the men’s 200 fly with his triumph at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Le Clos just missed his global standard of 1:48.56 from the Singapore stop of the FINA World Cup. Tonight, he crushed the meet record with a sizzling time of 1:48.61. Daiya Seto held the previous meet mark with a 1:50.82 from prelims today.
With the win, le Clos is the first person (male or female) to ever sweep all three butterfly events in a single short course worlds.
Le Clos also now has four individual golds this week, becoming just the second male swimmer ever to do so. Ryan Lochte won five golds in 2010.
Japan’s Seto wound up taking second in 1:48.92, just missing the world record himself as he beat Takeshi Matsuda’s Asian record of 1:49.50 from the 2011 Tokyo stop of the FINA World Cup.
Poland’s Pawel Korzeniowski finished third overall in 1:50.21, while USA’s Tom Shields managed to take fourth in 1:50.68.
Denmark’s Viktor Bromer (1:52.13), Russia’s Aleksandr Kudashev (1:52.17), Russia’s Nikolay Skvortsov (1:52.52) and Australia’s Grant Irvine (1:52.69) placed fifth through eighth.
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Men’s 1500 free
Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia Dalberto/Lapresse
Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri turned in a meet-record time to capture the men’s 1500 free at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Paltrinieri won the finale by more than two seconds with a 14:16.10 for the win. That’s the best time in the world by 10 seconds, ahead of Jordan Harrison’s 14:26.21 from the Australian Championships, and also bettered Yury Prilukov’s meet record of 14:22.98 set in Manchester in 2008.
Paltrinieri still has some time to drop to catch Grant Hackett’s world record of 14:10.10. And, with Hackett returning to the pool, it will be interesting to see if even he can challenge his own records.
Paltrinieri is the first Italian to win the men’s 1500 free after taking second to Mads Glaesner in 2012.
Tunisia’s Ous Mellouli finished second tonight in 14:18.79, also under the previous meet record, while Canada’s Ryan Cochrane clinched third in 14:23.35.
Faroe Islands’ Pal Joensen (14:26.54), Italy’s Gabriele Detti (14:29.94), Harrison (14:33.10), USA’s Michael McBroom (14:34.31) and Slovakia’s Richard Nagy (14:35.50) rounded out the top eight of the timed final event.
Paltrinieri’s splits
50m 26.16
28.06
100m 54.22
28.55
150m 1:22.77
28.40
200m 1:51.17
28.53
250m 2:19.70
28.50
300m 2:48.20
28.69
350m 3:16.89
28.40
400m 3:45.29
28.52
450m 4:13.81
28.67
500m 4:42.48
28.65
550m 5:11.13
28.74
600m 5:39.87
28.71
650m 6:08.58
28.51
700m 6:37.09
28.78
750m 7:05.87
28.76
800m 7:34.63
28.65
850m 8:03.28
28.82
900m 8:32.10
28.79
950m 9:00.89
28.72
1000m 9:29.61
28.65
1050m 9:58.26
28.71
1100m 10:26.97
28.76
1150m 10:55.73
28.73
1200m 11:24.46
28.70
1250m 11:53.16
28.69
1300m 12:21.85
28.51
1350m 12:50.36
28.75
1400m 13:19.11
28.87
1450m 13:47.98
28.12
1500m 14:16.10
Women’s 200 free
Photo Courtesy: FINA Doha 2014
Demonstrating unreal closing speed, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom blew by Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu to break the 1:51 barrier and win the 200 free in world record fashion at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Hosszu looked to be well on her way to breaking her fifth world record of the meet, under world-record pace at the 150-meter mark with a 1:22.81. But, Sjostrom had other ideas.
Sjostrom uncorked a ridiculous 27.74 final split to race by Hosszu and win the finale in 1:50.78.
That performance cleared Federica Pellegrini’s 2009 world record of 1:51.17 set in Istanbul that year for Sjostrom’s second world record of the night following the 100 fly.
Hosszu, meanwhile, just missed the world-record time of Pellegrini with a 1:51.18 for silver.
The Netherlands’ Femke Heemskerk took third overall in 1:51.69.
Russia’s Veronika Popova (1:52.84), Pellegrini (1:54.01), France’s Charlotte Bonnet (1:54.02), USA’s Shannon Vreeland (1:54.28) and Hungary’s Evelyn Verraszto (1:55.07) placed fourth through eighth.
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Men’s 400 medley relay
Photo Courtesy: Kaitlin Kelly/Swimming World
Brazil won its first men’s 400 medley relay by way of a sizzling anchor leg by Cesar Cielo at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Already a winner in the 100 free earlier in the night, Cielo delivered a 44.67 anchor as Guilherme Guido (50.11), Felipe Silva (56.73), Marcos Macedo (49.63) and Cielo put up a 3:21.14 to win the finale.
That’s Brazil’s first win ever in the event after taking bronze in 2010 with a team of Guido, Silva, Kaio Almeida and Cielo.
Team USA’s Matt Grevers (49.79), Cody Miller (57.03), Tom Shields (48.80) and Ryan Lochte (45.87) took second in 3:21.49.
That’s Lochte’s record 38th career short course medal. He’s now won 21 golds, 10 silvers and seven bronzes, and has earned eight medals this week.
France’s Florent Manaudou (50.35), Giacomo Perez-Dortona (57.00), Mehdy Metella (49.07) and Clement Mignon (45.84) raced their way to bronze in 3:22.26.
Russia (3:22.53), Great Britain (3:22.78), Australia (3:22.86), Japan (3:22.92) and Germany (3:23.37) closed out the rest of the top eight.
Men’s 400 medley relay
Photo Courtesy: Action Images / Norman Ng
Denmark successfully defended its women’s 400 medley relay title during the final event of the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Denmark’s team of Mie Nielsen (56.86), Rikke Moller Pedersen (1:04.62), Jeanette Ottesen (54.99) and Pernille Blume (52.39) leaned on Ottesen’s tremendous butterfly leg to win in 3:48.86.
Denmark is the first team to defend the women’s 400 medley relay since Australia won in 2004 and 2006.
Australia’s Madi Wilson (57.31), Sally Hunter (1:04.34), Emily Seebohm (57.26) and Bronte Campbell (51.40) finished second overall in 3:50.31, while Japan’s Sayaka Akase (57.11), Kanako Watanabe (1:05.32), Rino Hosoda (56.89) and Miki Uchida (51.18) took third in 3:50.50.
Sweden (3:51.64), Russia (3:53.68), Finland (3:54.81), Italy (3:55.15) and Germany (3:55.29) placed fourth through eighth.
Team USA missed the podium for just the second time (1999) after missing finals completely this morning.
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Scheduled Events
- Women’s 200 free relay
- Men’s 100 free
- Women’s 50 back
- Men’s 200 back
- Women’s 200 breast
- Men’s 100 IM
- Women’s 100 fly
- Men’s 50 breast
- Women’s 50 free
- Men’s 200 fly
- Men’s 1500 free
- Women’s 200 free
- Men’s 400 medley relay
- Women’s 400 medley relay
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