Star-Powered Field On Tap As FINA World Cup Series Set For Move to Doha
The next stop of the FINA World Cup Series is scheduled for next week, with short-course competition taking place in Doha from Oct. 21-23. The three-day event follows the first two stops of the series, which took place in Berlin and Budapest. The Doha stop is slated to feature some of the top names in the sport, with Australian stars Emma McKeon and Kyle Chalmers again headlining the roster of athletes.
In Budapest, McKeon produced one of the top performances of the series, as she clocked the No. 2 time in history in the 100-meter freestyle. The reigning Olympic champion in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, McKeon clocked a time of 50.58 for the 100 free, which has only been bettered by the 50.25 world record of fellow Australian Cate Campbell.
Chalmers has been a major factor in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle during the World Cup season, with a pair of superb showdowns unfolding between the Aussie and rising South African star Matthew Sates in the 200 freestyle. The men split their matchups while in Europe and are again expected to clash in Doha, this time with Sunwoo Hwang, the South Korean upstart, joining the mix. Hwang was a finalist in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle at last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Also scheduled to race in Doha is Japan’s Daiya Seto, the world-record holder in the 400 individual medley. The likes of Americans Tom Shields and Blake Pieroni are listed on the entry lists, along with Russians Yuliya Efimova and Vladimir Morozov and Dutch standouts Arno Kamminga and Ranomi Kromowidjojo.