2016 FINA World Cup: Morozov Sets WR, Wins 13k On Day 1 in Berlin

FINA WORLD CUP – BERLIN

• Tuesday, August 30 – Wednesday, August 31, 2016
• Berlin, Germany – Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europa-Sportpark
• Short Course – 25 m
• Series Points after Paris
• Current Money Lists through Paris
• Entries
• Start Lists
• Live stream
• Live results

The FINA World Cup stop in Berlin kicked off today, with Russian Vlad Morozov continuing to impress in an identical fashion to his Chartres performance last week. Morozov once again opened the meet with 2 individual gold medals and a new World Record. His first win of the session came in the men’s 100 free, where he swam a 45.79. He then went on to break his own World Record in the 100 IM, lowering the mark to a 50.30.

Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu also brought the heat tonight, pulling out a win in a tight 200 backstroke battle. Hosszu got her hand to the wall in 2:00.52, just ahead of the Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina, who swam a 2:00.75 for 2nd.

That win for Hosszu came after she had already taken gold in the 200 free (1:52.08) and 200 IM (2:05.57). In addition to her golds, she picked up a silver in the 50 back and a bronze in the 100 fly before closing the session with a 5th place finish in the 800 free. With all those swims, Hosszu competed in 6 of the 8 individual events offered on night 1.

The women’s 100 breaststroke was also a highlight tonight, as Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson was there to chase the World Record she tied last week in Chartres. However, it was the USA’s Katie Meili who got to the wall first, winning gold in 1:02.92. Atkinson wound up 2nd in 1:03.10, just ahead of Russia’s Olympic silver medalist Yuliya Efimova (1:03.17).

Coming into the session, Morozov was the leader in the men’s point standings, holding a 26 point lead with a total of 86. After today’s performance, he’s jumped up to a total of 130, giving him an even bigger lead. Morozov earned $1,500 for each gold, as well as a $10,000 bonus for the World Record, giving him $13,000 for the day.

Likewise, on the women’s side, Hosszu has now widened the gap between herself and Atkinson, who are currently the top 2 in the points standings. Her 5 medal performances in tonight’s session increase her points total to 180. It also won her a total of $6,000 for day 1.

Additional Event Winners:

• South Africa’s Cameron Van Der Burgh continued to capitalize off his breaststroke speed tonight, winning the men’s 50 breast with a time of 25.75.
• Van Der Burgh’s teammate, Chad Le Clos, also found the top of the podium with multiple event wins. He first took gold in the 200 fly in 1:49.33 before going on to win the 50 fly in 22.15.
• Jeanette Ottesen doubled up with another World Cup win in the women’s 100 fly, getting to the wall in 55.86. She then followed suit in the 50 free, winning with a 23.58.
• Emily Seebohm brought gold to Australia, racing to a 26.38 in the women’s 50 back.
• James Guy, a 2015 World Champion for Great Britain, dominated the men’s 400 free final. Guy threw down a 3:39.20 to win the race by nearly 4 seconds.
• Germany’s Philip Heintz, a finalist at the Rio Olympics, won the men’s 400 IM handily in 4:02.84. His teammates, Marco Koch and Franziska Hentke, also won individual golds with Koch’s 2:01.92 in the men’s 200 breast and Hentke’s 8:22.82 in the women’s 800 free.
• Russia’s Stanislav Donetc topped a stacked field with a 50.06 in the men’s 100 back before going on to team up with Vlad Morozov as a part of Russia’s Mixed 4×50 Medley Relay team. The quartet included Donetc (23.50), Efimova (28.80), Morozov (22.33), and Daria Ustinova (25.14), as they combined to win the race in 1:39.77.