2016 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 6th – December 11th, 2016
- Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- WFCU Centre
- SCM (25m)
- Prelims: 9:30 AM EST/Finals: 6:30 PM EST
- Start Lists/Results
- Live Stream ($)
The 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships kicked off this morning in Windsor, Canada, and swimmers are now gearing up for the first finals session of the meet. Tonight, we’ll crown the world champions in the men’s 400 free, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 free relay, as well as the women’s 200 free, 400 IM, and 400 free relay. There will also be semifinals of 4 events: The men’s 100 back, women’s 50 breast, men’s 100 breast, and women’s 100 back.
Hungarian iron lady Katinka Hosszu will be competing in 3 of the 4 women’s individual races tonight. First she’ll take on the 200 free, where she’s the gold medal favorite without defending world champ Sarah Sjostrom, who is absent from this meet altogether. She’ll then swim the 400 IM and 100 back, which are 2 of her World Record events. She’ll have a quick turnaround for her final 2 races, with only the men’s 100 breast semifinals between them.
MEN’S 400 FREE FINALS
- 2014 World Champion:Â Peter Bernek (HUN), 3:34.42
- World Record: 3:32.25- Yannick Agnel (FRA), 2012
- Championship Record: 3:34.32- Peter Bernek (HUN), 2014
GOLD: Park Tae Hwan (KOR), 3:34.59
SILVER: Aleksandr Karsnykh (RUS), 3:35.30
BRONZE: Peter Bernek (HUN), 3:37.65
Park Tae Hwan (KOR), the 2008 Olympic champ in the long course version of this event, raced to victory in the 400 free with a new lifetime best. Coming into the meet, his fastest swim was a 3:36.68, but he chopped over 2 seconds off that time to win tonight’s race in 3:34.59. That was just tenths shy of Peter Bernek‘s (HUN) Championship Record from 2014. Tonight, Bernek made another podium appearance, finishing 3rd in 3:37.65 behind Russia’s silver medalist Aleksandr Karsnykh (3:35.30).
WOMEN’S 200 FREE FINALS
- 2014 World Champion:Â Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 1:50.78
- World Record:Â 1:50.78-Â Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2014
- Championship Record:Â 1:50.78-Â Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2014
GOLD: Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 1:51.73
SILVER: Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 1:52.28
BRONZE: Taylor Ruck (CAN), 1:52.50
Up until the last 50 of the women’s 200 free, it looked like iron lady Katinka Hosszu (HUN) was going to add yet another victory to her resume. That was until Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, a former World Record holder in this race, came home like a train on the final 50. Pellegrini’s 28.1 closing split was enough to get her the gold in 1:51.73 ahead of Hosszu (1:52.28).
Canadian junior standout Taylor Ruck also made a surge on the final 50, coming up short to Hosszu, but still landing on the podium with a speedy 1:52.50 for 3rd. Interestingly, while Hosszu seemed to have a little trouble with her closing speed this time around, as her 29.24 final 50 was the 7th fastest of the field.
The American’s had 2 in the final, with NCAA stars Mallory Comerford (1:53.79) and Leah Smith (1:54.49) taking 5th and 7th respectively.
MEN’S 100 BACK SEMIFINALS
- 2014 World Champion: Mitch Larkin (AUS), 49.57
- World Record: 48.92- Matt Grevers (USA), 2015
- Championship Record: 48.95- Stanislav Donets (RUS), 2010
Top 8:
- Andrei Shabasov (RUS), 49.71
- Xu Jiayu (CHN), 49.99
- Mitch Larkin (AUS), 50.10
- Radoslaw Kawecki (POL), 50.17
- Robert Glinta (ROU), 50.37
- Grigory Tarasevich (RUS), 50.54
- Jacob Pebley (USA), 50.56
- Junya Koga (JPN), 50.59
Russia’s Andrei Shabasov stepped up his game in the 100 back semifinals, posting a 49.71 to lead the field. His teammate, Grigory Tarasevich (50.54), qualified 6th for the final, making Russia the only country with 2 swimmers in the top 8 of this race. Competing with them in the final will be Australia’s defending world champion Mitch Larkin, who qualified 3rd in 50.10 behind China’s Xu Jiayu (49.99).
Rio Olympian Jacob Pebley (USA), who just officially went pro, made his way into the top 8 with a 50.56 to finish just behind Tarasevich, who he used to compete against at NCAAs.
WOMEN’S 50 BREAST SEMIFINALS
- 2014 World Champion: Ruta Meilutyte (LIT), 28.84
- World Record: 28.64- Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2015
- Championship Record: 28.81- Ruta Meilutyte (LIT), 2014
Top 8:
- Alia Atkinson (JAM), 29.09
- Lilly King (USA), 29.17
- Molly Hannis (USA), 29.88
- Jenna Laukkanen (FIN), 30.06
- Fany Lecluyse (BEL), 30.17
- Jessica Hansen (AUS), 30.22
- Natalia Ivaneeva (RUS), 30.30
- Susann Bjorn (NOR), 30.33
There were 3 women under 30 seconds in tonight’s 50 breast semifinals, led by Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson, the current World Record holder. Atkinson qualified 1st for the final with a 29.09, coming within half a second of her 28.64 record from October of this year. Joining her under 30 to round out the top 3 were Team USA’s Lilly King (29.17) and Molly Hannis (29.88).
MEN’S 200 FLY FINALS
- 2014 World Champion:Â Chad Le Clos (RSA), 1:48.61
- World Record: 1:48.56- Chad Le Clos (RSA), 2013
- Championship Record: 1:48.61- Chad Le Clos (RSA), 2014
GOLD: Chad Le Clos (RSA), 1:48.76
SILVER: Tom Shields (USA), 1:49.50
BRONZE: Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:49.97
South African Olympic gold medalist Chad Le Clos successfully defended his world championship title tonight against the likes of Tom Shields (USA) and Daiya Seto (JPN). Le Clos came home in a blistering 27.19 to move from 3rd to 1st on the final 50, narrowly missing his own World Record with his 1:48.76.
Shields held his own on the back half of the race, picking up silver in 1:49.50 to Seto’s 1:49.97. That was narrowly off his 1:49.05 from Duel in the Pool, which stands as the fastest time ever by an American. His teammate, Pace Clark, fell off his prelims time a bit, picking up 7th in 1:53.15.
WOMEN’S 400 IM FINALS
- 2014 World Champion: Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 4:19.86
- World Record:Â 4:19.46- Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015
- Championship Record:Â 4:19.86- Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 2014
GOLD: Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 4:21.67
SILVER: Ella Eastin (USA), 4:27.74
BRONZE: Madisyn Cox (USA), 4:27.78
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu bounced back from the 200 free loss with a gold in the 400 IM, blowing away the field with her 4:21.67. Behind her, Team USA’s Ella Eastin and Madisyn Cox battled down the stretch for a podium spot, but Vietnam’s Vien Nguyen was disqualified, which bumped them up to a 2-3 finish. Cox charged home in 29.59, the fastest final 50 of the field, but Eastin held on for silver by a fingernail with her 4:27.74 to Cox’s 4:27.78.
Spain’s Mireia Belmonte, who was the defending champion in this race prior to tonight, finished 5th in 4:32.98. She still holds the Championship Record with her 4:19.86 from 2014.
MEN’S 100 BREAST SEMIFINALS
- 2014 World Champion:  Felipe Silva (BRA), 56.29
- World Record: 55.61- Cameron Van Der Burgh (RSA), 2009
- Championship Record: 56.20- Felipe Silva (BRA), 2014
Top 8:
- Marco Koch (GER), 56.86
- Felipe Silva (BRA), 56.99
- Vlad Morozov (RUS), 57.00
- Nic Fink (USA), 57.10
- Cody Miller (USA), 57.14
- Fabio Scozzoli (ITA), 57.22
- Oleg Kostin (RUS), 57.52
- Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), 57.65
Germany’s Marco Koch closed in on the 100 breast Championship Record, taking 1st in the semis with a speedy 56.86. The owner of that record, Brazil’s Felipe Silva, was also sub-57 with a 56.99 for 2nd seed. Right on their heels was Russian Rocket Vlad Morozov in 57.00.
Team USA’s breaststroke duo of Nic Fink and Cody Miller both posted top 5 times. Fink brought it home a little bit faster to grab 4th seed in 57.10, while Miller earned 5th in 57.14.
WOMEN’S 100 BACK SEMIFINALS
- 2014 World Champion: Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 55.03
- World Record:Â 55.03- Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014
- Championship Record: 55.03- Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014
Top 8:
- Kylie Masse (CAN), 56.19
- Emily Seebohm (AUS), 56.44
- Georgia Davies (GBR), 56.69
- Ali DeLoof (USA), 56.70
- Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 56.74
- Mie Nielsen (DEN), 56.96
- Kathleen Dawson (GBR), 57.03
- Daryna Zevina (RUS), 57.07
Olympic bronze medalist Kylie Masse broke her own Canadian Record multiple times today. After dropping a 56.40 to set a new record in the 100 back prelims, she lowered it again with a 56.19 to take 1st place in the semifinals. That gave her the edge over Aussie Olympian Emily Seebohm (56.44) and Great Britain’s Georgia Davies (56.69).
Team USA’s Ali DeLoof was within 3 tenths of her quick prelims swim, taking the 4th seed for finals with a 56.70 tonight. She was followed by Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, who qualified for the final with a 56.74 in her 3rd swim of the night.
MEN’S 200 IM FINALS
- 2014 World Champion: Kosuke Hagino (JPN), 1:50.47
- World Record:Â 1:49.63- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2012
- Championship Record: 1:49.63- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2012
GOLD: Wang Shun (CHN), 1:51.74
SILVER: Philip Heintz (GER), 1:52.07
BRONZE: Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:52.89
China’s Wang Shun jumped out to the early lead in the men’s 200 IM, holding off a late charge from Germany’s Philip Heintz to take gold in 1:51.74. Heintz, who closed in 26.55, wound up with the silver in 1:52.07.
The battle for bronze was also extremely close, with Team USA’s Josh Prenot and Japan’s Daiya Seto swimming neck-and-neck into the finish. In the end, it was Seto who got his hand on the wall first, running down Prenot to win another day 1 bronze with his 1:52.89. Just 2 hundredths back was Prenot, 4th in 1:52.91.
WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY FINALS
- 2014 World Champion:Â 3:26.53- Netherlands
- World Record:Â 3:26.53- Netherlands, 2014
- Championship Record: 3:26.53- Netherlands, 2014
GOLD: USA (Weir, Worrell,Kennedy, Comerford), 3:28.82
SILVER: Italy (Ferraioli, Di Pietro, Pezzato, Pellegrini), 3:30.28
BRONZE: Netherlands (Van Der Meer, Steenbergen, De Waard, Kromowidjojo), 3:31.10
U.S. Olympian Kelsi Worrell blasted a 51.04 split on the 2nd leg to help Team USA win gold in the women’s 400 free relay. She teamed up with Amanda Weir (52.95), Madison Kennedy (52.84), and Mallory Comerford (51.99) in the team’s 3:28.82 victory.
The Netherlands also got a sub-52 split, as Ranomi Kromowidjojo (51.36) anchored for the team on the way to a 3:31.10 for bronze. Taking silver were the Italians, with Silvia Di Pietro (52.06) and Federica Pellegrini (52.19) turning in 52-low splits on the 2nd and 4th legs respectively. The Canadian team had initially gotten to the wall 2nd, but they were disqualified after a mistake in their relay order. It appears Penny Oleksiak was supposed to be swimming 3rd, but somehow ended up on the anchor leg.
MEN’S 400 FREE RELAY FINALS
- 2014 World Champion:Â 3:03.78- France
- World Record: 3:03.30- USA, 2009
- Championship Record: 3:03.78- France, 2014
GOLD: Russia (Lobintsev, Vekovishchev, Morozov, Popkov), 3:05.90
SILVER: France (Mignon, Stravius, Pothain, Metella), 3:07.35
BRONZE (tie): Australia (McCarthy, Smith, Morgan, D’Orsogna), 3:07.76
BRONZE (tie): USA (Chadwick, Shields, Powers, Pieroni), 3:07.76
Vlad Morozov had the fastest 400 free relay split of the field, posting a 45.76 on the 3rd leg to help push Russia to gold in 3:05.90. His teammate, Aleksandr Popkov, sealed the deal with his 46.18 anchor leg after splitting a quick 21.39 to the feet on the 1st 50. Jeremy Stravius had the fastest split of his team with a 46.21 on the 2nd leg to help France (3:07.35) win silver.
Team USA and Australia were locked in a battle for bronze, with Aussie Tommaso D’Orsogna and U.S. Olympian Blake Pieroni closing. D’Orsogna anchored in a blazing 45.87 split, but Pieroni’s 46.07 was just enough to hold on as the teams tied for bronze in 3:07.76.
Talking about Michael Andrew, he films videos and posts them on his youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWOVS5j1wq_uw3voU3u465g/videos
I’ve just remarked that Mr Andrew has finished his 200 IM prelims in 31.08. We know he’s used to dying in the last part of his races, especially above 100 meters or yards, but here that’s really painful to read. He’s in the race until 150m and then boom, power failure. I’ve never been a fan of his freestyle, his technique is not good, but it’s clearly a simple problem of endurance. I don’t know if it’s impossible to swim a race above 100 meters or yards with the kind of training he does, I’m not a specialist, but right now it’s clear he must either change his training or focus only on breaststroke in the future. I think the… Read more »
Considering that the next Olympics isn’t until 2020, I think it’s too early to limit him to one discipline. That’s another reason this meet is important to Team USA even though the biggest names aren’t competing. It gives competitors the necessary international exposure. Michael Andrew will use this as a learning experience and tailor his training to improve himself.
Clearly there is a tweak that needs to be made to his training, but I disagree about his conditioning being the main factor. I think the type of freestyle he uses is not meant to be used on the end of a 200 IM. If he had more of a loping, hybrid stroke rather than a shoulder-driven opposition stroke, I’d bet he would finish much stronger without any need for better conditioning. The way he does freestyle now works when the body is fresh, but not so much when it is tired after 150 meters of sprinting. The hybrid stroke tends to work a lot better under fatigue, hence Phelps, Lochte, Hagino, and pretty much any other great IMer using… Read more »
it’s especially weird to see a swimmer die in the end at a such young age. Fatigue should be the enemy of the seasoned swimmer, not the fresh one – unless of course he is a pure sprinter a là Ervin
He leads with the hand instead of the elbow in the freestyle recovery. This leads to fatigue.
I can’t find any race video on youtube so far.
Nobody posts the races or is it FINA police deleting everything? Usually only at olympic games we have TV rights problems. Never for world championships.
Bobo, i found this on Rai sport, dont know if you can see it. It’s the W 200 free final, but there are also other races on the same website.
http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raiSport/media/200-sl-F–Finale-bfeafa52-9a4e-4d58-ac67-c71b3ae8ed62.html
Did van den burg swim the 100 breast stroke?
Yes. He came in 9th unfortunately.
Not very important but I’d like to know once for all.
Is it Chad le Clos or Chad Le Clos?
And is it Allie Deloof or Allie DeLoof?
Ali DeLoof*
Canadian women’s team is gonna be crazy good in the years to come. They will be the main rivals of the US women’s team. Especially in the relays. Very close races in perspective between both North America nations.
I think it’s way early to consider them rivals because of the fact that they just lost to our B team.
Quick thoughts.
Men’s 400 free final. Disappointed by Pothain’s time. A good 5th place but in terms of times that’s disappointing. He has to work very hard to target a medal next summer. Right now it looks impossible.
Women’s 200 free final. Very happy to see Federica Pellegrini with the gold. Honestly I thought she had retired after Rio. 🙂 What a racer! Taylor Ruck third, not her last international medal. She’s gonna be crazy good in that event. I expected a better time from Mallory Comerford, under 1.53, but that was her first final at that level so a 5th place is not a shame at all. We’ll see later that she has been very good in the relay.… Read more »
Thanks Lauren for your great job. I couldn’t watch the races last night so it’s cool to have a clear and quick recap.
The thing I regret on the new version (for a few months now) of the comment part is, apart the useless downvotes/upvotes, that we don’t have the comments in a chronological order anymore when we arrive on the page. We first have to click on oldest and it’s boring. I really miss the previous version, of course without the useless down/upvotes, but especially with the comments in the good order without the need of clicking somewhere. It makes good sense to have the comments in a chronological order. I arrive on the page this morning. I read… Read more »