2017 World University Games: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

29TH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES (SUMMER UNIVERSIADE 2017)

• Sunday, August 20-Sunday, August 20, 2017
• 50-Meter Course
• Taipei, Taiwan
• National Taiwan Sport University Arena
• Meet Info
• Webcast schedule
• Results

After another exciting finals session took place last night (or this morning, depending on where you are), the fourth prelims session is set to get underway at the 2017 Summer Universiade (or World University Games) in Taipei, Taiwan.

Preliminary heats will be contested in the women’s 200 breast and 100 fly, the men’s 100 and 800 freestyle, and the women’s 4×200 free relay will wrap things up.

Women’s 200 Breast Prelims

• Meet Record: 2:22.32, Rie Kaneto (JPN), 2009
• Start list W200Breast

1. Kayla Brumbaum, USA, 2:27.79
2. Tatjana Schoenmaker, RSA, 2:28.40
3. Yang Jiwon, KOR, 2:28.43
4. Jessica Steiger, GER, 2:29.32
5. Mariia Temnikova, RUS, 2:29.34
6. Byanca Rodriguez, MEX, 2:29.42
7. Reona Aoki, JPN, 2:29.95
8. Sofia Andreeva, RUS, 2:30.41
9. Kelsey Wog, CAN, 2:30.45
10. Miranda Tucker, USA, 2:30.53
11. Kanako Watanabe, JPN, 2:30.87
12. Pamela Alencar, BRA, 2:31.67
13. Sarah Darcel, CAN, 2:31.94
14. Vilma Ekstroem, SWE, 2:32.66
15. Giulia Verona, ITA, 2:32.74
16. Emily Visagie, RSA, 2:32.89

American Kayla Brumbaum stormed in heat 3 to overtake German Jessica Steiger and post the top time of the morning in 2:27.79. Steiger ended up 4th overall with her 2:29.32 showing, and 2015 world champion Kanako Watanabe was out ahead of both at the 100 but faded coming home, taking 3rd in the heat and 11th overall in 2:30.87. Watanabe already won gold earlier in the competition in the 100 breast.

South African Tatjana Schoenmaker held off a hard charging Yang Jiwon of Korea in the last heat, posting the #2 time in 2:28.40 with Yang right behind in 2:28.43. 100 breast silver medalist Reona Aoki (2:29.95) and American Miranda Tucker (2:30.53) also qualified out of the heat.

Russian Maria Temnikova nearly even split her race in heat 2, moving up from 7th at the halfway mark to 1st at the finish in 2:29.34 for 5th overall. Canadians Kelsey Wog (2:30.45) and Sarah Darcel (2:31.94) followed and advance in 9th and 13th.

Men’s 100 Free Prelims

• Meet Record: 47.62, Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 2013
• Start list M100Free

1. Ryan Held, USA, 48.67
2. Serhii Shvetsov, UKR, 48.92
3. Pedro Spajari, BRA, 48.93
4. Kenneth To, HKG, 49.39
5. Gabriel Santos, BRA, 49.46
6. Katsuhiro Matsumoto, JPN, 49.47
7. Kacper Majchrzak, POL, 49.48
8. Katsumi Nakamura, JPN, 49.51
9. Maxime Rooney, USA, 49.55
10. Alessandro Miressi, ITA, 49.61
11. Long Gutierrez, MEX / Jack Thorpe, GBR, 49.79
12. –
13. Alexandre Derache, FRA, 49.89
14. Nikita Korolev, RUS, 49.93
15. Jordan Sloan, IRL, 50.02
16. Ivano Vendrame, ITA, 50.04

The first circle-seeded heat of the men’s 100 free saw American Ryan Held, who swam on the gold medal winning 400 free relay last summer in Rio, thrown down an impressive 48.67 for the top seed. Leading his heat by .01 at the 50, Held exploded on the way home to close in 24.99 and win the heat by over eight tenths.

Behind him, Poland’s Kacper Majchrzak, who has already been 48.6 here on the lead-off of the relay, touched in 49.48 and Held’s teammate Maxime Rooney was just behind in 49.55. Those swims stood up as the 7th and 9th best overall.

Katsumi Nakamura, the only Japanese man to ever crack 48 seconds, won the penultimate heat in 49.51 ahead of Italian Alessandro Miressi (49.61). They qualify 8th and 10th overall.

A quick final heat featured five of the six fastest qualifiers, led by Ukrainian Sergii Shevtsov who had the fastest opening 50 of anyone in the field at 23.14. Shevtsov went 48.92 for the 2nd seed ahead of Brazilian Pedro Spajari (48.93). Kenneth To, Gabriel Santos and Katsuhiro Matsumoto qualify 4th through 6th all in the 49.4 range.

Women’s 100 Fly Prelims

• Meet Record: 57.63, Katerine Savard (CAN), 2013
• Start list W100Fly

1. Elena Di Liddo, ITA, 58.67
2. Hellen Moffitt, USA, 58.93
3. Rachael Kelly, GBR, 59.06
4. Daiene Dias, BRA, 59.53
5. Yukina Hirayama, JPN, 59.55
6. Kinge Zandringa, NED, 59.67
7. Katie McLaughlin, USA, 59.80
8. Daynara de Paula, BRA, 59.95
9. Gemma Cooney, AUS, 1:00.06
10. Katerine Savard, CAN, 1:00.24
11. Park Jinyoung, KOR, 1:00.39
12. Claudia Tarzia, ITA, 1:00.40
13. Aliena Schmidtke, GER, 1:00.54
14. Szimonetta Galamb, HUN / Martina van Berkel, SUI, 1:00.70
15. –
16. Chan Kin Lok, HKG, 1:01.05

Elena Di Liddo of Italy threw down a time of 58.67 in the 7th and final heat of the women’s 100 fly to grab the top seed heading into the semi-finals. Di Liddo is coming off a strong performance in the 50 fly where she won silver, and has been as fast as 58.05 this season. Brazilians Daiene Dias and Daynara de Paula, Dutchwoman Kinge Zandringa and American Katie McLaughlin all cracked a minute behind Di Liddo in heat 7 and move on to the semis inside the top-8.

Hellen Moffitt of the U.S. and Rachael Kelly of Great Britain won the other two circle-seeded heats in times of 58.93 and 59.06, placing them 2nd and 3rd overall respectively. 50 fly bronze medalist Yukina Hirayama also cracked 1:00 in heat 6 to place 5th overall.

50 fly gold medalist Aliena Schmidtke finished back in 1:00.54, but still advances in 13th. 2013 champion and meet record holder Katerine Savard also moved on in 10th at 1:00.24.

Men’s 800 Free Prelims

• Meet Record: 7:47.24, Chad La Tourette (USA), 2009
• Start list M800Free

1. Mykhailo Romanchuk, UKR, 7:56.51
2. Gergely Gyurta, HUN, 7:57.88
3. Jay Lelliott, GBR, 7:57.95
4. Gregorio Paltrinieri, ITA, 7:57.98
5. Joris Bouchaut, FRA, 7:58.36
6. Grant Shoults, USA, 7:59.44
7. Sergii Frolov, UKR, 7:59.65
8. Shingo Nakaya, JPN, 7:59.83

Mykhailo Romanchuk and Gergely Gyurta battled it out in heat 3 of the men’s 800 free, with the Ukrainian gradually pulling ahead on the back half to take the win in 7:56.51. Romanchuk’s time stood up as the fastest overall, while Gyurta’s 7:57.88 was good for 2nd. The two of them are coming off silver and bronze medal performances in the 1500 last night, where Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri won the gold medal.

Paltrinieri was in action in heat 4, locked in a tight battle with Great Britian’s Jay Lelliott, France’s Joris Bouchaut and the Czech Republic’s Jan Micka. Lelliott managed to hold off the World Championship bronze medalist to win the heat in 7:57.95, with Paltrinieri three one-hundredths back in 7:57.98.

Bouchaut had trailed by a few seconds late but charged home in 27.3 to come in just behind them in 7:58.36 for 5th overall. American Grant Shoults negative split the race by a wide margin, out in 4:02.45 and back in 3:56.99 to nearly run down the entire heat after sitting 7th at the 400m mark. Coming in just behind Bouchaut in 7:59.44, he qualifies 6th overall for the final.

Sergii Frolov (7:59.65) and Shingo Nakaya (7:59.83) round out the finalists after having a close battle in heat 3, while Micka faded and ended up 9th in 8:01.57. American PJ Ransford (8:02.39) and Domenico Acerenza of Italy (8:07.52), who went 14:58 in the 1500 prelims on day 2, both missed the final in 11th and 15th respectively.

Women’s 4×200 Free Relay Prelims

• Meet Record: 7:53.88, United States, 2015
• Start list W800FR

1. United States, 8:02.04
2. Russia / Japan, 8:03.62
3. –
4. Canada, 8:04.37
5. Australia, 8:04.52
6. Great Britain, 8:04.64
7. Italy, 8:05.02
8. Brazil, 8:07.66

The American women will have lane 4 in the final of the women’s 800 free relay after posting the fastest time in the prelims at 8:02.04. All four of their legs were in the 2:00 range, with backstroke specialist Asia Seidt the fastest at 2:00.10 swimming third.

Trailing them in heat 2 was Japan, who tied with Russia for 2nd fastest overall in 8:03.62. They had a quick 1:59.64 anchor from Chihiro Igarashi.  In heat 1 Russia sat 4th halfway through before Valeriia Salamatina (2:00.15) and Anastasia Guzhenkova (2:00.38) brought them in for the win.

Canada (8:04.37) and Australia (8:04.52) were right behind Russia in heat 1, taking 4th and 5th overall with their top splits coming from Danica Ludlow (1:58.83) and Gemma Cooney (1:59.85).

Great Britain qualifies 6th overall with a 1:59.42 leg from Camilla Hattersley, and the Italians and Brazilians round out the finalists. Poland was disqualified.