FINA CHAMPIONS SWIM SERIES 2019 #3 – INDIANAPOLIS
- May 31 – June 1, 2019
- Indianapolis, IN
- LCM (50m)
- 7pm ET
- FINA Champions Series Info
- Entry List
- Live Stream (NBC Sports)
- Live Stream (FINA TV)
- Live Results (Omega)
The third and final stop of the inaugural FINA Champions Series will come to the U.S. in Indianapolis at the IUPUI Natatorium. Here are five big storylines to watch at the meet, which kicks off on Friday and runs again on Saturday this weekend.
#1 YULIA EFIMOVA AND LILLY KING SQUARE UP IN KING’S COURT
One of the most exciting rivalries in the sport will come to life again in Indianapolis, about an hour’s drive north of Lilly King‘s training home and alma mater, Indiana University. The Indiana-born breaststroker has evolved into the best sprint breaststroker the world has ever seen, made official at the 2017 World Championships where she set world records in both the 50m and 100m breast. After the finger-wagging between her and Russian Yulia Efimova at the 2016 Olympics, the two seemed to settle their heated rivalry to just a normal ol’ rivalry with an embrace following King’s win in the 50 breast.
They haven’t actually raced since the 2017 World Championships, though they’ve had a ‘virtual’ battle in 2018 to jostle for world rankings. The virtual duel has continued into 2019: after Efimova put up world #1 times in all three breast events at the Budapest stop of this series in early May, King fired back a week later at the Bloomington Pro Swim Series stop to claim world #1 times in the 50 and 100 breast for herself.
King has a two-tenth edge in the 50 (30.03 to 30.26) and three-tenth edge in the 100 (1:05.68 to 1:05.99), while Efimova is squarely in 2nd in the world in the 200 (2:22.52) behind only Annie Lazor‘s monumental 200 breast in Bloomington. King and Efimova are entered in all three breaststroke races, with Bethany Galat in the 50 and 200, Micah Sumrall in the 100 and 200, and Molly Hannis in the 100. Lazor isn’t racing this meet.
#2 KYLIE MASSE ENTERS THE FRAY
Backstroker big names Katinka Hosszu of Hungary and Emily Seebohm of Australia along with rising star Margherita Panziera of Italy have raced a ton over the last two stops, and while Seebohm won’t be making the trip to Indy, Canada’s Kylie Masse will add serious competition to the backstrokes.
Slightly more of a sprinter, Masse is still very capable in the 200 back, which should make for good match-ups at all three distances. Masse did not mess around at Canadian Trials in April, setting a national record in the 200 back (2:05.94) and coming up just short of the 100 back record (58.16). She leads the world in the 100 this year and is just behind Panziera in the 200 back.
#3 AMERICAN BACKSTROKE MEN CONVERGE
Ryan Murphy has had American backstroke on his shoulders since he won backstroke double gold at the 2016 Olympics, while Matt Grevers is the oldest swimmer at the forefront of backstroke on the American side. The young (though recently turned 20) Michael Andrew has surfaced as one of the quickest 50 backstrokers in American history, while the same is true for Jacob Pebley in the 200.
Murphy will be contesting all three back events in Indy, Grevers will race the 100 and 200 back, while Andrew will stick with the 50 and Pebley the 200. Andrew is #4 in the world this year in the 50, while Grevers is #4 in the 100 with Murphy right behind him at #5.
#4 MID-DISTANCE MEN MEET TOWNLEY HAAS
Townley Haas has swum just two long course meets in 2019– the Longhorn Invite in January, where he went 1:48.72 in the 200 free, and an LCM season kick-off meet in late April, where he was 23.02 in the 50 free and 1:50.46 in the 200. He’s done with college swimming now, and he’s racing the 100, 200, and 400 free in Indy.
Haas isn’t known to be incredibly fast in-season, though, and he has a tough field to race: Italian star Gabriele Detti and rising Lithuanian talent Danas Rapsys in the 200 and 400, Mykhailo Romanchuk of Ukraine in the 400, Belgian Pieter Timmers in the 200 and 100, and Russian Vladimir Morozov and Brazilian Bruno Fratus in the 100.
#5 THE RICH GET RICHER
Sarah Sjöström of Sweden will look to line her pockets even more, with $104,000 earned already from the first two stops at this series. She has five individual races in Indy (50/100/200 free, 50/100 fly), guaranteeing her $5,000 each if she were to get last in all of those events (nearly impossible if she’s healthy), with the potential to win them all (she’s only lost one individual race this series).
Worst case, she nets $25,000, best case, she adds $50,000 from individual swims. Add in the potential for being on the two relays, and she could earn an extra $8,000 if her relays both win. The most common sector for working women in Sweden is healthcare, where the average woman earns 24,176 kr per month, or roughly $30,000 per year. Sjöström will likely surpass that annual salary average with less than five minutes of swimming in Indy.
Katinka Hosszu is the second-highest earner this trip with $87,000, while the highest male earner has been Michael Andrew at $60,000. Hosszu is entered in five individuals and Andrew six.
Efimova and king on the same mixed relay … this is great
Alright
What’s Seebohm doing there ? Not planning to swim worlds trials ?
Seebohm’s on the world trials start list. She’d be here for the hit out and money
She’s not there, as it says above
“Best sprint breastroker the world has ever seen”.
Adam Peaty says hi.
on the women’s side …….maybe you could put that sentence in the right context ?
No, because that would suggest if you’re writing about women’s swimming, that sentence could only ever mean “best female sprint breastroker the world has ever seen”.
That shouldn’t be the case, it should be accepted that the greatest ever can be a man or a woman, and there are examples of women who are the outright greatest, such as Egerszegi in backstroke or Ledecky (only challenger is another woman, Evans) in distance.
than Maybe u can forgive the author for having missed the right context in his writing ?
Women 400free can be of some interest. Katinka Hosszu is back to compete in event where she has never been even close to the podium. She will swim against three American swimmers headed by Leah Smith. It can be the race of ambitions. Hosszu and Smith had both 4:05 this season and the rest of the field is not far away. Swimming 400free with such intensity put “iron” Hosszu into big trouble at first stop. Now the schedule is different and 400 is at the end of first day. But still there will be no easy races for her at this stop. Will she take easy at this event now just getting a free money from generous FINA?
At least Hosszu has won a bunch of individual races. Take a peak at Andrew with the most prize money of the men and not a single individual race win to his name (and only 1 2nd!).
Two of a kind. Both of them are suing FINA and, what a surprise, both of them were cordially invited by FINA to choose any events they want, as many they wish at this “Champions Series” regardless their rankings. These doubles, triples or even quadruple definitely don’t help showing the best performance but are very helpful to the bank account. What are they suing FINA for? Losing opportunity to earn money in this unauthorized cancelled meet last December? Here we are – get your damn money and keep quiet.
I don’t know as much about the others but Hosszu won’t be quiet if something goes wrong.
I don’t want to hurt your patriotic feelings, I really don’t, but please be more objective. Hosszu was perfectly ok with the original World Cup format when FINA used her to promote this tournament allowing her to earn a great deal of money practically without competition and awarding her for that with the best swimmer of the year title year by year despite the presence of really great leaders in women’s swimming. When FINA finally realised the stupidity of such business plan and made right changes in the direction to award the quality of races and making the money distribution fairer that decreased Hosszu’s easy earnings. Then Hosszu with her husband became immediately very vocal with their infamous letter blaming… Read more »
Their suit also got FINA to allow the ISL to happen, which is no small thing.
Absolutely. They are for the Great Cause. Otherwise there would be no punitive damages. The real damages for not swimming one meet are laughable: no lawyer can be retained.
She’ll swim three times against Hali. It can be interesting.
*guys that saw Efimovas second most recent insta post*: OMG I HOPE SHE BEATS KING
only in your dreams ….Go Lilly
Needed grapes not pineapples
Yulia FTW!
only in your dreams …..Lilly will put on a show here
Not at all , by putting the fire into the pool area ….she is certainly not the rude arrogant swimmer u pretend she is ( from Cody’s vlogs , it appeared rather the contrary )
Ohhh great men’s 200 free