2019 World University Games: Meet Backstroke Records Fall in Day 3 Prelims

2019 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES/SUMMER UNIVERSIADE – SWIMMING

• July 4th-9th, 2019
• Napoli, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• Live Stream: Olympic Channel (in US), Rai Sport (in Italy)
• Entry Lists & Live Results

Note: Due to time zone differences, prelims for this meet are in the middle of the night for most of the SwimSwam staff, and our European-based staff is occupied with the European Junior Championships. We’ll recap the preliminary sessions once our writers are up in the morning, so keep an eye out for something around 7am EDT. In the meantime, readers who are awake can feel free to leave comments about the action. Just keep in mind that some comments may get stuck in moderation throughout the night.

There will be six events contested on the third morning of the 2019 World University Games. Races on the men’s side will include the 200 fly, 200 breast, and 50 back, while the women will have the 200 IM, 100 back, and 1500 free.

Men’s 200 Butterfly – Prelims

• World Record – 1:51.51, Michael Phelps (USA), 2009
• Meet Record – 1:53.90, Nao Horomura (JPN), 2017

Top 16

1. Aleksandr Kudashev (RUS), 1:57.30
2. Jack Saunderson (USA), 1:57.81
3. Trenton Julian (USA), 1:57.93
4. Michal Poprawa (POL), 1:58.13
5. Takumi Terada (JPN), 1:58.22
6. Bowen Gough (AU), 1:58.28
7. Giacomo Carini (ITA) / Christian Ferraro (ITA), 1:58.48
8. (tie)
9. Ondrej Gemov (CZE), 1:58.53
10. Nao Horomura (JPN), 1:58.64
11. Charles Cox (AUS) / Fynn Minuth (GER), 1:58.81
12. (tie)
13. Kim Gunwoo (KOR), 1:59.05
14. Vladimir Kudriashov (RUS), 1:59.20
15. Montana Champagne (CAN), 1:59.36
16. Iago Moussalem (BRA), 1:59.56

Russian Aleksandr Kudashev won the final heat with a 1:57.30 to take the top seed heading into tonight’s semi-finals. The next three-fastest qualifiers all came from the 3rd heat, where the USA Jack Saunderson (1:57.81) narrowly finished ahead of teammate Trenton Julian (1:57.93) and Poland’s Michal Poprawa (1:58.13).

Defending champion and meet record holder Nao Horomura of Japan qualified 10th with a 1:58.64.

Women’s 200 IM – Prelims

• World Record – 2:06.13, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015
• Meet Record – 2:10.03, Yui Ohashi (JPN), 2017

Top 16:

1. Alicia Wilson (GBR), 2:12.69
2. Ella Eastin (USA), 2:12.85
3. Abbie Wood (GBR), 2:13.59
4. Evie Pfeifer (USA), 2:13.89
5. Runa Imai (JPN), 2:14.66
6. Catalina Corro Lorente (BRA), 2:14.86
7. Ilaria Cusinato (ITA), 2:14.96
8. Cyrielle Duhamel (FRA), 2:15.45
9. Reka Gyorgy (HUN), 2:15.64
10. Calypso McDonnell (AUS), 2:15.65
11. Kristyna Horska (CZE), 2:15.69
12. Kathrin Demler (GER), 2:15.93
13. Sara Franches77hi (ITA), 2:16.06
14. Hillary Metcalfe (CAN), 2:16.15
15. Dalma Sebestyen (HUN), 2:17.44
16. Sophie Caldwell (AUS), 2:17.68

Great Britain’s Alicia Wilson put together four strong legs to win the 3rd heat, and with a 2:12.69 that stood up as the fastest time of the morning.

Top-seeded Ella Eastin (USA) won the final heat by over seven-tenths of a second, putting up a 2:12.85 to take the 2nd seed. Eastin was the only woman in the field to split under 33 on the backstroke leg. Great Britain’s Abbie Wood (2:13.59) and the USA’s Evie Pfeifer (2:13.89) were the next two finishers in that heat, as well last the next two overall qualifiers.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Prelims

• World Record – 2:06.67, Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2017
• Meet Record – 2:08.37, Andrew Wilson (USA), 2017

Top 16

1. Kirill Prigoda (RUS), 2:09.99
2. Daniel Roy (USA), 2:10.28
3. Ilia Khomenko (RUS), 2:11.14
4. Jonathan Tybur (USA), 2:12.25
5. Andrius Sidlauskas (LTU), 2:12.53
6. Jacques Lauffer (SUI), 2:12.70
7. Craig Benson (GBR) / Mate Kutasi (HUN), 2:12.91
8. (tie)
9. Mauro Castillo Luna (MEX), 2:13.26
10. Christopher Rothbauer (AUT), 2:13.31
11. Adam Paulsson (SWE), 2:13.71
12. Alex Castejon Ramirez (ESP), 2:13.73
13. Eli Wall (CAN), 2:14.15
14. Liu Yunsong (CHN), 2:14.66
15. Chao Man Hou (MAC), 2:15.09
16. Joan Ballester Puig (ESP), 2:15.12

Last night’s silver medalist in the 100 breast, Kirill Prigoda of Russia, was the only man under 2:10 this morning, with a 2:09.99 effort out of lane 4 in the final heat. Swimming next him was the USA’s Daniel Roy, whose 2:10.28 was the better part of a second ahead of anyone else in the field besides Prigoda.

Russia and the USA’s other swimmer took the next two spots, with Ilia Khomenko going 2:11.14 to win the penultimate heat, and Jonathan Tybur putting up a 2:12.25 in the same heat as Prigoda and Roy.

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Prelims

• World Record – 58.00, Kathleen Baker (USA), 2018
• Meet Record – 59.83. Anastasia Zueva (RUS), 2013

Top 16

1. Katharine Berkoff (USA), 59.57
2. Elise Haan (USA), 1:00.51
3. Kennedy Goss (CAN) / Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 1:00.96
4. (tie)
5. Marina Fuubayashi (JPN), 1:01.04
6. Tessa Vermeulen (NED), 1:01.25
7. Silvia Scalia (ITA) / Toto Wong (HKG), 1:01.29
8. (tie)
9. Nadine Laemmler (GER), 1:01.44
10. Agata Naskret (POL), 1:02.00
11. Nathania Van Niekerk (RSA), 1:02.27
12. Chloe Golding (GBR), 1:02.39
13. Letizia Paruscio (ITA), 1:02.44
14. Ksenia Vasilenok (RUS), 1:02.46
15. Tereza Grusova (CZE), 1:02.48
16. Anastasia Osipenko (RUS), 1:02.74

The USA’s Katharine Berkoff wasted no time getting after it, shaving 0.02s off her lifetime best to not only take the top seed of the morning, but also to topple the six-year-old meet record of 59.83.

After a bit of a rough morning yesterday, the Americans have yet to finish lower than 4th in any event in today’s preliminaries. Elise Haan, who will be Berkoff’s teammate at NC State next year, qualified 2nd with a 1:01.51.

Canadian teammates Kennedy Goss and Ingrid Wilm tied for the 3rd-fastest times of the morning, both touching in 1:00.96. Japan’s Marina Furubayashi was right behind Wilm in the 4th heat, qualifying 5th with a 1:01.04.

Men’s 50 Backstroke – Prelims

• World Record – 24.00, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2018
• Meet Record – 24.63, Junya Koga (JPN), 2009

Top 16

1. Zane Waddell (RSA), 24.54
2. Justin Ress (USA), 24.57
3. Grigory Tarasevich (RUS), 24.91
4. Gabriel Fantoni (BRA), 25.00
5. Bohdan Kasian (UKR), 25.09
6. Mark Nikolaev (RUS), 25.20
7. William Yang (AUS), 25.21
8. Viktar Staselovich (BLR), 25.27
9. Niccolò Bonacchi (ITA), 25.29
10. Bence Szentes (HUN), 25.31
11. Kohei Hosokawa (JPN), 25.43
12. Stanisias Huille (FRA), 25.54
13. Yohann N’Doye-Brouard (FRA), 25.55
14. Maksim Krepski (BLR), 25.56
15. Bryce Mefford (USA), 25.58
16. Gustav Hokfelt (SWE) / Won Youngjun (KOR), 25.61

The meet record went down for the 2nd-straight event, with two men under the previous mark this morning. South Africa’s Zane Waddell put up a 24.54 in the 7th heat, beating Junya Koga’s 24.63 from back in 2009. American Justin Ress put up a 24.57 in the very next heat, also finishing under Koga’s previous mark. Look for the record to go down once again either in tonight’s semi-finals or tomorrow’s final.

Unsurprisingly, this event is shaping up to look very similar to yesterday’s 100 back final. All eight men in that final swam this morning, with only Brazil’s Guilherme Basseto failing to advance to the semis after finishing 18th, only 0.03s behind the two men who tied for 16th.

Women’s 1500 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record – 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA), 2018
• Meet Record – 15:57.90, Simona Quadarella (ITA), 2017

Top 8

1. Waka Kobori (JPN), 16:24.85
2. Moesha Johnson (AUS), 16:26.77
3. Molly Kowal (USA), 16:36.34
4. Alisia Tettamanzi (ITA), 16:36.58
5. Paulina Piechota (POL), 16:37.95
6. Chinatsu Sato (JPN), 16:39.95
7. Sophie Caldwell (AUS), 16:40.89
8. Megan Byrnes (USA), 16:42.72

The top three seeds of this morning all came from the 2nd of the two heats, with Japan’s Waka Kobori leading the way with a 16:24.85. Australia’s Moesha Johnson finished close behind Kobori with a 16:26.77 after leading for over half the race. The USA’s Molly Kowal qualified 3rd with a 16:36.34.

Australia and the United States will each have two representatives in tomorrow’s final, with Sophie Caldwell (16:40.89) and Megan Byrnes (16:42.72) joining Johnson and Kowal, respectively.

Italy’s Alisia Tettamanzi passed Poland’s Paulina Piechota in the final few hundred meters to win the first heat 16:36.58 to 16:37.95; those two, as well as Japan’s Chinatsu Sato (16:39.95) round out the top eight finishers.