2021 FINA WORLD CUP – BERLIN

• October 1-3, 2021
• Europasportpark Pool (SSE), Berlin, Germany
• Short course meters (25m)
• 2021 FINA World Cup Schedule
• SwimSwam Preview
• Entries/Results

WOMEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL

WR 3:53.92 TITMUS Ariarne AUS 14 DEC 2018 Hangzhou (CHN)
WC 3:53.97 WANG Jianjiahe CHN 4 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)
WJ 3:53.97 WANG Jianjiahe CHN 4 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)

GOLD – Isabel Gose (GER), 4:00.33
SILVER – Cavan Gormsen (USA), 4:01.77
BRONZE – Erin Gemmell (USA), 4:05.61

The USA went 2-3 in this women’s 400m free, but winner Isabel Gose was too much to handle tonight in Berlin.

The home country swimmer led from the beginning, ultimately getting to the wall in a time of 4:00.33. That time ranks as the 19-year-old’s 3rd fastest time ever, sitting behind her PB of 3:58.91 and other outing of 3:59.94, both from 2019.

Gose was the 2019 European Junior Champion in this 4free event and also took silver in the event at that year’s Senior European Short Course Championships.

For Cavan Gormsen, the 16-year-old kicked off her World cup campaign by snagging silver in 4:01.77 while fellow stars n’ stripes teammate Erin Gemmell rounded out the top 3 in 4:05.61.

MEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL

WR 3:32.25 AGNEL Yannick FRA 15 NOV 2012 Angers (FRA)
WC 3:32.77 BIEDERMANN Paul GER 14 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WJ 3:38.00 NEILL Thomas AUS 27 SEP 2020 Brisbane (AUS)

GOLD – Danas Rapsys (LTU), 3:38.19
SILVER – Matt Sates (RSA), 3:40.28
BRONZE – Luc Kroon (NED), 3:40.50

As with the women’s race, this men’s 400m free was led by one athlete the entire time, Danas Rapsys of Lithuania.

After coasting in this morning’s heats, capturing the 6th seed in prelim time of 3:44.89, the 26-year-old turned it on when it counted to produce the only sub-3:40 time of the field this evening.

The time is on the mediocre side for the Lithuanian, as he’s been as fast as 3:33.20 from when Rapsys became the 2019 European Short Course Champion.

Behind him was 18-year-old Matt Sates of South Africa who touched in 3:40.28 to hold off Dutchman Luc Kroon who touched just .22 later in 3:40.50.

As for Sates, the future University of Georgia Bulldog’s time overtook his previous PB of 3:41.03, a mark he logged at the South African Short Course Championships earlier his month. There in Pietermaritzburg Sates took home an incredible 10 individual titles.

WOMEN’S 50 BACK – FINAL

WR 25.60 TOUSSAINT Kira NED 14 NOV 2020 Budapest (HUN)
WC 25.82 ZHAO Jing CHN 10 NOV 2009 Stockholm (SWE)
WJ 26.13 SMOLIGA Olivia USA 16 DEC 2012 (TUR)

GOLD – Kira Toussaint (NED), 25.81 *World Cup Record
SILVER – Maggie MacNeil (CAN), 25.84
BRONZE – Kylie Masse (CAN), 25.96

We were treated to the first World Cup Record of the 2021 season, courtesy of Dutch dynamo Kira Toussaint. The 27-year-old narrowly got to the wall first, raking in a time of 25.81 to slice .01 off of Zhao Jing’s World Cup record of 25.82. That time had been on the books since 2009, the supersuit era.

Toussaint is the reigning World Record holder in this event, owning the fastest mark in history of 25.60.

However, runner-up this evening, Maggie MacNeil put up a mighty fight, registering a wicked-quick 25.84. That checks in as a new Canadian national record, overtaking Kylie Masse result of 25.97 put up just last week during an ISL match. MacNeil is becoming a versatile weapon, following up her 100m fly gold medal at this summer’s Olympic Games.

Masse was indeed in tonight’s race, hitting a time of 25.96, also under her own previous national record, while Sweden’s Louise Hansson posted 26.07 for 4th place. That’s a huge drop for Hansson, formerly of the USC Trojans, with her time hacking just under half a second off of her PB of 26.50 from just this morning. Both swims dipped under the previous Swedish national record held by iconic Olympian Therese Alshammar.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

WR 1:45.63 LARKIN Mitchell AUS 27 NOV 2015 Sydney (AUS)
WC 1:46.11 VYATCHANIN Arkady SRB 15 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WJ 1:48.02 KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS 13 DEC 2017 Copenhagen (DEN)

GOLD – Christian Diener (GER), 1:51.19
SILVER – Yakov Toumarkin (ISR), 1:52.19
BRONZE – Martin Binedell (RSA), 1:52.86

Nothing outrageous happened in this men’s 200m backstroke, with host nation swimmer Christian Diener taking the top spot in a time of 1:51.19. That beat out runner-up Yakov Touamrkin of Israel by exactly one second, while South African Martin Binedell also landed on the podium in 1:52.86.

The top two finishers have each been under 1:50 in their careers, while 26-year-old Binedell first hit a new PB of 1:53.55 in the heats before dropping it down even further to sub-1:53 tonight. His time of 1:52.86 that garnered bronze keeps him as South Africa’s 4th fastest performer all-time.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

WR 1:59.61 BELMONTE Mireia ESP 3 DEC 2014 Doha (QAT)
WC 2:00.78 LIU Zige CHN 15 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WJ 2:02.96 HASEGAWA Suzuka JPN 14 JAN 2017 Tokyo (JPN)

GOLD – Tess Howley (USA), 2:06.09
SILVER – Charlotte Hook (USA), 2:06.15
BRONZE – Katja Fain (SLO), 2:07.04

A pair of U.S. teenagers broke through in a big way in this women’s 200m fly tonight. Tess Howley (16) and Charlotte Hook (17) went 1-2 in the race, with the former hitting 2:06.09 to the latter’s 2:06.15. The pair were the only ones in the 2:06 zone, as Slovenia’s Katja Fain was next in line in 2:07.04, a new national record.

Neither Howley nor Hook have SCM 200 fly performances listed in the USA Swimming Database, so these times will serve as a baseline as the teens progress through the World Cup Series.

MEN’S 100 FLY – FINAL

WR 47.78 DRESSEL Caeleb USA 21 NOV 2020 Budapest (HUN)
WC 48.48 KOROTYSHKIN Evgeny RUS 15 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WJ 49.53 LI Zhuhao CHN 19 NOV 2017 Singapore (SGP)

GOLD – Tom Shields (USA), 48.67
SILVER – Chad Le Clos (RSA), 49.03
BRONZE – Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 50.08

American Tom Shields threw down a monster time in the men’s 200m fly, nearly hitting his own lifetime best. Registering a time of 48.67, Shields grabbed the gold ahead of South African Chad Le Clos‘ 49.03, with both men representing the only swimmers under 50.

30-year-old Shields owns a career-best of 48.47 from the ISL season 1 final, a time which renders him as the 3rd fastest performer all-time behind fellow American Caeleb Dressel (47.78) and Le Clos (48.08).

Of note, Aussie Kyle Chalmers was originally entered in this event but did not swim in this morning’s prelims.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – FINAL

WR 2:14.57 SONI Rebecca USA 18 DEC 2009 Manchester (GBR)
WC 2:15.42 JONES Leisel AUS 15 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WJ 2:17.57 CHIKUNOVA Evgenia RUS 23 SEP 2021 Napoli (ITA)

GOLD – Kristyna Horska (CZE), 2:21.07
SILVER – Eneli Jefimova (EST), 2:22.20
BRONZE – Nele Schulze (BGER), 2:24.69

Czech swimmer Kristyna Horska topped this women’s 200m breast podium, producing a tie of 2:21.07 for the victory. That held off 14-year-old Eneli Jefimova who once again lowered her Estonian national record to 2:22.20. This morning she was 2:22.99 to lead the field in a new national mark.

American Olympic gold medalist from this summer in the 100m breast, Lydia Jacoby, finished in 5th place in a time of 2:24.99.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – FINAL

WR 55.34 SHYMANOVICH Ilya BEL 19 DEC 2020 Brest (BLR)
WC 55.61 van der BURGH Cameron RSA 15 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WJ 57.27 MARTINENGHI Nicolo ITA 16 DEC 2017 Copenhagen (DEN)

GOLD – Arno Kamminga (NED), 56.72
SILVER – Fabian Schwingenschloegl, 56.83
BRONZE – Lucas Matzerath (GER), 57.97

It was European Short Course champion Arno Kamminga for the win, albeit by just .11 tonight over Germany’s Fabian Schwingenschlogl.

Kamminga, who took silver in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events in Tokyo, opened in 26.63 and closed in 30.09 to earn the gold. Schwingenschlogl was slower on the front end but nabbed the only sub-30 split on the back half to nearly catch the Dutchman with a time of 56.83.

Another German in Lucas Matzerath got it done for bronze in 57.97, a new personal best by over a second.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

WR 22.93 KROMOWIDJOJO Ranomi NED 7 AUG 2017 Berlin (GER)
WC 22.93 KROMOWIDJOJO Ranomi NED 7 AUG 2017 Berlin (GER)
WJ 23.69 SHKURDAI Anastasiya BLR 18 DEC 2020 Brest (BLR)

GOLD – Emma McKeon (AUS), 23.56
SILVER – Michelle Coleman (SWE), 23.88
BRONZE – Madi Wilson (AUS), 24.04

Aussie golden girl Emma McKeon put up a best time in this women’s 50m free to follow up her explosive Tokyo campaign.

27-year-old McKeon fired off a time of 23.56 to beat the field, overtaking her own previous career-best of 23.70 from 2019. She is racing here during the ISL interlude where her London Roar squad is set to battle in the playoffs next month.

Runner-up status went to Michelle Coleman of Sweden who also went sub-24 in 23.88 while Madi Wilson, also of Australia, was in the mix at 24.04.

Wilson remarkably is back to racing after having been hospitalized with COVID-19 during her last ISL match despite having been vaccinated.

MEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

WR 20.16 DRESSEL Caeleb USA 21 NOV 2020 Budapest (HUN)
WC 20.48 MOROZOV Vladimir RUS 15 NOV 2018 Singapore (SGP)
WJ 20.98 SIMONS Kenzo NED 22 DEC 2019 Tilburg (NED)

GOLD – Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 21.01
SILVER – Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 21.09
BRONZE – Jesse Puts (NED), 21.15

23-year-old Kyle Chalmers sneaked into the all ahead of Hungarian Szabo, fresh off Szabo’s 100m fly. Chalmers of Australia nailed a time of 21.01 to Szabo’s 21.09, while the 2016 FINA Short Course World Champion Jesse Puts of the Netherlands hit 21.15 for bronze alongside Russia’s Vlad Morozov.

Chalmers owns the Oceanic Record at 20.74 from the ISL season 1 finale, so he was within .27 from that mark tonight.

WOMEN’S 100 IM – FINAL

WR 56.51 HOSSZU Katinka HUN 7 AUG 2017 Berlin (GER)
WC 56.51 HOSSZU Katinka HUN 7 AUG 2017 Berlin (GER)
WJ 57.59 SHKURDAI Anastasiya BLR 22 NOV 2020 Budapest (HUN)

GOLD – Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR), 57.90
SILVER – Louise Hansson (SWE), 58.33
BRONZE – Leah Hayes (USA), 1:00.04

Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko tied her own national record in this women’s 100m IM, producing a winning effort of 57.90. That was able to hold off Sweden’s Louise Hansson, fresh off her 50m backstroke national record.

America’s Leah Hayes held her own for bronze, with the 16-year-old logging 1:00.04 ahead of Canada’s MacNeil.

MEN’S 100 IM – FINAL

WR 49.28 DRESSEL Caeleb USA 22 NOV 2020 Budapest (HUN)
WC 50.26 MOROZOV Vladimir RUS 28 SEP 2018 Eindhoven (NED)
=WC 50.26 MOROZOV Vladimir RUS 9 NOV 2018 Tokyo (JPN)
WJ 50.63 KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS 14 DEC 2018 Hangzhou (CHN)

GOLD – Matt Sates (RSA), 51.78
SILVER –Yakov Toumarkin (ISR) 52.28
BRONZE – Blake Pieroni (USA), 53.53

The future Georgia Bulldog that is Matt Sates earned his 2nd medal of the evening, this time it was gold. The 18-year-old South African blasted a new lifetime best in this 100m IM, with his 51.78 surpassing the 52.87 he earned at the 2020 South African Short Course Championships.

Sates now becomes South Africa’s 3rd fastest performer ever in this SCM 100 IM event, hopping some impressive talent to the tune of Le Clos, Roland Schoeman and Darian Townsend in the process.