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
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Entries/Results

MEN’S 400 IM – FASTEST HEAT

WR 3:54.81 SETO Daiya JPN 20 DEC 2019 Las Vegas (USA)
WC 3:57.25 SETO Daiya JPN 30 SEP 2018 Eindhoven (NED)
WJ 3:59.15 SETO Daiya JPN 13 DEC 2012 (TUR)

GOLD – Matt Sates (RSA) – 4:01.95
SILVER – Hubert Kos (HUN) – 4:09.49
BRONZE – Marius Toscan (SUI) – 4:14.86

Matt Sates showed up once again in the men’s 400 IM final to take gold with a 4:01.95, marking a huge improvement upon his former PB. Sates swam a 4:07.93 just last month at South African Nationals and have now gone 6 seconds faster.

This swim for Sates comes just one day after his dominant 200 IM swim in which he set a new world junior record of 1:51.45. He took that record from Daiya Seto who also holds the WJR in the 400 IM at a 3:59.15. Sates was also close to breaking the South African record in the event of 3:59.23 which Chad le Clos set at the Japan World Cup in 2013.

Hubert Kos was with Sates at the 50m checkpoint but began to fade and wound up trailing Sates by roughly 8 seconds, touching with a 4:09.49 for the silver medal. Rounding out the podium was Swiss swimmer Marius Toscan with a 4:13.29.

Top 8:

WOMEN’S 800 FREE – FASTEST HEAT

WR 7:59.34 BELMONTE Mireia ESP 10 AUG 2013 Berlin (GER)
WC 7:59.34 BELMONTE GARCIA Mireia ESP 10 AUG 2013 Berlin (GER)
WJ 7:59.44 WANG Jianjiahe CHN 6 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)

GOLD – Cavan Gormsen (USA) – 8:22.16
SILVER – Paige Kuwata (USA) – 8:27.43
BRONZE – Imani de Jong (NED) – 8:28.98

Cavan Gormsen opened up her race with a 4:09.37 400 split and managed to hold the lead until the end despite efforts by teammate Paige Kuwata and Imani de Jong of the Netherlands to surpass her. Gormsen would up touching with an 8:22.16 for the gold medal.

While Gormsen doesn’t have any prior SCM 800 freestyles on record, Gormsen was well under her long course best in the event of 8:36.49 from August 2021. Gormsen was a little slower than Kate Ziegler’s unofficial American junior record in the event of 8:12.19 from back in 2012.

Paige Kuwata hit an 8:27.43 for second place, while Imani de Jong established an 8:28.90 for the bronze medal.

Top 8:

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – FINAL

WR 54.61 SJOSTROM Sarah SWE 7 DEC 2014 Doha (QAT)
WC 54.84 DAHLIA Kelsi USA 6 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)
WJ 55.64 SHKURDAI Anastasiya BLR 1 NOV 2020 Budapest (HUN)

GOLD – Maggie MacNeil (CAN) – 55.30
SILVER – Louise Hansson (SWE) – 55.49
BRONZE – Maria Ugolkova (57.00) – 57.00

Louise Hansson actually split under world record pace in this event, hitting a 25.92, compared to the 25.96 that Sarah Sjostrom used to open up her 54.61 WR swim back in 2014. Hansson didn’t quite hold pace, however, and Maggie MacNeil threw down a 29.33 back half to overtake the lead. MacNeil notched a 55.30 which marks a new Canadian record in the event by nearly a second, improving upon Katerine Savard’s 2016 swim of 56.15.

This marks MacNeil’s third Canadian record of the meet, adding to her 50 back and 50 fly marks from earlier in the meet. MacNeil fittingly picked up her first gold medal of the meet in the 100 fly, the event for which she has won Olympic and World Championships gold.

Hansson followed MacNeil as she touched 0.19 seconds later in a 55.49, while Switzerland’s Maria Ugolkova claimed bronze in a 57.00.

Top 8:

MEN’S 50 FLY – FINAL

WR 21.75 SANTOS Nicholas BRA 6 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)
WC 21.75 SANTOS Nicholas BRA 6 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)
WJ 22.34 MINAKOV Andrei RUS 18 DEC 2020 Saint Petersburg (RUS)

GOLD – Tom Shields (USA) – 22.09
SILVER – Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) – 22.19
BRONZE – Chad le Clos (RSA) – 22.48

Tom Shields displayed his power in the men’s 50 butterfly final by throwing down a 22.09 lifetime best, getting down from the 22.32 that he first back in October 2020 and has match twice, including just a few weeks ago. Shields got within 0.05 seconds of Caeleb Dressel’s American record in the event from 2020.

Shields sat in the #6 spot in the ISL regular season rankings but this swim would put him in the #2 spot overall behind world record holder Nicholas Santos’ 21.83.

Szabo had the top time of the prelims but wound up taking second with a 22.19 which is a little bit slower than his own Hungarian record of 21.86 from last year. In third place, Chad le Clos hit a 22.48, also trailing his PB which sits at a 21.95 from 2014.

Top 8:

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

WR 1:58.94 McKEOWN Kaylee AUS 28 NOV 2020 Different Area (AUS)
WC 1:59.35 ZEVINA Daryna UKR 26 AUG 2016 Chartres (FRA)
WJ 2:00.03 FRANKLIN Missy USA 22 OCT 2011 (GER)

GOLD – Kira Toussaint (NED) – 2:03.44
SILVER – Jojo Ramey (USA) – 2:04.41
BRONZE – Kylie Masse (CAN) – 2:04.53

Tokyo silver medalist and top seed heading into this final Kylie Masse wasn’t quite fast enough to clinch the win here, swimming a 2:04.53 for bronze. Powering her way to gold was Dutch backstroker Kira Toussaint with a swim of 2:03.44 which is an improvement upon her season-best thus far of 2:04.12.

While Toussaint was quick enough to top the podium, she will need to drop just one more second in order to take out Sharon can Rouwendaal’s 2011 national record of 2:02.47.

Jojo Ramey, one of the US junior who made the trip to Berlin for this meet, pulled off a 2:04.41 to improve upon her morning swim of 2:06.95 and take silver. Kylie Masse was also quicker in the final, going from a 2:06.42 in the prelims to a 2:04.87 for bronze.

Minna Atherton also dipped under 2:05, hitting a 2:04.87 for 4th place, while the USA’s Kennedy Noble posted a 2:05.81 for 5th.

Top 8:

MEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

WR 48.33 STEWART Coleman USA 29 AUG 2021 Napoli (ITA)
WC 48.88 XU Jiayu CHN 11 NOV 2018 Tokyo (JPN)
WJ 48.90 KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS 22 DEC 2017 Saint Petersburg (RUS)

GOLD – Christian Diener (GER) – 50.32
SILVER – Ole Braunschweig (GER) – 50.87
BRONZE – Yakov Toumarkin (51.34) – 51.34

Christian Diener pulled of the backstroke hattrick here, collecting the 100 win in addition to the 50 and 200 earlier on in the meet. Diener flirted with the 50-second barrier, touching the wall with a 50.32 to get in just ahead of compatriot Ole Braunschweig‘s 50.87.

Diener set the German record in this event earlier this year when he swam a 49.92 in Naples, Italy while swimming in the International Swimming League.

Diener and Braunschweig were joined on the podium by Israel’s Yakov Toumarkin who was not too far away from the national record in the event held by David Gamburg from the 2014 world championships.

Top 8:

WOMEN’S 50 BREAST – FINAL

WR 28.56 ATKINSON Alia JAM 6 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)
WC 28.56 ATKINSON Alia JAM 6 OCT 2018 Budapest (HUN)
WJ 28.81 PILATO Benedetta ITA 21 NOV 2020 Budapest (HUN

GOLD – Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 29.61`
SILVER – Lydia Jacoby (USA) – 30.04
BRONZE – Kim Busch (NED) – 30.43

Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko had the needed speed in the women’s 50 breast final as the only one in the field to crack 30 seconds. Gorbenko notched a 29.61 for gold to shave half a second off her newly-minted national record of 30.11 which she produced in the prelims.

Prior to this meet, Gorbenko’s PB and national record stood at a 30.20 from the 2020 International Swimming League season. This swim from Gorbenko would place her in the #7 position on the regular season ISL rankings.

Lydia Jacoby nearly crack the 30-second barrier for the first time here but ultimately touched with a 30.04 for silver, while Kim Busch of the Netherlands took bronze in a 30.43.

That time by Jacoby is faster than Lilly King’s former unofficial American junior national record in the short course 50 breast of 30.13 from 2014.

Top 8:

MEN’S 200 BREAST – FINAL

WR 2:00.16 PRIGODA Kirill RUS 13 DEC 2018 Hangzhou (CHN)
WC 2:00.48 GYURTA Daniel HUN 31 AUG 2014 Dubai (UAE)
WJ 2:03.23 BEST TIME 14 DEC 2012 (TUR)

GOLD – Arno Kamminga (NED) – 2:01.92
SILVER – Marco Koch (GER) – 2:05.29
BRONZE – Fabian Schwingenschlogl (GER) – 2:05.37

Just as Christian Diener did in the backstroke events, Arno Kamminga pulled off a breaststroke hattrick here by winning the 200 breast, adding to his prior wins in the 50 and 100. Kamminga had a huge swim her of 2:01.92 which gets him within 2 seconds of Kirill Prigoda’s 2:00.16 world record from back in 2018.

Kamminga’s lifetime best in the event is a 2:01.43 and the fastest he had been this season was a 2:02.96 while swimming for the Aqua Centurions at the International Swimming League. No men have been under 2:02 so far this ISL season with Kirill Prigoda holding the top time of 2:02.10.

Germany’s Marco Koch and Fabian Schwingenschlogl took silver and bronze here, respectively, with their performances of 2:05.29 and 2:05.37, respectively.

Top 8:

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

WR 50.25 CAMPBELL Cate AUS 26 OCT 2017 Adelaide (AUS)
WC 50.58 SJOSTROM Sarah SWE 11 AUG 2017 Eindhoven (NED)
WJ 51.45 SANCHEZ Kayla Noelle CAN 14 DEC 2018 Sheffield (GBR)

GOLD – Emma McKeon (AUS) 50.96
SILVER – Madi Wilson (AUS) 51.98
BRONZE – Michelle Coleman (SWE) – 52.20

Emma McKeon managed to crack 51 seconds for the first time in history, joining an elite group of women who have swum 50 points in the event. McKeon won the event in a 50.96 to improve upon her PB of 51.02 from 2 years ago during the International Swimming League.

Prior to this meet, McKeon’s season-best stood at a 51.05 which was also the fastest time by any woman in the international swimming league in 2021. McKeon recently won Olympic gold in both the 50 and 100 freestyles and has certainly continued that momentum into her short course season.

While McKeon broke the 51-second barrier for the first time, compatriot Madi Wilson was just shy of her own PB in the event of 51.68 from a few weeks ago in Naples. Sweden’s Michelle Coleman was a 52.20 for bronze which is just off her season-best of 51.98.

Top 8:

MEN’S 200 FREE – FINAL

WR 1:39.37 BIEDERMANN Paul GER 15 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WC 1:39.37 BIEDERMANN Paul GER 15 NOV 2009 Berlin (GER)
WJ 1:41.75 KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS 23 DEC 2017 Saint Petersburg (RUS)

GOLD – Matt Sates (RSA) – 1:40.65 *WJ
SILVER – Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 1:40.82
BRONZE – Danas Rapsys (LTU) – 1:41.17

In the same session as his 400 IM victory and just one day after he broke the world junior record in the 200 IM, Matt Sates came in flying in this 200 freestyle, posting a 1:40.65 to take gold and set a new world junior record.

Sates’ time is more than a second faster than Kliment Kolesnikov’s former WJR in the event of 1:40.65 from back in 2017 and is almost within a second of the current world record in the event from Paul Biedermann. Biedermann holds the world record at a 1:39.37 which he swam in November 2009.

This swim also gave Sates the 200 freestyler South African record, bettering the 1:40.89 mark held by Darian Townsend. Townsend also held the former national record in the 200 IM that Sates broke yesterday. Sates is now the 6th fastest man in the history of this event.

KyleChalmers also had a solid showing in this event with his 1:40.82 for the silver medal, knocking some time off his 1:41.50 PB from 2018. Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys rounded out the top 3 here with a 1:41.17.

Top 8:

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

WR 2:01.86 HOSSZU Katinka HUN 6 DEC 2014 Doha (QAT)
WC 2:02.13 HOSSZU Katinka HUN 31 AUG 2014 Dubai (UAE)
WJ 2:04.64 SANCHEZ Kayla Noelle CAN 14 DEC 2018 Sheffield (GBR)

GOLD – Maria Ugolkova (SUI) – 2:08.01
SILVER – Leah Hayes (USA) – 2:09.61
BRONZE – Kristyna Horska (CZE) – 2:09.62

Maria Ugolkova capped off her meet with a gold medal performance of 2:08.01 in the women’s 200 IM as the only woman under 2:09. Ugolkova was just off her season-best in the event of 2:07.66 from last month.

Leah Hayes of the USA clinched a silver medal here with her swim of 2:09.61, just 0.01 seconds faster than Czech swimmer Kristyna Horska‘s 2:09.62 for bronze. That swim from Horska was just a second slower than the current Czech record in the event of 2:08.61 held by Simona Baumrtová.

Following the 3 podium finishers, Katja Fain of Slovenia hit a 2:10.16 for 4th and Zsuzsanna Jakabos was a 2:10.17 for 5th.

MIXED 4×50 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

GOLD –
SILVER –
BRONZE –