2022 FINA World Cup – Berlin: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2022 FINA WORLD CUP – BERLIN

• Friday, October 21 – Sunday, October 23, 2022
• Europa-Sportpark, Berlin, Germany
• SCM (25 meters)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 8:30 am local / 2:30 am ET
  • Finals: 7:00 pm local / 1:00 pm ET
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results (Omega)
• Live Stream (FINA YouTube)
• Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet

The second night of finals from the opening stop of the 2022 FINA World Cup series in Berlin will feature 11 events with some intriguing battles on deck.

In the men’s 50 backstroke, top seeds Dylan Carter and Thomas Ceccon are vying for their second gold medals in as many days at Europa Sportpark. Carter triumphed in the 50 free on Friday while Ceccon took the 100 IM.

The women’s 100 back should be a tight finish as the top eight qualifiers in this morning’s prelims were separated by less than a second. Top-seeded Canadian Ingrid Wilm will attempt to avenge her runner-up finish to countrywoman Kylie Masse in Friday’s 50 back, while second-seeded American Beata Nelson could disrupt a 1-2 Canadian finish.

The top eight in the women’s 100 back were separated by less than a second this morning. Canada’s Ingrid Wilm clocked the top time of prelims, swimming a 56.64. Beata Nelson (USA) and Kylie Masse (Canada) were also under 57 seconds. Masse and Wilm went 1-2 in the 50 back yesterday, so they’ll be looking for a repeat at the top of the podium.

Also looking to continue their hot starts to the series are South Africa’s Matt Sates, the men’s 400 free champion on Friday and the top seed today in the men’s 200 IM, and France’s Beryl Gastaldello, the women’s 100 IM champion on Friday and the top seed today in the 50 butterfly. The 50 fly figures to come down to the wire, as well, with the top three finishers separated by just .01 seconds. Sweden’s Sara Junevik and Netherlands’ Kim Busch tied for the second seed with a 25.53.

American Hali Flickinger, currently second overall in the points standings on the women’s side, will try to improve her ranking in the first event of the evening, the women’s 400 IM.

Watch the finals live here:

Women’s 400 IM – Final

• World Record: 4:18.94, Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 2017
• World Junior Record: 4:23.33, Shiwen Ye (CHN) – 2012
• World Cup Record: 4:18.94, Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 2017

1. Hali Flickinger (USA) – 4:30.36
2. Abbie Wood (GBR) – 4:31.60
3. Bailey Andison (CAN) – 4:31.66

Hali Flickinger jumped out to an early lead, but Great Britain’s Abbie Wood overtook the 28-year-old American on the breaststroke leg. On the final freestyle leg, though, Flickinger surged back ahead to claim the victory in 4:30.36. Canada’s Bailey Andison took bronze in 4:31.66, just .06 seconds behind Wood.

“Her breaststroke’s amazing,” Flickinger said of Wood, the 200 breast bronze medalist on Friday. “So I knew where I needed to be in order to have some buffer. So that was my strategy.”

The win marks Flickinger’s first gold medal at the World Cup and fourth medal overall on the series.

Men’s 1500 Free – Final

• World Record: 14:06.88, Florian Wellbrock (GER) – 2021
• World Junior Record: 14:27.78, Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 2012
• World Cup Record: 14:15.49, Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) – 2016

1. Florian Wellbrock (GER) – 14:25.41
2. Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) – 14:26.69
3. Sven Schwarz (GER) – 14:34.87

Training partners Florian Wellbrock and Mykhailo Romanchuk finished 1-2 in the men’s 1500 free final after a long duel that lasted until the last length of the pool. Wellbrock opened his first one-second gap of the race heading into the second-to-last lap, but Romanchuk cut his deficit to less than a second on the home stretch. Ultimately, Wellbrock pulled away to win by just over a second with a time of 14:25.41, capturing this World Cup event for a sixth time.

“It’s so nice to race and train with Mykhailo,” said Wellbrock, who invited Romanchuk to train with him in Germany following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We enjoy it to race here, it’s so much fun.”

“I would like to say thank you to Germany for the support, to Florian, to the whole team,” Romanchuk said. “I would like to say that the war is not finished.”

Wellbrock’s countryman, Sven Schwarz, managed his pace well and used a strong finish to claim third place in 14:34.87, putting two Germans on the podium.

Fourth-place finisher Marwan El-Kamash set a new Egyptian national record with his time of 14:35.93, besting his previous mark from last year by nearly 13 seconds. The 28-year-old was just over a second away from a spot on the podium.

Men’s 50 Back – Final

• World Record: 22.22, Florent Manaudou (FRA) – 2014
• World Junior Record: 22.77, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) – 2018
• World Cup Record: 22.61, Peter Marshall (USA) – 2009

1. Dylan Carter (TTO) – 23.15
2. Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 23.22
3. Javier Acevedo (CAN) – 23.24

Dylan Carter made it 2-for-2 in Berlin with another gold medal in the men’s 50 back. He held off Italy’s Thomas Ceccon (23.22) and Canada’s Javier Acevedo (23.24), setting a new Trinidad and Tobago national record in the process. He lowered his previous mark of 23.19 from the 2018 Short Course World Championships.

“It’s been a great start here in Berlin,” said Carter, who will go for a hat trick in the 50 fly on Sunday. Hopefully we keep the streak going tomorrow. “Just the 50 fly to go, I’m keeping it very short this week.”

The win marked Carter’s second gold medal on the World Cup series after taking the 5o free title on Friday.

With a time of 23.24, Acevedo lowered his own Canadian national record of 23.49 from last September en route to a bronze medal.

Women’s 200 Free – Final

• World Record: 1:50.31, Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 2021
• World Junior Record: 1:52.85, Kayla Sanchez (CAN) – 2018
• World Cup Record: 1:50.43, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017

1. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 1:51.36
2. Madison Wilson (AUS) – 1:54.01
3. Marrit Steenbergen (NED) – 1:54.47

The women’s 200 free quickly turned into a battle for second place after Siobhan Haughey shot off the blocks ahead of the pack. With a time of 1:51.36, the 24-year-old was only about a second slower than her world record of 1:50.31 from last year.

“I haven’t done short course in a year, so I’m still trying to figure out what my plan is,” Haughey said after her victory. “I went out a little faster than usual today, but that’s okay.”

Haughey also won the 400 free on Friday.

Australia’s Madison Wilson and Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands were separated by less than half a second in their second-place showdown.

Men’s 200 IM – Final

• World Record: 1:49.63, Ryan Lochte (USA) – 2012
• World Junior Record: 1:51.45, Matt Sates (RSA) – 2021
• World Cup Record: 1:50.66, Daiya Seto (JPN) – 2021

1. Matt Sates (RSA) – 1:51.64
2. Hubert Kos (HUN) – 1:53.89
3. Danas Rapsys (LTU) – 1:54.59

Matt Sates ran away with the men’s 200 IM title in a time of 1:51.64, just off his world junior record of 1:51.45 set at this stop of the World Cup series last year. Like Carter, Sates is also 2-for-2 in terms of gold medal so far in Berlin.

Silver medalist Hubert Kos of Hungary was about a second slower than his personal best from last year. With a bronze, Lithuanian Danas Rapsys increased his total World Cup medal tally to 30.

Women’s 100 Back – Final

• World Record: 54.89, Minna Atherton (AUS) – 2019
• World Junior Record: 55.99, Mie Oe Nielsen (DEN) – 2013
• World Cup Record: 55.23, Shiho Sakai (JPN) – 2009

1. Beata Nelson (USA) – 56.03
2. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 56.32
3. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 56.37

Beata Nelson edged out the Canadian pair of Kylie Masse (56.32) and Ingrid Wilm (56.37) to bring home her first career gold medal on the World Cup series and second of the meet after picking up a silver in the 100 IM on Friday.

“I love my walls,” Nelson said. “I stay underwater as long as I can. It’s a pleasure to race these ladies every time, so happy to be here.”

It’s also the second medal of the weekend for Masse, who triumphed in Friday’s 50 back.

“Obviously they’re both underwater beasts, and I know that,” Masse said of Nelson and Wilm. “They push me to try to improve mine, but when it comes down to race time I just try to focus on my strengths and putting up the best race that I can.”

Men’s 50 Breast – Final

• World Record: 24.95, Huseyin Sakci (TUR) – 2021
• World Junior Record: 25.85, Simone Cerasuolo (ITA) – 2021
• World Cup Record: 25.25, Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) – 2009

1. Nic Fink (USA) – 25.86
2. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) – 26.12
3. Reece Whitley (USA) – 26.30

29-year-old American Nic Fink added another gold medal to his collection as the only swimmer sub-26 seconds in the 50 breast, marking his second medal of the meet after winning yesterday’s 100 breast. Fink has now won gold medals in the 50, 100, and 200 breast (back in 2015) on the World Cup series.

Fink (25.86) and Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi (26.12) also went 1-2 in the LCM 50 breast at the World Championships this summer.

Like yesterday’s 100 breast, the Americans put a pair on the podium thanks to 22-year-old Cal graduate Reece Whitley, who took bronze in this race after earning a silver on Friday.

Women’s 50 Fly – Final

• World Record: 24.38, Therese Alshammar (SWE) – 2009
• World Junior Record: 24.55 Claire Curzan (USA) – 2021
• World Cup Record: 24.38, Therese Alshammar (SWE) – 2009

1. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 25.16
2. Melanie Henique (FRA) – 25.39
3. Holly Barratt (AUS) – 25.39

France went 1-2 in the women’s 50 fly as Beryl Gastaldello snagged her second gold medal of the weekend with a time of 25.16 and countrywoman Melanie Henique tied for silver (25.39) along with Australia’s Holly Barratt. Gastaldello also won the 50 fly back in 2015. Meanwhile, it’s the 28th World Cups series medal for Barratt, who only has two more meets remaining before she plans to retire.

Men’s 100 Free – Final

• World Record: 44.84, Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 2021
• World Junior Record: 46.11, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) – 2018
• World Cup Record: 44.95, Vladimir Morozov (RUS) – 2018

1. Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 45.88
2. Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 46.38
3. Leonardo Deplano (ITA) – 46.77

Kyle Chalmers was the only swimmer sub-46 in the final as he secured his fifth 100 free win in a row on the World Cup series. The last time he lost in this Word Cup event was back in 2018 to Russia’s Vladimir Morozov, who like other Russians and Belarusians is barred from international competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

After the race, Chalmers credited silver medalist Maxime Grousset of France for keeping him “accountable” while quipping that someone’s going to beat him “eventually.”

“I think that’s my fifth win in a row,” said Chalmers, who now has 17 wins and 31 medals total on the World Cup series. “Eventually, I’m going to get beaten. Maxime really held me accountable tonight. Especially that third turn, I could see him right there with me. It’s great having these guys push me and doing it in Berlin is always my favorite place to do it.”

Leonardo Deplano rounded out the podium with a bronze, the first World Cup medal for the 23-year-old Italian.

Women’s 100 Breast – Final

• World Record: 1:02.36, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 2013
• World Junior Record: 1:02.36, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 2013
• World Cup Record: 1:02.36, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 2013

1. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 1:03.07
2. Tes Schouten (NED) – 1:04.71
3. Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 1:04.96

25-year-old Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte cruised to her first World Cup victory since 2014, upping her series medal tally to 15 for her career.

“I didn’t expect to go that fast,” Meilutyte said after her win.

Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko, who won this event last year at the Berlin stop of the series, took bronze in 1:04.96 just behind silver medalist Tes Schouten of the Netherlands.

Men’s 200 Fly – Final

• World Record: 1:46.85, Tomoru Honda (JPN) – 2022
• World Junior Record: 1:49.89, Kuan Hung Wang (TPE), 2020
• World Cup Record: 1:48.56, Chad le Clos (RSA) – 2013

1. Chad le Clos (RSA) – 1:49.62
2. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 1:50.43
3. Kuan-Hung Wang (TPE) – 1:51.04

The Chad le Clos revenge tour is officially in full swing.

The 30-year-old South African has been on a tear since switching training groups, taking his second title of the weekend in the 200 fly by surging past Noe Ponti (1:50.43). Le Clos held off the Swiss specialist with a 27.61 split on his final 25 to complete his comeback win. His final time of 1:49.62 is the fastest he’s gone since 2020.

“I think I’ve just changed mindsets,” said le Clos, who was nearly a second faster than his winning time from this stop of the World Series last year. “Like I said yesterday, Chad le Clos 2.0. Slowly making the step back to getting back what I feel I deserve.”

After winning the 100 fly on Friday, le Clos said, “Tonight was about getting back on top. I’ve been taking a lot of losses lately. This is the start to get the crown back… This is Chad le Clos 2.0.”

Le Clos now boasts 148 career victories on the World Cup series, most all-time among men by a wide margin.

The bronze for Kuan-Hung Wang (1:51.04) marked his second World Cup medal after taking silver in the event back in 2018.

After the second night of finals, Team USA lead the medals table with 11 total.