2017 World University Games: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

29TH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES (SUMMER UNIVERSIADE 2017)

• Sunday, August 20-Sunday, August 20, 2017
• 50-Meter Course
• Taipei, Taiwan
• National Taiwan Sport University Arena
• Meet Info
• Webcast schedule
• Results

Day 2 prelims are set to get underway from Taipei at the 2017 World University Games, also known as the Summer Universiade, with a total of five events on the schedule. The men will contest the 200 free, 200 IM and 1500 free, while the women will be more sprint oriented with the 100 free and 100 breast.

The first four events will have the top-16 swimmers advance to tonight’s semi-finals, while the men’s 1500 will have the top-8 qualify for the final tomorrow night. That event will feature Gregorio Paltrinieri and Mykhailo Romanchuk, the two men who duelled for gold at the World Championships before Paltrinieri eventually pulled away to defend his title. Romanchuk showed great form on day 1, winning the 400 free in a new championship record of 3:45.96. They should have another great battle once we get to the final.

Men’s 200 Free Prelims

• Meet Record: 1:44.87, Danila Izotov (RUS), 2013
• Start list M200Free

1. Filippo Megli, ITA, 1:48.50
2. Maxime Rooney, USA, 1:49.12
3. Danas Rapsys, LTU, 1:49.20
4. Viacheslav Andrusenko, RUS, 1:49.45
5. Kacper Majchrzak, POL, 1:49.46
6. Long Gutierrez, MEX, 1:49.52
7. Devon Myles Brown, RSA, 1:49.63
8. Mitchell D’Arrigo, USA, 1:49.64
9. Mikhail Vekovishchev, RUS, 1:49.90
10. Jorge Iga, MEX, 1:49.91
11. Jonathan Atsu, FRA, 1:50.09
12. Adam Paulsson, SWE, 1:50.23
13. Fynn Minuth, GER, 1:50.31
14. Jeremy Bagshaw, CAN, 1:50.35
15. Giuliano Rocco, BRA, 1:50.40
16. Kosuke Hagino, JPN, 1:50.41

Italian Filippo Megli was the lone man to get under 1:49 in the 200 free prelims, clocking in at 1:48.50 in the 7th of 8 heats. He was followed by Poland’s Kacper Majchrzak, who qualified 5th overall in 1:49.46. Majchrzak showed good form on day 1 in the 400 free relay, posting the fastest lead-off leg in the final (48.68) before Poland ultimately tied for 4th.

American Maxime Rooney closed well in heat 8 to touch first in 1:49.12 over Lithuanian Danas Rapsys (1:49.20) and Russian Viacheslav Andrusenko (1:49.45).

Kosuke Hagino was the top seed in heat 6, but struggled in to barely qualify for the semi-finals in 16th place. Long Gutierrez won the heat in 1:49.52, and Hagino was the only other to qualify out of the heat in 1:50.41. Hagino also was a bit shaky yesterday in the 400 free, failing to final, but was solid in the 100 back.

Women’s 100 Breast Prelims

• Meet Record: 1:05.48, Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 2013
• Start list W100Breast

1. Andrea Cottrell, USA, 1:08.18
2. Tatjana Schoenmaker, RSA, 1:08.26
3. Miranda Tucker, USA, 1:08.30
4. Kanako Watanabe, JPN, 1:08.51
5. Mariia Temnikova, RUS, 1:08.78
6. Reona Aoki, JPN, 1:08.79
7. Leiston Pickett, AUS, 1:08.94
8. Yang Jiwon, KOR, 1:09.12
9. Jessica Steiger, GER, 1:09.16
10. Byanca Rodriguez, MEX, 1:09.42
11. Kelsey Wog, CAN, 1:09.48
12. Kim Hyejin, KOR / Jessica Eriksson, SWE, 1:09.89
13. –
14. Abbey Harkin, AUS, 1:10.39
15. Dominika Sztandera, POL, 1:10.68
16. Mariia Liver, UKR, 1:10.79

American Andrea Cottrell and South African Tatjana Schoenmaker rocketed to the top two times of the morning in the women’s 100 breast out of heat 5, with Cottrell leading the way in 1:08.18. Schoenmaker was right there in 1:08.26, and 2015 200m world champion Kanako Watanabe returned to action with a 3rd place finish in the heat, qualifying 4th overall in 1:08.51.

Cottrell’s teammate Miranda Tucker won heat 6 to qualify 3rd in 1:08.30, followed by Russia’s Maria Temnikova and Japan’s Reona Aoki. Australian Leiston Pickett won the first circle-seeded heat in 1:08.94, advancing in 7th place.

Men’s 200 IM Prelims

• Meet Record: 1:57.58, Alex Vanderkaay (USA), 2009
• Start list M200IM

1. Daiya Seto, JPN, 1:59.88
2. Aleksandr Osipenko, RUS, 2:01.35
3. Kosuke Hagino, JPN, 2:01.39
4. Joe Litchfield, GBR, 2:01.46
5. Michal Poprawa, POL, 2:01.59
6. Gabriel Lopes, POR / Will Licon, USA, 2:01.64
7. –
8. Vinicius Lanza, BRA, 2:01.65
9. Arjan Knipping, NED, 2:01.76
10. Andrey Zhilkin, RUS, 2:01.85
11. Giovanni Sorriso, ITA, 2:02.09
12. Kenneth To, HKG, 2:02.41
13. Robert Hill, CAN, 2:02.47
14. Grant Sanders, USA, 2:03.03
15. Luke Reilly, CAN, 2:03.33
16. Kevin Wedel, GER, 2:03.48

Daiya Seto put on a clinic in heat 6 of the men’s 200 IM, posting the top time of the morning in 1:59.88. Seto was the only one to break 2:00, with nine following him in the 2:01 range.

Russian Aleksandr Osipenko sits 2nd after winning heat 5 in 2:01.35, and Kosuke Hagino had a solid swim coming off the 200 free for 3rd overall in 2:01.39.

Two-time NCAA champion Will Licon of the U.S. was solid in his first swim of the competition, tying for 6th with Portugal’s Gabriel Lopes in 2:01.64.

Women’s 100 Free Prelims

• Meet Record: 53.50, Aliaksandra Herasimenia (BLR), 2013
• Start list W100Free

1. Mariia Kameneva, RUS, 55.04
2. Caroline Baldwin, USA, 55.09
3. Siobhan Haughey, HKG, 55.18
4. Lucy Hope, GBR, 55.35
5. Larissa Oliveira, BRA, 55.38
6. Katerine Savard, CAN, 55.48
7. Veronica Burchill, USA, 55.59
8. Anna Hopkin, GBR, 55.60
9. Arina Openysheva, RUS, 55.70
10. Manuella Lyrio, BRA, 55.74
11. Jacqueline Keire, CAN, 55.76
12. Chihiro Igarashi, JPN, 55.77
13. Gemma Cooney, GBR, 55.79
14. Evelyn Verraszto, HUN, 55.89
15. Aglaia Pezzato, ITA, 56.07
16. Laura Letrari, ITA, 56.29

Mariia Kameneva, Caroline Baldwin and Siobhan Haughey won their respective circle-seeded heats to take the top three seeds into the semi-finals of the women’s 100 free.

Haughey took heat 6 in 55.18, followed by Brazil’s Larissa Oliveira (55.38) and American Veronica Burchill (55.59). Baldwin then lowered the top time to 55.09 in heat 7, with Lucy Hope of Great Britain posting a 55.35 for 2nd.

The final heat saw Kameneva blast a 55.04 for the top time, followed by Canadian Katerine Savard (55.48). Savard, along with teammate Jacqueline Keire who qualified 11th overall in 55.76, won gold last night in the 400 free relay.

Men’s 1500 Free Prelims

• Meet Record: 14:51.06, Premyslaw Stanczyk (POL), 2009
• Start list M1500Free

1. Domenico Acerenza, ITA, 14:58.14
2. Mykhailo Romanchuk, UKR, 15:05.19
3. Gregorio Paltrinieri, ITA, 15:07.87
4. Gergely Gyurta, HUN, 15:11.95
5. PJ Ransford, USA, 15:12.64
6. Shingo Nakaya, JPN, 15:12.68
7. Jay Lelliott, GBR, 15:13.05
8. Tobias Robinson, GBR, 15:14.23

Heavy hitters Mykhailo Romanchuk and Gregorio Paltrinieri both eased their way through the preliminaries of the men’s 1500, opening the door for Paltrinieri’s Italian countryman Domenico Acerenza to grab the top seed in a time of 14:58.14.

Swimming in heat 4 alongside the Olympic and world champion, Acerenza led throughout with Paltrinieri sitting back doing just enough to hang onto 2nd. Acerenza’s swim is his first ever under 15:00, while Paltrinieri cruised in for the 3rd fastest overall time in 15:07.87 ahead of Hungarian Gergely Gyurta (15:11.95).

In the heat prior, Romanchuk rolled to the win in 15:05.19 which stands up as the #2 time heading to the final. He led from the get-go, and it was a tight three-way battle behind him for 2nd. Jay Lelliott moved ahead of PJ Ransford and Shingo Nakaya with 300 to go, but couldn’t hold them off as both Ransford and Nakaya came home sub-28.

Ransford edged Nakaya by .04 for the 5th fastest time in 15:12.64, with Lelliott’s 15:13.05 good for 7th overall.