2024 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 10-15, 2024
- Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
- SCM (25m)
- Meet Central
- Roster Index
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
There was an unexpectedly large group of Russian swimmers confirmed to be competing at the 2024 Short Course World Championships when the entries were released on Thursday, including some of the best the nation has to offer.
Highlighting the list of 28 Russians is world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova, who was vocal against the idea of competing as a neutral athlete prior to the Olympics in Paris, where Evgenii Somov was the lone Russian to compete as an individual neutral athlete.
Chikunova’s entry sets up a showdown between her and American Kate Douglass in the women’s 200 breaststroke, with Chikunova owning the long course world record at 2:17.55, and Douglass, after winning Olympic gold in Paris, has broken and then re-broken the short course world record on the World Cup circuit.
Douglass brought the world record down to 2:12.72 just over a month ago in Singapore, while Chikunova’s European Record sits at 2:14.70 from November 2022. At last month’s Russian SC Championships, she went 2:17.89.
Chikunova also won the 50 breast (29.74) and 100 breast (1:04.07) at the Russian SC Championships, seeding her 7th and 4th, respectively, heading into the meet.
One of the other imminent world title threats coming to Budapest from Russia is Ilya Borodin, the male medley specialist who is a two-time European champion in the 400 IM.
Borodin, 21, owns the European Record in the SCM 400 IM (3:56.47), a time he set en route to winning silver at the 2021 SC World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
His entry puts Daiya Seto‘s legendary run of six straight world titles in the 400 IM in serious jeopardy, especially with Seto reportedly dealing with a broken rib in the lead-up (and still planning on racing).
Borodin is currently on incredible form, having set a best time of 1:52.75 in the 200 IM and a world-leading time of 3:57.67 in the 400 IM last month at the Russian SC Championships.
Other notable Russian entries as individual neutrals at the meet include world record holder Kirill Prigoda, Olympic medalist Yuliya Efimova and World Championship medalist Andrei Minakov.
Prigoda, the current world record holder in the men’s 200 breast, put up times of 25.65 in the 50 breast, 55.95 in the 100 breast and 2:01.85 in the 200 breast at the Russian SC Championships, making him a title contender across the board.
Belarusian Ilya Shymanovich, who has competed as an individual neutral numerous times over the past 12 months, edged out Prigoda in the 100 breast in Russia, clocking 55.91.
KFC Douglass is gonna get roasted by Chikun Oven.
If I were Chikunova I’d have a pretty big chip on my shoulder, her vs Douglass is going to be a must watch
Douglass is so good in short course that it probably won’t be much of a showdown until Worlds next year.
Chikunova is prob a bit better over the water but Douglass is just perfect for SC
Yeah and Douglass has the advantage because she’s the world record holder and knows how to win one on one battle against her opponent just like she did at Paris.
No Kolesnikov?🥲
I just lost a lot of interest in this meet. All you have to do is look at overall Russian opinion of the Ukrainian invasion to understand that the same brainwashing will attach to a population of swimmers. There is zero chance so many should have been approved. Paris got it right.
It’s ultimately just not World Aquatics job to be the worlds moral authority and solve these problems.
Making pariahs of states likes Cuba and North Korea hasn’t exactly accomplished anything against the ruling regimes or helped the people who live there no? Your attitude fits into the narrative of Russia propaganda like a glove.
I also don’t think you’d support the blanket characterization of all Americans as “brainwashed” villians for their wars in the middle east, unless you agree with the rationale of Osama bin Laden.
When we introsepct about things like our rise in Christian nationalism, I’d say the alien “other” may perhaps be disturbingly similar to us…
We have learned nothing from the times of Nazi Germany. German athletes 1932-1938 competed in the World and European Championships, and then the same individuals marched across Europe with weapons, killing people. Now the same Borodin, Lifintsev and others will march into our EU countries with weapons in a few years, as soon as their Putin orders them to kill.
https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/svg/1f923.svg
Get real.
Russia invading eu countries.
They couldn’t take kiev three years ago, in three days they said for the best army in the world.
They’ve taken villages since.
In future, they could try a provocative move in baltic states but no more.
Nuclear weapons aside but everyone will lose.
In a conventional war, they’ll be obliterated by nato or even Poland if tryin’ to invade it.
I feel for the Ukrainians in this conflict first and foremost, but this complete lack of sympathy for the simple Russian people (swimmers included) who live in P*tin’s regime disappoints me. Never equate a regime with its people.
You look like Arthur Neville Chamberlain has risen from the grave. Go study some history.
And it’s not “this conflict”. This is WAR! Russians have killed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. They are killing them right now. And for you, it’s just a “conflict.”
Conflict is just another word for war, which I know this is. And I suggest you heed your own advice.
Good. Let em swim