2025 Mare Nostrum – Monaco: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2025 MARE NOSTRUM – MONACO

• Saturday, May 17th – Sunday, May 18th
• Prelims at 9am local (3am ET)/Finals at 5pm local (11am ET)
• Prince Albert II Nautical Center
• SwimSwam Preview
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets (PDF)
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 
  • Finals: Day 1
• Results
• Live Stream ($)

Day 2 ‘A’ Finals Heat Sheet 

Skins Tournament Semifinals Heat Sheet

Blink and you’ll miss it–we’re already on the last session in Monaco on the 2025 Mare Nostrum Swim Tour. Next, the action shifts to Barcelona but before that, there’s a full session of racing in store. Many of the biggest names at this meet are using this as an opportunity to get some reps in against an international field before the 2025 World Aquatic Championships, but this meet does also represent a qualifying opportunity for Singapore.

Adding to the excitement this evening is the skins tournament on top of the regular session. Skins semifinals are the first event on this evening’s schedule as men and women will take on the 50 butterfly, 50 backstroke, 50 breaststroke, and 50 freestyle. The top two from each semifinal will move on to the finals, which take place at the end of the session after the women’s 200 IM.

Skins Tournament – Semifinals (Top 2 Qualify)

Men’s 50 Butterfly

1. Oleg Kostin (Neutral Athletes B) — 22.96
2. Abdelrahman Elaraby (Egypt) — 23.00
3. Roman Shevliakov (Neutral Athletes B) — 23.06
4. Maxime Grousset (France) — 23.25

Oleg Kostin triumphed in the men’s 50 butterfly skins final. He touched the wall in 22.96, stopping the clock four-hundredths ahead of Abdelrahman Elaraby. Both will advance to the final, which takes place later this evening.

Women’s 50 Butterfly

1. Arina Surkova (Neutral Athletes B) — 25.73
2. Rikako Ikee (Japan) — 25.79
3. Sara Junevik (Sweden)
4. Maty Ndoye-Brouard (France) — 26.29

The Neutral Athletes B squad swept the 50 butterfly skins semifinals. Quickly after Kostin won the men’s 50 butterfly, Arina Surkova did the same in the women’s semifinal. Surkova won with a similarly slim margin, edging ahead of Rikako Ikee by six-hundredths. Surkova clocked 25.73 and Ikee 25.79 to pull clear of the other two semifinalists.

Men’s 50 Backstroke

1. Kliment Kolesnikov (Neutral Athletes B) — 24.74
2. Ksawery Masiuk (Poland) — 24.83
3. Ulises Saravia (Argentina) — 25.17
4. Adrian Santos Martin (Spain) — 25.27

World record holder Kliment Kolesnikov got the job done in the men’s 50 backstroke skins semifinal, making it three wins a row for the Neutral Athletes B contingent. He touched in 24.74, nine-hundredths ahead of World Championship 50 backstroke medalist Ksawery Masiuk. Kolesnikov has already been sub-24 seconds already this season, clocking 23.90 in April as he gears up for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships as he’s recently been approved for neutral status and affirmed his commitment to return to international competition.

Women’s 50 Backstroke

1. Anastasia Gorbenko (Israel) — 27.59
2. Ingrid Wilm (Canada) — 27.86
3. Analia Pigree (France) — 27.92
4. Pauline Mahieu (France) — 27.93

The Neutral Athletes B streak was snapped in the women’s 50 backstroke skins semifinals, though the group didn’t have an athlete in this race. Anastasia Gorbenko won, while Ingrid Wilm hit the wall second to secure her place in the final as well. The French duo of Analia Pigree and Pauline Mahieu were separated by a hundredth for third and fourth.

Men’s 50 Breaststroke

1. Ilya Shymanovich (Neutral Athletes A) — 26.93
2. Ludovico Viberti (Italy) — 27.03
3. Ronan Wantenaar (Namibia) — 27.05
4. Kirill Prigoda (Neutral Athletes B) — 27.29

Ilya Shymanovich earned the win in the men’s 50 breaststroke by a tenth over Ludovico Viberti. Shymanovich sits atop the global rankings this season with a 26.37 from April. Viberti’s 27.03 is two-hundredths off his season best. He’ll get a chance to chase that season-best in the final as he secured his place by two-hundredths ahead of Ronan Wantenaar.

Women’s 50 Breaststroke

1. Benedetta Pilato (Italy) — 30.13
2. Anna Elendt (Germany) — 30.28
3. Skyler Smith (USA) — 30.46
4. Yuliya Efimova (Neutral Athletes B) — 30.87

Yesterday’s 50 breaststroke winner, Benedetta Pilato, kept rolling in the skins edition of the race. Pilato swam a world-leading 29.87 yesterday in Monaco. She didn’t match that swim in this semifinal but did more than enough to win the semifinal ahead of Anna Elendt, who swam a season-best 30.28.

Men’s 50 Freestyle

1. Szebasztian Szabo (Hungary) — 21.95
2. Leonardo Deplano (Italy) — 22.03
3. Maxime Grousset (France) — 22.13
4. Nandor Nemeth (Hungary) — 22.20
5. Ian-Yentou Ho (Hong Kong) — 22.29

Szebasztian Szabo won the men’s 50 freestyle, the busiest skins semifinal this session. He was the only man to crack the 22 seconds, hitting a season-best 21.95. Leonardo Deplano touched a tenth ahead of Grousset for second place, clocking 22.03. He’s been as fast as 21.62 this season at the Italian Championship.

Women’s 50 Freestyle

1. Beryl Gastaldello (France) — 24.72
2. Milou Van Wijk (Netherlands) — 24.73
3. Petra Senanszky (Hungary) — 24.96
4. Sara Curtis (Italy) — 25.12

Beryl Gastaldello and Milou Van Wijk battled in the women’s 50 freestyle semifinal. It came down to the touch between the pair, and Gastaldello came out on top. She bettered her season-best from the Giant Open last weekend by two-hundredths, swimming a 24.72.

Men’s 400 IM – Final

• World Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand, France (2023)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 4:07.96 – Laszlo Cseh, Hungary (2008)
• Monaco Record: 4:10.30 – Daiya Seto, Japan (2019)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 4:17.48

Top 3:

1. Lewis Clareburt (New Zealand) — 4:17.14
2. Fabio Dalu (Italy) — 4:24.49
3. Polat-Uzer Turnali (Turkey) — 4:24.69

Fabio Dalu held the lead after the butterfly leg of the men’s 400 IM final, turning about a half-second ahead of Lewis Clareburt. The Kiwi kicked into gear quickly on the backstroke leg, erasing the gap over the first 50 meters and making the 150-meter turn as the race leader.

He did not surrender lead from there. After a 57.50 butterfly split and a 1:06.18 backstroke leg, Clareburt split 1:1358 on breaststroke, then brought his race home with a 59.88 freestyle leg. He stopped the clock in 4:17.14, upgrading from the silver he won yesterday in the 200 IM. He’s been as fast as 4:13.06 already this season which has him in the top 10 in the world this season.

Clareburt won by over seven seconds. Behind him, Dalu triumphed in a close battle with Polat-Uzer Turnali for silver, out-touching the Turkish swimmer by two-tenths, swimming 2:24.49 for the second step on the podium.

Women’s 400 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus, Australia (2023)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 4:02.84 – Camille Muffat, France (2013)
• Monaco Record: 4:02.84 – Camille Muffat, France (2013)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 4:10.23

Top 3:

1. Lilla Szabo (Hungary) — 4:14.10
2. Giorgia Tononi (Italy) — 4:16.33
3. Valentine Leclercq (France) — 4:17.29

There were fireworks yesterday in China, as Li Bingjie became the sixth woman to break 4:00 in the women’s 400 freestyle. There was no such action here in Monaco, but there was still a great race. Five women popped 1:02s on the opening 100 meters, setting up for an important middle 200 meters.

It was Hungary’s Lilla Szabo who was strongest over those meters, and she pulled away to win the race in 4:14.10. She touched over two seconds ahead of Italy’s Giorgia Tononi‘s 4:16.33.

Men’s 100 Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel, United States (2021)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 50.75 – Kristof Milak, Hungary (2024)
• Monaco Record: 50.75 – Kristof Milak, Hungary (2024)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 51.77

Top 3:

1. Michel Arkhangelsky (France) — 51.48
2. Roman Shevliakov (Neutral Athletes B) — 51.80
3. Clement Secchi (France) — 52.28

Michel Arkhangelsky was a revelation in yards for Florida State during the NCAA postseason. He’s brought the improvements from yards to meters now, tearing to the win in the men’s 100 butterfly in Monaco with a lifetime best 51.48. Coming into the meet, his lifetime best was a 52.73 from last June.

He blew that time away by splitting 23.81/27.67. Arkhangelsky was the only one to open the race under 24 seconds as fellow Frenchman Clement Secchi turned second in 24.05. Over the back 50 meters, Roman Shevliakov pulled up from the middle of the final with a field-best 27.59 second 50 meters. That pushed him to silver in 51.80 with Secchi taking bronze in 52.28.

Alberto Razzetti finished fourth in 52.56 in this non-primary event for him as a 200 butterfly/IM specialist.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 2:01.81 – Liu Zige, China (2009)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 2:06.70 – Suzuka Hasegawa, Japan (2017)
• Monaco Record: 2:06.70 – Suzuka Hasegawa, Japan (2017)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 2:09.21

Top 3:

1. Lilou Ressencourt (France) — 2:09.79
2. Lana Pudar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) — 2:13.29
3. Aleksandra Knop (Poland) — 2:14.53

Lilou Ressencourt stormed to the win in the women’s 200 butterfly final. She defended her top seed by rattling her lifetime best in the event with a 2:09.79. Her lifetime best stands at 2:09.30 from last June.

Ressencourt had a lead of four-tenths at the halfway point ahead of Lana Pudar, a 200 butterfly specialist and recent Virginia commit. Ressencourt turned in 1:02.22, then maintained a solid back half with 33.53/34.04 closing splits. Pudar couldn’t hang with Ressencourt on the back half, splitting 35.11/35.58. Still, her opening speed assured her the second step on the podium with a 2:13.29 as Aleksandra Knop finished third in 2:14.53.

Men’s 200 Backstroke – Final

• World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Piersol, United States (2009)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 1:54.34 – Ryosuke Irie, Japan (2011)
• Monaco Record: 1:54.34 – Ryosuke Irie, Japan (2011)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:58.07

Top 3:

1. Mathys Chouchaoui (France) — 1:58.62
2. Christian Bacico (Italy) — 1:58.78
3. Ksawery Masiuk (Poland) — 1:58.96

We were treated to a great race in the men’s 200 backstroke final, as three swimmers battled for the win. Jules Andrew led the race at the first turn, flipping in 27.35 ahead of Masiuk, who was also out sub-28 seconds with a 27.86. Andre still had the lead at 100-meter mark, flipping in 57.27. That gave him almost an advantage of over a second ahead of Masiuk (58.20) with Mathys Choucahoui (58.35) and Christian Bacico (58.48) still in the mix too.

Chouchaoui hit the gas on the third 50, putting in a field-best 30.55 split to pull into second about seven-tenths behind Andre, with Bacico in third and Masiuk in fourth. After leading for 150 meters, Andre didn’t have enough left in the tank to hold off Chouchaoui’s charge. Chouchaoui split 29.72 on the final 50, taking the win in 1:58.62.

It wasn’t the fastest closing split in the field though. After a 31.36 third 50, Masiuk rebounded with a 29.40 fourth 50, the fastest in the field. Bacico wasn’t too far off that pace with a 29.56, which kept him ahead of Masiuk for second in 1:58.78 while the Polish star earned bronze in 1:58.96.

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Final

• World Record: 57.13 – Reagan Smith, United States (2024)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 58.57 – Kylie Masse, Canada (2022)
• Monaco Record: 59.23 – Emily Seebohm, Australia (2017)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:00.46

Top 3:

1. Ingrid Wilm (Canada) — 59.62
2. Pauline Mahieu (France) — 1:00.08
3. Adela Piskorska (Poland) — 1:00.72

After touching second in the women’s 50 backstroke skins semifinal, Wilm ran away with the win in the 100 backstroke final. The Canadian backstroke ace was the only woman in the field to break 1:00 tonight; she split 29.74/29.88 as she steamrolled to the win in a season-best 59.62. She’s now the 10th fastest woman in the event this season.

Mahieu, another 50 backstroke skins semifinals, swam a season-best of her own for silver. She clocked 1:00.08, which moves her to 23rd in the world this season as she approaches the 1:00 barrier herself.

Mahieu was well under the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut while bronze medalist Adela Piskorska was about three-tenths from the time.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Final

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, Great Britain (2019)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 58.15 – Adam Peaty, Great Britain (2019)
• Monaco Record: 58.78 – Yasuhiro Koseki, Japan (2018)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 59.75

Top 3:

1. Ilya Shymanovich (Neutral Athletes A) — 59.77
2. Nicolo Martinenghi (Italy) — 59.94
3. Ludovico Viberti (Italy) — 1:00.44

Shymanovich stays on top of the men’s breaststroke races in Monaco. Earlier today, he won the men’s 50 breaststroke skins semifinal, defending his quarterfinal win yesterday. Now, he’s added the 100 breaststroke to his win column this weekend, beating reigning Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi.

Shymanovich led the race from start to finish tonight. He split 27.34 on the opening 50 meters, holding about a half-second lead over Martinenghi as the field turned towards home. Martinenghi outsplit him on the back half with a field-best 32.08 close, but Shymanovich had done enough on the first 50 meters than Martinenghi was unable to close the gap.

Shymanovich split 32.43 on the back half, stopping the clock in 59.77. Martinenghi joined him under 1:00, swimming 59.94. The Olympic champion sits fifth in the world rankings this season after the 59.16 he swam at April’s Italian Championships (that includes the 58.61 Qin Haiyang just swam at the Chinese National Championships).

Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Final

• World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia (2023)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 2:19.67 – Rikke Moeller Pedersen, Denmark (2014)
• Monaco Record: 2:22.02 – Rikke Moeller Pedersen, Denmark (2014)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 2:25.91

Top 3:

1. Alina Zmushka (Neutral Athletes A) — 2:25.29
2. Rebecca Meder (South Africa) — 2:25.73
3. Macarena Ceballos (Argentina) — 2:29.29

Alina Zmushka kept the good times rolling for the Neutral Athletes A contingent by pulling out a win in the women’s 200 breaststroke. She led from start to finish in the race, turning in a season-best 2:25.29 that’s 20th in the world this season.

Zmushka held off a late surge from South Africa’s Rebecca Meder to win gold in Monaco. After a 1:08.77 opening 100 meters, Zmushka made the final turn in 1:46.47, about nine-tenths ahead of Meder. The South African dug in over the final 50 meters, putting up a 38.19 closing split that outpaced Zmushka’s 38.82 final split. Zmushka’s early speed paid off for her, as Meder took second in 2:25.73, about a half-second back.

Men’s 200 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann, Germany (2009)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 1:44.74 – David Popovici, Romania (2024)
• Monaco Record: 1:44.88 – Paul Biedermann, Germany (2009)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:46.70

Top 3:

1. Kamil Sieradzki (Poland) — 1:48.36
2. Tom Dean (Great Britain) — 1:48.91
3. Lewis Clareburt (New Zealand) — 1:49.14

Tokyo Olympic champion Tom Dean had the lead after the opening 50, but Poland’s Kamil Sieradzki quickly took control after that. He moved into the lead at the halfway point with a 52.94, leading Dean’s 53.14. Sieradzki put in a 27.54 third 50 split to extend his lead, then clocked 27.88 on the final 50 meters to seal his win in 1:48.36. He swam a lifetime best 1:46.92 earlier this season.

Dean was 27.95/27.82 on the back half of the race, pulling in for second in 1:48.91. This is really the first time Dean’s raced the 200 freestyle this season. He sat out the race at the British Championships, instead focusing only on the 100 freestyle this season as he resets after the Paris Olympic cycle.

On the back half of another tough double at this meet, Clareburt grabbed bronze with a 1:49.14. It’s a testament to his training at this point in the season that event after winning the 400 IM to open the meet, he still had the fastest closing 50 in the field, splitting 27.34 to make a run at catching Dean for silver.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 52.08 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
• Monaco Record: 52.60 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 54.25

Top 3:

1. Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong) — 53.58
2. Milou Van Wijk (Netherlands) — 53.76
3. Sara Curtis (Italy) — 54.69

Siobhan Haughey is a veteran of the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour, and she picked up her second win of the weekend here in the 100 freestyle after winning the 200 freestyle yesterday. Haughey was first to the turn, splitting 25.94 to the feet. She came back in a 27.64, winning in 53.58.

As she did in the 200 freestyle yesterday, she now vaults into the top 10 of the global leaderboard as she ramps up her season. The swim puts her ninth-fastest in the world this season, ahead of the 53.61 Kate Douglass put up at the Ft. Lauderdale Pro Swim Series.

Van Wijk added another second place to the day’s tally. After taking second in the 50 freestyle skins semifinal (qualifying for the final later) she clocked 53.76 for second in the 100 freestyle. She’s been as fast as 53.18 this season.

Sara Curtis took bronze, finishing a bit further back with a 54.69. She had an explosive Italian Championships in April, popping a 53.01 to break Federica Pellegrini‘s national record.

Women’s 200 IM – Final

• World Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (2015)
• Mare Nostrum Record: 2:08.49 – Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (2017)
• Monaco Record: 2:08.49 – Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (2017)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 2:12.83

Top 3:

1. Anastasia Gorbenko (Israel) — 2:10.18
2. Cyrielle Duhamel (France) — 2:12.30
3. Sara Franceschi (Italy) — 2:12.98

Gorbenko won the women’s 200 IM final with ease, her first event win in Monaco after taking silver in the 200 freestyle behind Haughey. She swam 2:10.18, winning by over two seconds ahead of France’s Cyrielle Duhamel.

Duhamel and Sara Franceschi had a great race for silver. Duhamel held the lead by three-hundredths after the backstroke leg, but Franceschi pulled ahead with a 38.05 breaststroke split to Duhamel’s 38.49. The Frenchwoman fought back on the freestyle leg though, clocking 30.68 to out-split Franceschi by over a second. That was more than enough for Duhamel to erase the gap and take silver in 2:12.30 with Franceschi winning bronze in 2:12.98.

Skins Tournament – Final

Men’s 50 Butterfly

1. Abdelrahman Elaraby (Egypt) — 22.80
2. Oleg Kostin (Neutral Athletes B) — 22.85

Kostin edged out Elaraby in the semifinal but with the win on the line in the final, it was Elaraby who got the job done for gold. Both men were faster than they were in the semifinal, with the Egyptian sprinter taking the win in 22.80, five-hundredths ahead of Kostin.

The two are the second and third fastest men in the world this season now, slotting in between Noe Ponti‘s 22.77 and Nyls Korstanje‘s 22.88.

Women’s 50 Butterfly

1. Arina Surkova (Neutral Athletes B) — 25.73
2. Rikako Ikee (Japan) — 26.01

Arina Surkova defended her top spot in the women’s 50 butterfly skins final, earning gold in 25.73. It’s exactly the time she went to win the semifinal, keeping her tied with Yu Yiting for ninth best in the world this season.

Ikee was 25.79 in the semifinal and couldn’t get back under 26 seconds in the final, clocking 26.01.

Men’s 50 Backstroke

1. Kliment Kolesnikov (Neutral Athletes B) — 24.44 Mare Nostrum Record 
2. Ksawery Masiuk (Poland) — 24.76

After a solid but unremarkable semifinal swim, Kolesnikov unleashed a Mare Nostrum record to win the 50 backstroke skins final. He undercut Michael Andrew‘s Mare Nostrum and Monaco meet records from 2019 by a hundredth, swimming 24.44 and taking over both records.

Kolesnikov is already the world leader this season with a 23.90.

After a 200 backstroke bronze medal, Masiuk improved on his semifinal swim, dropping from 24.82 to 24.76. He holds a season-best of 24.46.

Women’s 50 Backstroke

1. Anastasia Gorbenko (Israel) — 27.55
2. Ingrid Wilm (Canada) — 27.65

Men’s 50 Breaststroke

1. Ilya Shymanovich (Neutral Athletes A) — 26.59
2. Ludovico Viberti (Italy) — 26.80

Between skins and their individual races, Shymanovich and Viberti have gotten plenty of experience racing each other this weekend. Shymanovich won the 100 breaststroke earlier this session and did the same here in the skins 50 breaststroke final, defending his top spot.

Shymanovic swam 26.59, pulling away from Viberti down the stretch. Both were faster than they were in the semifinal, with Viberti tying his lifetime best 26.80, which he first clocked last June. This was also his first sub-27 second swim this season.

Women’s 50 Breaststroke

1. Benedetta Pilato (Italy) — 29.90
2. Anna Elendt (Germany) — 30.29

Pilato nearly bettered the world-leading 29.87 she swam yesterday in the women’s 50 breaststroke individual event to win the skins edition of the race. The sprint breaststroke specialist tore down the pool, firing off a 29.90 for gold.

She won by almost four-tenths as Elendt came within a hundredth of her season-best for second.

Men’s 50 Freestyle

1. Szebasztian Szabo (Hungary) — 22.01
2. Leonardo Deplano (Italy) — 22.06

Szabo didn’t clear the 22 second mark like he did in the semifinal. Instead, he and Deplano were side by side through the closing meters. Szabo pulled off the win in 22.01, out-touching Deplano by five-hundredths.

Women’s 50 Freestyle

1. Milou Van Wijk (Netherlands) — 24.51
2. Beryl Gastaldello (France) — 24.87

In the semifinal, Gastaldello out-touched Van Wijk by a hundredth. But in the final, it was all Van Wijk. Fresh off a silver medal in the 100 freestyle, Van Wijk clocked a 24.51 for gold in the 50 freestyle skins final. The swim is just three-hundredths off the lifetime best 24.48 she clocked in March at the Edinburgh Open, which is tied for 8th in the world this season.

Gastaldello was slight off her semifinals time, putting up a 24.87 for second.