Anton Chupkov Clocks 2:07.95 200 Breast On Military Games Day 4

7TH CISM MILITARY WORLD GAMES

• Saturday, October 19th – Wednesday, October 23rd (swimming portion)
• Wuhan, China
• LCM
• Games website
• Entries
• SwimSwam meet preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
• Results

Today represented the first finals session where China did not outright dominate the gold medals divvied out at the CISM Military World Games. Although the nation did reap the top prize in the men’s 400m free, women’s 200m breast and women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, other nations such as Russia, Brazil and France got a turn to hear their anthems play on day 4 in Wuhan, China.

Nevertheless, China remains ahead of the pack in terms of overall medals with just 1 day of swimming competition left. The nation owns a remarkable 41 total medals, including 22 gold, to make them uncatchable as the team trophy winners by the time competition concludes tomorrow.

MEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• GOLD – VLADISLAV GRINEV (RUS) – 47.86 *MEET RECORD
• SILVER – PEDRO SPAJARI (BRA) – 48.75
• BRONZE – KACPER MAJCHRZAK (POL) – 48.99

Russia’s national champion in the men’s 100m free, Vladislav Grinev, turned up the heat to kick-off day 4 in Wuhan. The 23-year-old nailed the only sub-48 second time of the field this evening, stopping the clock at 47.86 to take gold in a new meet record time. His performance overtook the previous meet mark of 48.25 held by Brazil’s Pedro Spajari since 2017.

Tonight, Spajari settled for silver almost a second behind Grinev, producing a time of 48.75 for runner-up. Poland’s national record holder, Kacper Majchrzak, racked up a bronze for his nation, earning 3rd place in 48.99.

Grinev was the bronze medalist at this year’s World Championships in Gwangju where he touched in a time of 47.82. That was well off his lifetime best of 47.43 logged at the Russian National Championships earlier in the spring.

WOMEN’S 50 FLY – FINAL

• GOLD – MELANIE HENIQUE (FRA) – 25.96 *MEET RECORD
• SILVER – ZHANG YUFEI (CHN) – 26.20
• BRONZE – DAIENE DIAS (BRA) – 26.66

Melanie Henique of France carried on the meet record-breaking trend, topping the women’s 50m fly podium in a time of 25.96. Notching the only time of the field tonight under 26 seconds, Henique’s result logs a new meet record, overtaking the 26.72 Anna Dowgiert set in 2015. Dowgiert finished 4th this evening in 26.72.

China’s Zhang Yufei reaped silver in the race, touching in 26.20, while Daiene Dias of Brazil rounded out the top 3 in 26.66.

MEN’S 50 BACK – FINAL

• GOLD – GUILHERME BASSETO (BRA) – 25.34
• SILVER – JEREMY STRAVIUS (FRA) – 25.36
• BRONZE – NICCOLO BONACCHI (ITA) & ROMAN LARIN (RUS) – 25.51

The men’s 50m back saw Brazilian Guilherme Basseto get his hand on the wall first, clinching the gold in a mark of 25.34. That edged out Frenchman Jeremy Stravius by just .02, while a tie ensued for the bronze.

Italy’s Niccolo Bonacchi and Russia’s Roman Larin each touched in 25.51 to become co-bronze medalists in the race. The meet record holder, Tomasz Polewka of Poland, was disqualified.

WOMEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• GOLD – FANTINE LESAFFRE (FRA) – 2:12.07 *MEET RECORD
• SILVER – CHANG YANG (CHN) – 2:13.37
• BRONZE – VIKTORIA BELIAKOVA (RUS) – 2:13.72

Another meet record bit the dust tonight, courtesy of French swimmer Fantine Lesaffre. In the women’s 400m IM, the 24-year-old World Short Course bronze medalist in the event clocked a winning effort of 2:12.07 to top the field by well over a second.

Lesaffre’s time overwrote the previous meet record she set this morning, which was represented by her heats swim of 2:12.78. That time had replaced Vietnam’s Thi Anh Vien Nguyen‘s meet mark of 2:13.87 from 4 years ago.

China got on the board with Chang Yang‘s effort of 2:13.37, a time that edged out Russia’s bronze medalist tonight, Viktoria Beliakova and her time of 2:13.72.

MEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL

• GOLD – JI XINJIE (CHN) – 3:48.33 *MEET RECORD
• SILVER – GUILHERME COSTA (BRA) – 3:49.37
• BRONZE – SERGII FROLOV (UKR) – 3:50.73

Despite the men’s 400m free final being on the sluggish side, with just 2 men dipping under the 3:50 threshold, China’s Ji Xinjie established a new meet record en route to gold. Stopping the clock in 3:48.33, Ji’s time overtook David Aubrey’s previous meet record of 3:49.76 set in 2017.

Ji finished 7th place in this 400m free event in Gwangju, registering a time there of 3:45.64.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – FINAL

• GOLD – YU JINGYAO (CHN) – 2:23.36 *MEET RECORD
• SILVER – MARIIA TEMNIKOVA (RUS) – 2:26.05
• BRONZE – ALEXANDRA IWANOWSKA (POL) – 2:33.03

Yu Jingyao got it done for China in the women’s edition of the 200 breast, registering a winning mark of 2:23.06. That was quicker than the previous meet record of 2:27.31 set by tonight’s silver medalist Mariia Temnikova of Russia back in 2007.

This evening, Temnikova, too, got under her own meet record, touching in 2:26.05 to land on the podium.

Yu’s time tonight lays waste to the 2:26.77 she produced for 17th at this year’s World Championships.

MEN’S 200 BREAST – FINAL

• GOLD – ANTON CHUPKOV (RUS) – 2:07.95 
• SILVER – QIN HAIYANG (CHN) – 2:08.41
• BRONZE – MYKYTA KOPTIELOV (UKR) – 2:14.43

Russia’s World Champion Anton Chupkov was unstoppable in this men’s 200m breaststroke, beating the field by just under half a second. Splitting 1:03.43/1:04.52, Chupkov produced a winning effort of 2:07.95 to comfortably stay ahead of the silver medalist her in the 200m and 400m IM, Qin Haiyang of China. Qin hit the wall in 2:08.41 this evening.

Chupkov raced his way to a monster new lifetime best mark of 2:06.12 to claim gold in this event in Gwangju, establishing a new World Record in the process.

RELAYS:

• Russia took the men’s 4x100m medley relay in a new meet record time of 3:33.57. The combination of Roman Larin (54.98), Chupkov (58.72), Daniil Pakhomov (52.37) and Grinev (47.50) collectively beat out China and Poland who landed on the podium with the silver and bronze, respectively.
  • Notable splits elsewhere in the field included Yan Zibei of China’s 58.07 breaststroke leg, Li Zhuhao‘s fly leg of 52.35, Konrad Czerniak‘s fly leg of 52.21.
• China won the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay n a collective effort of 7:57.06. That represented the only squad to dip under 8:02 in the race, with the women splitting as follows: Yang Junxuan (1:57.56), Zhang Yuhan (1:58.12), Zhang Yufei (2:01.89), Wang Jianjiahe (1:59.49).