2020 VLADIMIR SALNIKOV CUP
- Monday, December 21st & Tuesday, December 22nd
- St. Petersburg, Russia
- SCM (25m)
- Day 1 Prelims Recap
- Live Results
- Live Stream
Competing on day 1 of the Vladimir Salnikov Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia, Grigori (Hryhory) Pekarski of Belarus nailed a new national record in the men’s 50m butterfly.
The 22-year-old traveled to Russia straight from his nation’s Short Course Championships, where he put up two new national records. He produced a lifetime best of 47.08 in the 100m free and a mark of 22.40 in the 50m fly to check-in as his nation’s best-ever in each.
Now here in Russia, Pekarski denied host nation World Junior Record holder Andrei Minakov the gold in the 50m fly final tonight. Minakov led the men’s heats with a speedy 22.62, within range of his newly-minuted WJR of 22.34, but wound up settling for silver in the final with another speedy swim of 22.54.
Landing atop the podium was Pekarski, who stopped the clock in a big-time 22.37. That now overtakes his aforementioned previous days-old PB and Belarusian record of 22.40 and also established a new meet record. Pekarski now ranks as the 25th fastest performer all-time in this fast and furious fly event.