Despite dealing with a bout of food poisoning, Katinka Hosszu won three races at the international competition in Nice, France Friday night.
The Iron Lady beat Lithuanian phenom Ruta Meilutyte in the 50 free 25.19 to 25.26 to kick things off, then came back a few events later to pop off a 2:11.52 win in the 200 back, easily topping the pair of 2:13 Spaniards (Duane da Rocha Montero and Melanie Costa Schmid) behind her.
Hosszu closed day 1 of the three day meet by knocking of Frenchwoman Camille Muffat in the 100 fly 59.38 to 59.63.
Meilutyte added a 100 breaststroke win of her own, going 1:07.37.
Also competing was Spain’s Mireia Belmonte-Garcia, who won the 800 free in 8:30.20. She wound up 6th against that tough 200 back field in her first head-to-head meeting with Hosszu this weekend, and those two should tangle again over the next two days.
Competing in his home country, Jeremy Stravius won twice for the men. He beat out Hosszu’s Hungarian training partner David Foldhazi in the 200 back, going 2:01.13 to Foldhazi’s 2:02.75.
Then, in the race of the night, Stravius managed to get his hand on the wall first in the 100 fly by just .01 over Russian Evgeny Korotyshkin. Stravius was 53.44, Korotyshkin 53.45 and Briton James Antony wasn’t far behind in 53.75.
Quentin Coton won another race for the home country, taking the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.82. That event was a 1-2-3 French finish with Thomas Rabiesen (1:03.82) and William DeBourges (1:04.21) following Coton to the wall.
Ukranian Andrey Govorov beat Great Britain’s Benjamin Proud in the 50 free, going 22.46 to Proud’s 22.57. Govorov’s countryman Mykhalo Romanchuk took the men’s 1500 free in 15:09.21, crushing the field.
The prelims-finals meet will continue Saturday and Sunday.
SwimfanFinland, Camille Muffat will not swim the 400 free.
It seems that, at least since Barcelona, she now focuses more on the shortest distances. 100 free and 200 free. I think the 200 free is now her main goal until 2016. With Miss Ledecky as opponent, she knows that the 400 free will be very hard now. She’s older too. Nothing official. It’s just my opinion. We’ll see.
She already owns 8 lithuanian individual LC records 😀
Is Muffat going to swim a 400-metres freestyle? Women just went a 4:07 down under. She must try to go faster for sure.
And Ruta keeps extending her repertoire. 🙂
Is anyone besides me surprised that Hosszu beat sprint specialist Meilutyte in the 50? Hosszu’s versatility is impressive, and her time was also roughly the same as what sprinter Natalie Coughlin won the Austin Grand Prix in a couple weeks ago. Not a time that will make international podiums, but it bodes well for her 100s.
Not just you.
I was also very surprised when I saw the result. a 25low in heavy training for a 400IM//200flyer is extremely FAST. I don’t think there there is any other top 400 IMer who can swim that fast in 50 free.