Hosszu Wins 6 More to Finish Indian Ocean Champs 16-for-17 in Individual Races

With only one tiny tarnish on her trophy, a silver medal in Monday’s 50 free, Katinka Hosszu pulled off the near-unthinkable and won 16 out of 17 races in three days at the 2014 Indian Ocean Championships, completed with a 6-for-6 on Tuesday in Reunion.

Tuesday’s session came with another new Hungarian Record for her, swimming a 1:05.60 in the 100 breaststroke to break the old record of 1:07.06 done by Agnes Kovacs, giving Hosszu now 15 out of the 18 Hungarian individual National Records in short course meters.

That record-breaking swim, which also got the meet mark, was her first of another marathon session. Shortly after, she rolled into an 8:26.46 in the 800 free, and then got her best challenge of the day in the 50 fly.

Hosszu touched in that race in 25.64, breaking her own Hungarian Record and just beating out young French star Marie Wattel (26.22), plus Anna Santamans (26.66) who is the only swimmer that beat Hosszu this week. Wattel and Santamans are teammates at Olympic Nice.

Four out of Hosszu’s six swims on the day were Meet Records, including that 50 fly and her next event the 200 IM. There she won again in 2:07.45, beating out country mate Evelin Verraszto (2:11.07).

Then came another new National Record for Hosszu in the 100 free, where her 52.37 broke the Meet and Hungarian Records. The old Hungarian mark was a 52.90, held by Verraszto (who didn’t swim the race here), which moves Katinka to holding 16 out of 18 short course meters Hungarian Records.

Charlotte Bonnet swam well with a 53.07 for 2nd-place in that race. That just misses her own personal best from Worlds by fewer than three tenths of a second.

Hosszu’s day wrapped with one more cruise-to-victory, swimming a 2:06.39 to win the women’s 200 back by three seconds ahead of Verraszto.

The story of the men’s meet was that the three biggest international stars in attendance, who have generally dominated the weekend, each picked up more wins before coming to a competitive head in the 100 free.

First up was Roland Schoeman, who won the 100 breaststroke ahead of Swiss swimmer Jeremy Desplanches 59.40-59.98. After a break for the 1500, Schoeman won again in the 50 fly with a 23.00 – beating out Jeremy Stravius.

Next up it was American Darian Townsend’s turn, as he won the men’s 200 IM in 1:55.33. That’s a new Meet Record and was surprisingly dominant over Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches (1:57.58) who earlier in the meet broke the Swiss Record in the 400 IM.

Stravius then got his licks in by winning the best race of the meet – the men’s 100 free final. All three swimmers, Stravius, Schoeman, and Townsend, were within .03 of each other at the 50-meter split, and Stravius just barely had the fortitude to touch first in 47.74, holding off Schoeman (47.77) and Townsend (47.83).

Other men’s winners on the day included Reunion local Benoit Debast (15:13.62) in the men’s 1500 free; and Thomas Avetand in the men’s 200 back (1:56.55). Taking second in that 200 back was Frenchman Oleg Garasymovytch, who broke the French 17-and-under National Age Record with a 1:56.87.

Full meet results available here.