2019 FINA WORLD CUP STOP #1 – TOKYO, JAPAN
With the 2019 World Championships now done and dusted, the 2019 FINA World Swimming Cup is about to get underway. The first stop of the first cluster is set to take place in Tokyo, Japan, site of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, giving swimmers a taste of what it may be like to return to the city one year from now and represent their nations on the biggest competitive stage.
This weekend’s competition takes place over 3 days, as will the remaining 2 stops of the first cluster. Those include Jinan, China on August 8th-10th, as well as Singapore August 15-17th. Clusters #2 and #3 only contain 2 stops each, with the former taking place in October and the latter in November.
Swimmers are competing for prize money, which is tallied at each stop, across each cluster, as well as over the entire World Cup circuit. Last year saw Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and Russia’s Vladimir Morozov claim the overall cup wins. You can refresh yourself on 2018’s final point standings here.
For the 2019 season, for each individual event, the prize money shall be distributed as follows:
– First place: US$ 1,500
– Second place: US$ 1,000
– Third place: US$ 500
– Fourth place: US$ 400
– Fifth place: US$ 300
– Sixth place: US$ 200
For this 31st edition of the World Cup, all meets will run across three days and swimmers are allowed to enter an unlimited number of individual events. However, only the best three results will count toward the ranking/scoring. All the meets will take place in a 50m-pool and will be qualifying events for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Below are the key entrants from each nation for this first stop in Tokyo. There are more than a handful of 2019 World Championships medalists including Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, Daiya Seto of Japan, Ryan Murphy of the United States and Madi Wilson of Australia although usual World Cup mainstays Sarah Sjostrom and Chad Le Clos are both missing.
Japan has the largest representation with this meet being hosted domestically, but another big name besides double gold medalist Seto’s sticks out – Kosuke Hagino.
As we reported, with Japanese Olympic champion Hagino’s having opted out of both the Japan Swim in April, as well as the Japan Open in May, the 24-year-old forfeited any chance of qualifying for this year’s World Championships.
When Hagino announced his withdrawal from the Japan Swim, the 24-year-old Bridgestone swimmer stated, “I’ve been unable to achieve the results I had hoped for since the 2017 season.
“As the gap between my targets and reality has widened, it has become harder for me to maintain my motivation.”
However, in June, the IM specialist began getting the itch to return to competition and announced his re-commitment to take on Tokyo 2020.
Said the Bridgestone professional swimmer at the time of his re-commitment, “This year I experienced extreme depression.” He continued, “The difference between what I wanted to happen and what my actual results were dampened my motivation.”
“Before and after the Japan Swim I stayed in Germany for about 2 weeks and spent a lot of time soul-searching by visiting various places. During that time, my body improved little by little.”
Notable Roster Members per Nation for the FINA World Cup Stop #1
USA – Erica Sullivan, Andrew Wilson, Andrew Seliskar, Blake Pieroni, Michael Andrew, Ryan Murphy, Josh Prenot, Jacob Pebley, Zach Harting, Brennan Gravley
Ukraine – Andrii Govorov
Sweden – Michelle Coleman, Louis Hansson, Sophie Hansson
Singapore – Quah Jing Wen, Quan Ting Wen, Christie Chue, Quah Zheng Wen, Lionel Khoo
Russia – Vladimir Morozov
Lithuania – Danas Rapsys, Andrius Sidlauskas, Giedrius Titenis
South Africa – Tatjana Schoemaker, Roland Schoeman
Japan – Rika Omoto, Kanako Watanabe, Satomi Suzuki, Ai Soma, Sakiko Shimizu, Yui Ohashi, Anna Konishi, Waka Kobori, Runa Imai, Tomomi Aoki, Reona Aoki, Sayake Akasi, Yasuhiro Koseki, Naoki Mizunuma, Yuya Yajima, Daiya Seto, Keita Sunama, Katsuhiro Matsumoto, Yuki Korobori, Kengo Ita, Nao Horomura, Kosuke Hagino
Canada – Emily Overholt, Jeremy Bagshaw, Richard Funk, Markus Thormeyer
Australia – Cate Campbell, Laura Taylor, Madi Wilson, Holly Barratt, Maddy Gough, Kiah Melverton, Emily Seebohm, Brianna Throssell, Mitch Larkin, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Travis Mahoney, Cameron McEvoy, William Yang
Jamaica – Alia Atkinson
Italy – Federica Pellegrini, Santo Condorelli, Nicolo Martingenghi
Hungary – Katinka Hosszu, Zsuzsanna Jakabos, Dominik Kozma, Sebastian Sabo
Spain – Mireia Belmonte, Jessica Vall
Denmark – Jeanette Ottesen
Brazil – Felipe Franca Silva
Belarus – Ilya Shymanovich, Yauhen Tsurkin
Belmonte gonna dieeeee rip
Who is in better shape- Hagino or Lochte?