Russian Short Course Swimming Championships
- November 7-12, 2018
- Kazan, Russia
- SCM (25m)
- Palace of Water Sports
- SC World Qualifying Standards (In Russian)
- Start Lists / Live Results
The 2018 Russian Short Course Championships are set to get underway on Wednesday from Kazan, with spots on the Short Course World Championship team up for grabs.
The swimmers who were invited by FINA to compete on the World Cup – Vlad Morozov, Kirill Prigoda, Anton Chupkov, Yuliya Efimova and Vitalina Simonova – will not be in attendance, and will have their results from the World Cup circuit used for qualifying.
That will complicate the qualifying procedures during the meet a little bit, but the general criteria is that the top-2 in each individual event (under the qualifying standard) will qualify, along with the top-4 in the 100/200 free, and if the fastest in the 100 back, breast or fly isn’t under the standard, they’ll be added for the medley relay. Additionally, four junior swimmers can be added to the team by the head coach, depending on vacant positions.
Rising superstar Kliment Kolesnikov is entered in seven events for the six day affair, entered in the 100/200 free, 50/100/200 back, and the 100/200 IM. Kolesnikov has never competed at a Short Course Worlds before, but did win four golds and one silver at the European SC Championships in December of 2017.
Just over a week after that meet he set the world record in the SCM 100 back in a time of 48.90, and this past summer he set the long course record in the 50 back (24.00). His best times in the events he’s entered in are certainly elite and could realistically contend for a medal in all seven. He’s the top seed in six of the events in Kazan, only trailing Sergey Fesikov in the 100 IM.
Fesikov, the former world record in the 100 IM, also enters the meet as the top seed in the 50 free, and sits 2nd to Kolesnikov in the 50 back.
Other notable men slated to compete include Evgeny Rylov (50 free, 50/100/200 back), Oleg Kostin (50 free, 50/100 breast, 50/100 fly, 100 IM), Aleksandr Krasnykh (200/400 free) and Grigory Tarasevich (50/100/200 back). Also in action will be Aleksandr Kharlanov, who was the 2017 European Champion in the 200 fly and was 4th at the 2016 SC Worlds in Windsor, and Mikhail Dorinov, the European SC bronze medalist in the 200 breast.
The women’s side will be highlighted by Euro medalists Maria Kameneva and Veronika Andrusenko, along with Rozaliya Nasretdinova, Daria Ustinova and Svetlana Chimrova.
Kameneva is the top seed in the 50 back, 100 back and 100 IM, and also sits 2nd in the 50 and 100 free to Nasretdinova. Nasretdinova also heads up the 50 fly, and Andrusenko is the top seed in the 200 and 400 free. Chimrova leads the 100 and 200 fly, and Ustinova has five entries including the #1 seed in the 200 back.
