Maria Kameneva, Kliment Kolesnikov Break Russian Records at Russian Championships

2022 Russian Swimming Championships (SCM)

• November 20-25, 2022
• Kazan, Russia
• Short Course Meters (25 meters), prelims/finals + semi-finals for 50 & 100 meter races.
• Results

The first half of the 2022 Russian Swimming Championships in short course meters have produced a handful of globally ranked swims, including new National Records from Maria Kameneva and Kliment Kolesnikov.

The event is the second leg of three of the “Russian Friendship Games,” which comes with significant prize money for both athletes and coaches. The swimmers (men and women) with the best FINA points swim of their gender will receive 120,000 Rubles, about $2000 USD, with rewards going to the top 20 FINA points earners of each side.

Otherwise, the meet is not a selection event for anything, as Russia is still banned from international competition over their invasion of Ukraine – including the upcoming Short Course World Championships. Russia was originally selected to host that event, but FINA was eventually forced to move that meet to Australia among Russian athletes’ participation in pro-war rallies earlier this year.

The United Nations reported this week that civilian deaths in Ukraine have topped 6,500 and civilian injuries have topped 10,000. Substantial evidence of war crimes has also been found, especially as Russia retreats among a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

1,041 athletes from 22 countries are participating, including Russia, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Brunei, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Nigeria, Palestine, South Africa, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Syria , Tonga, Tajikistan, Uganda.

Also participating is Andrei Minakov, who is training and attending school at Stanford University in the United States. The defending NCAA Champion in the 100 yard fly, Minakov has not yet raced for Stanford this season. He was in the US for part of the summer, including racing at the US National Championships in July, but raced most recently at Russia’s Summer Spartakiad in late August.

Minakov so far has won the 100 fly in 49.92. That is shy of his personal best of 49.21 from the 2021 Short Course World Championships.

The Results

The first three days of competition have seen two National Records. That includes a 51.79 from Maria Kameneva in the women’s 100 freestyle final. That cleared a 2015 National Record held by Veronika Popova in 52.02.

Kameneva now holds the Russia Records in both the 50 and 100 free in long course, plus the 50 free, 100 free, 50 back, 100 back, and 100 IM in short course, in addition to a number of relay records.

Splits Comparison:

That record-setting swim for Kameneva is not actually her highest-scoring swim of the meet. At present, that title belongs to her 56.23 in the 100 backstroke, which is the highest-scoring women’s swim of the meet in 930 points and so far in position for the top prize.

The top-scoring men’s swim through two days, meanwhile, is Kliment Kolesnikov in the 100 backstroke in 48.82 at 970 points. That is the fastest time in the world so far this season, beating-out American Shaine Casas and his 48.84 from the FINA World Cup Series.

Kolesnikov’s best time of 48.58 from the 2020 ISL season is the European Record in the event.

Much like Kameneva, Kolesnikov set a Russian Record in an event that is not his highest-scorer of the meet so far: the men’s 50 backstroke. The 22-year-old swam 22.31 in the semi-finals of that event, which breaks his own record of 22.47 from the 2021 European Short Course Championships.

Other Days 1 & 2 Highlights:

• Belarus’ Alina Zmushka won the women’s 50 breaststroke in 29.49, which is a new National Record for her country. That ranks her 4th in the world this season. Belarus is also barred from competing in international competition for its support role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian Nika Godun was 2nd in 29.71.
• Russian Danil Semyaninov won the mens’ 100 breaststroke in a new best time of 56.25, cutting about a quarter-of-a-second off his previous best and .23 seconds shy of the Russian Record in the event. Belarus’ Ilya Shymanovich, the defending Short Course World Champion and the World Record holder in the event, was 2nd in 56.26.
• Anton Chupkov, a two-time World Champion in long course in the 200 breaststroke, swam a modest 2:07.18 in prelims of that event before withdrawing from the final. He cited “health reasons” according to Russian state-run media. Kirill Prigoda won that race in 2:02.70. That ranks him 4th in the world this year.