Michael Andrew Comes Within .01 Of American Record To Close Tokyo

2018 FINA WORLD CUP TOKYO

• Friday, November 9th – Sunday, November 11th
• Tatsumi International Swimming Center
• SCM
• Heats at 9:30am local/Finals at 6pm local
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Entry List
• Day 1 Prelims/Day 1 Finals
• Day 2 Prelims/Day 2 Finals
• Day 3 Prelims
• Results

The final night of action in Tokyo was filled with national records, a world record and several eye-popping performances by the world’s best.

Producing his 2nd fastest time ever, Japanese Olympic champion Kosuke Hagino clocked a time of 4:01.93 in this morning’s ‘slowest heat’ of the men’s 400m IM to beat out the night’s final competition and take gold in Tokyo.

Hagino’s fastest 400mIM short course is the 4:01.17 he registered back in 2014 to take silver at the Short Course World Championships, so the fact the 24-year-old was within striking distance of that mark after taking a part of the summer off training is a good indication that he’s back on track.

Runner-up via winning the night final was Hungary’s David Verraszto who touched in 4:03.29, while reigning 200m breast World Record holder Ippei Watanabe gave Japan another medal with bronze in 4:03.52, a new personal best.

Japanese teen Rikako Ikee blasted a new Japanese National Record in the women’s 100m fly to beat out temporary training partner and World Record holder Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden. Ikee notched a winning effort of 55.31 to Sjostrom’s 55.76. You can read more about the race in a separate post here.

Russian Vlad Morozov kept his electric streak going, taking the men’s 50m fly in 22.29. That was enough to hold off America’s Michael Andrew, who finished just .10 behind in 22.39. For Andrew, his time represents his new personal best, overtaking his previous fastest of 22.76 by a large margin. The 19-year-old’s effort also falls just .01 behind Tom Shields’ American Record in the 50m fly event.

As expected, Takeshi Kawamoto of Japan worked his way up from 8th seed to take the bronze, notching bronze in 22.60. That’s just .11 off his own newly-minted NR clocked in October at his nation’s Short Course World Championships Trials.

We reported how China’s Xu Jiayu fired off a new World Record in the 100m backstroke, earning gold here in Tokyo in the fastest-ever mark of 48.88. You can read more about this historic performance here.

Both Kirill Prigoda and Anton Chupkov were circling the Russian National Record in the men’s 200m breast, with the former topping the podium in 2:01.30 to the latter’s 2:01.57. Prigoda holds the NR at 2:01.11 from the last edition of the European Championships.

Yasuhiro Koseki, double Pan Pacs champion this year, nabbed bronze in 2:02.84. Fun fact – IM Olympic medalist Daiya Seto actually holds Japan’s NR in this 200m breast event in 2:01.30.

In the ongoing cat-and-mouse bertween Sjostrom and Netherlands’ Ranomi Kromowidjojo in the sprint events, it was the Dutch racer who took the 100m freestyle tonight to try to even the score. 51.26 is what Kromo produced while Sjostrom was relegated to bronze by way of Femke Heeskerk‘s silver.

Veteran Heemskerk broke up the Sjostrom/Kromo party with a time of 51.38m her 2nd fastest outing of all-time.

In an Olympian-heavy men’s 200m free final, it was Australia’s Kyle Chalmers who got his hand on the wall first, taking the gold in 1:41.83. Spitting 49.55 on the opening 100m, Chalmers uncharacteristically went out the fastest of all competitors, with USA’s Blake Pieroni next in 50.01.

Clocking in 52.28, Chalmers clocked the only sub-1:42 effort of the field, but still has a ways to go to come within striking distance of Cameron McEvoy’s Aussie NR of 1:40.80. It does, however, sit as the 19-year-old Chalmer’s personal best now.

Pieroni took silver in 1:42.16, his 3rd fastest outing ever. China’s Wang Shun rounded out the top 3 in 1:43.43, while GBR Olympian James Guy took 4th in 1:44.13.

Of note, Hagino was also in the race, registering 1:45.10 for 5th, while Aussie Mack Horton slid into 7th in 1:47.43.

Katinka Hosszu was unstoppable in the women’s 200m IM, taking gold in 2:04.65, while Yui Ohashi clocked a new NR in 2:05.29 for silver. China’s Ye Shiwen rounded out the top 3 in 2:07.09, while Seebohm was in the water yet again, finishing 4th 2:07.22.

You can read more about Ohashi’s Japanese National Record here.

Team Australia took the mixed medley relay in 1:39.74, comprised of Atherton’s 26.50 lead-off, Matthew Wilson‘s 26.08 split, Seebohm’s leg of 25.75 and Chalmers’ anchor of 21.41. The Japanese squad reaped silver in 1:40.62, while Germany clinched bronze just .07 later in 1:40.69.

Additional Winners:

• Mayuko Gotou was tonight’s 800m freestyle winner in 8:19.74.
• Reigning 200m backstroke world champion Seebohm got on back of the podium in this event, beating out teammate Atherton and Hosszu. Seebohm took gold in 2:01.13, while Atherton and Hosszu took silver and bronze in respective times of 2:02.88 and 2:02.89, separated by just .01.
• Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson edged out Russian rival Yuliya Efimova in the 50m breast, winning handily in 28.95. to Efimova’s 29.56. Seebohm turned right around after her 200m back and collected bronze in 29.99.