2021 RUSSIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, November 16th – Sunday, November 21st
- St. Petersburg, Russia
- SCM (25m)
- Qualifying competition for World Short Course Championships
- SwimSwam Preview
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap
- Entries/Results
- Livestream
The penultimate night of action wrapped up in St. Petersburg at these 2021 Russian Short Course Championships, with swimmers vying for remaining spots on the consideration list for next month’s Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Among those who hit qualifying times was 29-year-old Oleg Kostin. In the men’s 50m fly, Kostin put up a time of 22.36 to beat the field, while Roman Shevlyakov and Pavel Pakhomov settled for respective silver and bronze behind him. The former hit a time of 22.58 to the latter’s 22.78.
Kostin’s 22.36 time here checks in as the 4th fastest of his career, one which includes a lifetime best of 22.07 when he took the national title in this event back in 2017. He was entered in this men’s 50m fly at this year’s European Short Course Championships but wound up not swimming.
His result here tonight dips under the Russian qualification time of 22.56 needed for Abu Dhabi consideration.
The men’s 400m IM also saw someone get under a QT, with Maxim Stupin getting it done in 4:04.48. Beating the field by over 2 seconds, Stupin cleared the minimum time standard of 4:05.29 en route to registering the 3rd swiftest performance of his carer.
In Kazan at this year’s European Short Course Championships, 21-year-old Stupin just missed out on a spot on the podium, placing 4th in a time of 4:04.38. As such, his time here sits just .10 outside of that outing.
On the women’s side, Daria Vaskina did her thing in the women’s 50m back, claiming gold in a qualifying time of 26.99.
Also in the women’s 200m IM, 17-year-old Anastasia Sorokina logged a new lifetime best and Russian Age Record of 2:09.38. Sorokina competed in this event in Kazan, posting a time of 2:10.20. However, two teammates placed ahead of her thus she was left out of the European SC final.
Also getting a QT tonight were two women’s 100m breaststroke in Nika Godun and Yuliya Efimova, with the former throwing down a big-time statement swim. Godun blasted a new career-best of 1:03.77 to handily beat Efimova who touched in 1:04.37.
Entering this meet, Godun’s personal best in this women’s 1breast rested at the 1:04.64 she produced just earlier this month. Splitting 30.50/33.27 this evening, however, Godun blew that previous mark to bits, getting under the 1:04 threshold for the first time ever.
In doing so, Godun now becomes Russia’s 2nd fastest woman to date in this event, sitting only behind Efimova who owns the national record in 1:02.91 from 2016.
Godun recorded a mark of 1:04.67 in Kazan to claim 4th place at the European Short Course Championships, a meet at which Efimova did not compete. Had Godun raced her 1:03.77 time from tonight there in Kazan, she would have taken the gold, beating out Italian Martina Carraro’s podium-topping swim of 1:04.01.
