Peaty Hits Meet Record in 50 BR, Proud Tops Fratus at Mare Nostrum – Barcelona

2019 MARE NOSTRUM – BARCELONA

• June 15-16, 2019
• Barcelona
• Psych sheet
• Mare Nostrum Records
• Results

The 2019 Mare Nostrum Tour concluded tonight in Barcelona, wrapping up a three-stop tour in Europe featuring some of the fastest swimmers in the world.

Katinka Hosszu won the 200 IM tonight, putting forth another sub-2:10 swim. Her time of 2:09.39 put her ahead of the rest of the field by more than two seconds. Hosszu was actually trailing at the halfway mark, hitting the wall at 1:01.68 while American junior national team-er Alex Walsh was at 1:01.65.

Hosszu, however, pulled ahead on the breaststroke and then turned on the heat on the free leg, with Walsh settling for second at 2:11.86. Pre-champ season, she’s already coming right in on her best time — last summer, she hit her best at 2:11.83, making tonight’s swim her second-best performance ever.

In the 200 back, prior to the 200 IM, Hosszu was defeated by two teenagers. Canada’s Taylor Ruck clocked a 2:08.46, splitting 1:03.1/1:05.3. American Phoebe Bacon was 2:09.33 to take second, registering a new personal best by three hundredths. Her old best was a 2:09.36 from the 2019 Atlanta Classic in May.

Hosszu’s countrymate Kristof Milak took control of the 100 fly, helped by a sub-28 back-half (27.83). He finished in 52.04, just ahead of Romania’s Daniel Christian Martin (52.35).

One of the most-anticipated races of the night was the men’s 50 free, with a host of international sprint talent coming together. Ben Proud of GBR wound up on top in 21.58, eclipsing Andrii Govorov’s 2016 meet record. Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev took second in 21.79, ahead of Brazil’s Bruno Fratus in third (21.89). Nobody else broke 22, with American Michael Andrew taking fourth in 22.31.

Andrew got a win earlier in the 100 back, though, posting a 53.85. That’s his fourth-best performance ever, not far from his lifetime best of 53.55 from the 2018 Pan Pac Champs.

Adam Peaty was the only swimmer under 27 seconds in the men’s 50 breast, going 26.55 to clock a new meet record. He improves upon his meet record (not all-tour record) from this meet in 2016, which was a 26.68. In the 200 breast, German record-holder Marco Koch posted a 2:08.79, as GBR’s James Wilby also went under 2:10 (2:09.36).

Japan’s Miyu Namba, born in 2002, got her hand to the wall first in a very tight finish in the women’s 400 free. She was 4:08.86, edging out Argentina’s Delfina Pignatiello (4:08.88) and GBR’s Holly Hibbott (4:08.93). Namba’s time looks to be a best time for her — she was 4:12.99 at the 2018 Jr Pan Pacs. Fourth place was Emma Weyant, of the American junior national team. She was 4:10.27, a best time by over two seconds after going a best of 4:12.37 in prelims.

OTHER WINNERS

• Anna Hopkin of GBR posted a 54.20 to win the women’s 100 free.
• Six men broke 15:10 in a very tight finish, with Czech Republic’s Jan Micka prevailing at 15:03.01.
• Georgia Davies of GBR took the women’s 50 back in 28.06, just off of breaking the 28-second barrier.
• Canada’s Penny Oleksiak took the win in the 50 fly in 26.06.
• The 400 IM went to Joan Pons Ramon in 4:14.81.
• Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas took the win in 2:07.98, less than a second off of her 2:07.13 lifetime best from when she won the 2018 European title.
• Five men went 1:47’s in the 200 free A final, led by GBR’s Thomas Dean at 1:47.30.
• Yulia Efimova posted a 1:05.75 to win the womens’s 100 breast, though second-place Martina Carraro (1:07.28) had the fastest back half in 34.43.