Rapsys Hits Another 1:45 200 Free, Kamminga Keeps Win Streak Alive In Berlin

FINA WORLD CUP SERIES – BERLIN

• Friday, October 11th – Sunday, October 13th
• Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE), Berlin
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• Results

The 2019 FINA World Cup Series’ cluster #2 wrapped up in Berlin, Germany tonight, but not before several notable performances were logged on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Canadian speedster Taylor Ruck‘s rocked an impressive 200m back outing of 2:08.21 to top the field by almost 2 seconds. Splitting 1:02.25/1:05.96, the Stanford Cardinal notched the only sub-2:10 time of the night, logging an outing that would have place 6th at the World Championships final. There in Gwangju, Ruck settled for 5th in a time of 2:07.50.

Ruck’s time was followed by Lena Grabowski of Austria, who lowered her own national record to a new lifetime best of 2:10.06. Holding a previous PB of 2:10.27, Grabowski’s time tonight lays waste to the 2:11.16 she put up in Gwangju to place 17th.

Rounding out the top 3 tonight was on-fire Dutch ace Kira Toussaint, who already took the 50m and 100m backstroke events here in Berlin in new Dutch standards. Toussaint logged a new personal best in this 200m distance to close out her successful meet, taking bronze in 2:11.79.

Germany got on the board with 2 wins on this final night, first with Angelina Kohler taking the women’s 100m fly in a time of 58.83. That represented the only sub-59 second time of the field, although the top 7 finishers were all under a minute.

Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Jakabos got her hands on the wall in 59.10 for silver, while Aliana Schmidtke made it 2 medals for Germany in the race by snagging bronze in 59.12.

Germany also collected a gold in the women’s 50m breast, courtesy of Anna Elendt who finished on top in 31.27.

Michael Andrew of the United States got it done in the men’s 50m fly, taking the event title in a time of 23.22, just .07 ahead of runner-up Sebastian Sabo of Hungary who touched in 23.29. Andrew also snagged bronze in the men’s 100m back in a time of 54.13.

Japan’s Ryosuke Irie notched a time in tonight’s 100m back final that was just a hair off what he put up in Gwangju. Stopping the clock in a mighty 53.26, Irie’s time this evening fell just .04 shy of the 53.22 he logged for 6th place in the event in Gwangju.

Yohann Ndoye-Brouard of France was also under the 54-second barrier tonight, hitting the time pad in a mark of 53.92. That result checks in as the 2nd fastest of the Frenchman’s career.

The men’s 200m breasttroke saw Dutch maestro Arno Kamminga continue his winning streak, with the 23-year-old compleitng his trifecta of breast wins here in Berlin. Last week in Budapest Kamminga clocked a new lifetime best and Dutch national record of 2:07.96 to score the first-ever result of his career under 2:08.

Tonight, Kamminga was off that mark but was still rendered the winner comfortably in a time of 2:09.03. That held off former World Record holder in this event, Ippei Watanabe of Japan, as well as China’s Zhang Ruixuan, who finished with respective efforts of 2:09.86 and 2:09.89.

Danas Rapsys of Lithuania would not be denied in the men’s 200m free, rocking another solid performance of 1:45.82. His lifetime best and national record of 1:44.38 was logged just this season at the Singapore stop of this FINA World Cup Series.

Finishing behind Rapsys this evening was the World Championships silver medalist Katsuhiro Matsumoto. Matsumoto nailed a new Japanese national record in the 200m free in Gwangju in a time of 1:45.22. Tonight he mustered a time of 1:46.87 to land on the podium behind Rapsys, but ahead of Hungary’s 200m fly World Recor holder Kristof Milak who finished in 1:47.73.

Finally, powerhouse women Katinka Hosszu and Cate Campbell showed why they’re 2 of the most fierce athletes in the water today, as the former topped the women’s 200m IM field in 2:10.38, while the latter claimed gold in the 100m free in 52.51.

For Hosszu, her time this evening was off the 2:09.56 from last week but was enough to stay ahead of Japan’s rising star Rika Omoto and her silver medal-garnering swim of 2:10.61.

As for C1, the Aussie followed up her 53.00 100m free victory from last week with a 52.51 scorcher, coming within .17 of her own World Cup Record mark of 52.34 notched in Jinan this season.

Behind C1 was Ranomi Kromowidjojo, yesterday’s 50m fly winner, who touched in 53.33 to sneak in for silver ahead of day 1 50m free gold medalist Michelle Coleman. The Swede produced an effort of 53.35 to sit only .14 outside of her own career-fastest time of 53.21 produced at the 2017 FINA World Aquatic Championships.