Australia’s Melanie Schlanger and the U.S.A.’s Nathan Adrian put their sprinting skills on display in Singapore and were handily rewarded for it, to the tune of $20,000.
At the Singapore Swim Stars event, which featured a host of Olympians and international swimming icons, Schlanger and Adrian won the boosted 50 and 100 freestyle prize checks, with the 50 coming in a multi-round shootout.
Each event yielded $5,000 for the winner, $3,000 for second, $1,500 for third and $750 for fourth. The 50 and 100 frees, though, had increased cash prizes, going from $10,000 for the winner down to $5,000, $2,500 and $1250 for second through fourth.
Here’s an event-by-event look at the results of the very sprint-oriented meet:
Women’s 100 Free:
Schlanger nipped World Cup money-leader Katinka Hosszu for a big paycheck of her own, as the two swam nearly-identical races. Schlanger went out in 26.39, Hosszu in 26.47. They both came back in 27.1s, but Schlanger’s early lead held up as she won in 53.51 to 53.64.
Third and fourth went to a pair of Danish teammates. Jeanette Ottesen was 54.22, with Pernile Blume 54.54.
Men’s 100 Free
Adrian opened up a half-second lead by the 50-turn in his 100 free, winning easily in 48.46. Second-place prize money went to Japan’s Shinri Shioura in 49.07.
Things tightened up behind Shioura. France’s Fabian Gilot had a nice swim, going out fast and coming home at 49.14 to nearly steal second from Shioura. Meanwhile American Anthony Ervin was also out fast, trailing only Adrian and Gilot at the turn, but fell off in the final stretch to go 49.44 and take fourth.
Just outside the money spots was Australia’s Matt Abood in 49.65.
Men’s 100 Back
American David Plummer capped off an eventful summer with a win in the men’s 100 back. Plummer went 53.51 to win the race easily. The swimming veteran wound up 4th at U.S. Nationals in this race, but snuck out one of the last spots on the U.S. Pan Pacs team only to move up in Australia and earn a World Champs qualifying spot. This was about four tenths off his time from Pan Pacs.
Australia’s Ashley Delaney, fresh off the World Cup circuit, took second in 54.19. Another American, Eugene Godsoe, gave the U.S. two in the top three, even without all of its backstroking stars in attendance. Godsoe was 54.38, while Japan’s Yuki Shirai finished fourth in 54.57.
Women’s 100 Back
Australian Emily Seebohm topped a six-person field to win the women’s backstroking event in 58.99. Seebohm had to put together a big back half to do it, though, as she was running just third at the turn. Denmark’s Mie Nielsen led early with a 28.8 split, but watched Seebohm go by her on the homestretch. Nielsen still held on for second in 59.20, a new Danish national record.
Katinka Hosszu, who probably found this meet to have too few events for her, swam out to second place at the 50, but fell to third when Seebohm made her late charge. Hosszu went 59.36.
Great Britain’s Georgia Davies finished out the money-winners with a 1:01.55.
Men’s 100 Breast
The men’s breaststroke was supposed to be a showdown between world record-holder Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa and Great Britain’s Adam Peaty, who rattled that record and broke van der Burgh’s 50 breast record at the European Championships. But it turned out to be Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli who was the best swimmer on this day, topping the two big names with a 1:00.37.
Peaty was just behind in 1:00.42, a ways off his great Euros performance, and van der Burgh came in third at 1:00.77.
New Zealand’s Glenn Snyders, who broke his own short course national record at New Zealand’s short course nationals just a few days ago, arrived in Singapore to take fourth in 1:01.14. A tenth out of money was American Mike Alexandrov.
Women’s 100 Fly
Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen picked up her first win and second paycheck with a 57.34 in the 100 fly. Ottesen was tied with Australia’s Brittany Elmslie at the 50, but blasted a big back half to pick up gold.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu also blew past Elmslie in the final lap, finishing second in 58.73. Elmslie wound up third overall at 59.77.
Fourth place went to Rachael Kelly of Great Britain in 1:00.84.
Women’s 100 Breast
With just 5 swimmers in the women’s 100 breast, all but one were set to get prize money. Who would win wasn’t ever in much question, with the world record-holder Ruta Meilutyte in attendance from Lithuania. Meilutyte went 1:05.73 for the win, capping off a long course season that included gold at European Championships, Youth Olympic Games and now Singapore Swim Stars.
Second went to Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen, one of the few women in the world who can challenge Meilutyte in breaststroke races. But today was all Meilutyte, as Pedersen was just 1:07.30 for second. Just behind was American Jessica Hardy (1:07.33) and fourth went to Australia’s Leiston Pickett in 1:07.65.
Women’s 50 Free
In the women’s 50, Melanie Schlanger led through all three rounds, steadily improving her time with each swim. The race began with 9 swimmers competing. The top 4 made it to the second round, where all four went head-to-head with the top 2 advancing to the final.
Schlanger was 24.97 out of that opening round, but Great Britain’s stud sprinter Fran Halsall was just a few hundredths back in 25.02. In round two, Schlanger once again topped Halsall 24.87 to 24.97, but it was still clearly anyone’s game going into the final. In that one-on-one showdown, Schlanger dropped event more to go 24.67. Halsall went faster herself, but couldn’t get any lower than 24.74 and settled for second.
The other swimmers to advance to the semifinal were American Madison Kennedy and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of the Bahamas, two swimmers who represent different nationalities but train together at SwimMAC in the U.S. Kennedy wound up taking third place in 25.48, with Vanderpool-Wallace 25.57 for fourth.
Results:
First round
Second round
Final round
Men’s 50 Free
The final event was as exciting as advertised, a back-and-forth showdown between two American teammates. In round one, Josh Schneider picked up the top seed, going 22.01. Roland Schoeman was second (22.16) and Nathan Adrian third (22.23). British sprinter Ben Proud joined them in the semifinal after going 22.33. Just missing out were Japan’s Shinri Shioura (22.43), American Anthony Ervin (22.51) and Australia”s Matt Abood (22.61).
In the semifinal round, Adrian kicked it into another gear, rising from third to tie Schneider for the top spot heading into finals. Both men went 21.83 with $10,000 on the line for whoever could break the tie in the final. The South African veteran Schoeman held on to third in 22.22, with the British youngster Proud in fourth at 22.39.
In the final, it was Adrian who prevailed, rolling to a 21.72 that just nipped Schneider by .04. Schneider settled for second and the $5,000 paycheck that came with it in 21.76.
Results:
Go Nathan!
I’m impressed by some of the times, especially among the women! Seebohm routinely goes under 59 in the 100 back now, and Neilson and Hosszu under 59.5. I hope Missy gets her backstroke mojo back in 2015, because with nobody else coming close to 1:00 this year, suddenly the women’s 100 back seems like a weak event for the US.
It’s too bad Sjostrom didn’t attend, but even without competition Ottesen easily slides under 58.5! And Meilutyte swims under 1:06 with the effort it takes others to go under 1:09! Neither the gold in the women’s 100 fly or 100 breast in 2015 seem like they could go to anybody but those three ladies right now.
The US women’s team… Read more »
The meet was a mess from an organizational (does the word exist in English? If not, I just made it up 😀 ) point of view. Too bad.
Luigi, That is an English word, and you used it better than most Americans I know! It’s amazing to me how many people who comment on this website are doing so in a second (or third) language! 🙂
Thanks, DJR, you’re too kind.
wow- Hosszu can sprint too! 53.64 100free, 59.36 100back, 58.73 100fly!!!!! who knows how fast she could be if she tried to specialize in these events! My my!
She’s a machine. The more she swims, the best she is. She can’t specialize! 🙂
But we’ll see if she will have an olympic gold medal in her pocket before the end of her career. It’s not so sure. The 200 IM seems to be her best chance in 2016. But if a famous Chinese swimmer is back at her best….
She is spreading herself very thin in order to make as much money out of it as she can. I think she is one of the best if not the best female all-around swimmer ever, but if she wants Olympic gold perhaps she will have to give up some events. The competition in Rio will be fierce, and she will be 27 by then. I would like to read the thoughts of some experts on the subject.
What about men’s 100 fly??
Ajj – there were no results included for men’s 100 fly. It’s possible the event didn’t get enough entries to run it. The meet’s website has been down all day, so we’re still looking into it.