Svetlana Chimrova Breaks Russian 200 Fly Record on Day 4

2018 Russian Swimming Championships

• April 20th-25th, 2018
• Moscow, Russia
• LCM
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Qualifying Criteria

Two Russian National Records were broken, and a World Record holder was beaten, on day 4 of the 2018 Russian National Championships in Moscow.

Both of the new senior national standards were set in 200 meter races, with the first coming in the 200 fly. There, 22-year old Svetlana Chimrova swam a 2:07.54 to qualify for the European Championships in a second event (she already did so by winning the 100 fly on day 2 of the meet in 57.39). That swim cut just-over a tenth from her own national record of 2:07.67 done at last year’s Mare Nostrum series stop in Monte Carlo.

The time for Chimrova ranks her 6th in the world this year.

The 2nd senior national Russian Record came in the Men’s 200 IM, where Andrey Zhilkin swam a 1:58.17. That broke the record of 1:59.50 set by Semen Makovich in 2013 at the World Junior Championships by over a second. Makovich hadn’t gone faster than that record in the 4-and-a-half years since he set it until Monday, where he took 2nd place in 1:59.27 – enough for the 2nd qualifying spot at the European Championships.

The Russian (and predecessor Unified Team and Soviet) men, for all of their diverse success in swimming, haven’t medaled in the 200 IM at the Olympics since 1988, or the 400 IM since 1980. Those are 2 of the 3 longest medal droughts in the Russian men’s swimming program, along with the 1500 free (Vladimir Salnikov won gold in that race in 1988 2 days before Vadim Yaroshcuk won bronze in the 200 IM).

The 200 IM and 400 IM are also 2 of only 3 races that Russia hasn’t won a long course World Championship medal in since the fall of the Soviet Union. The only other race is the 50 back, which was only added to the Worlds schedule in 2001. Russia’s last 200 IM medal was a bronze from Vadim Yaroshchuk (Soviet Union) in 1986; he also won a 400 IM silver that year.

The men’s 100 backstroke saw 4 swimmers under the European Championship qualifying time, and a new World Junior Record from the short course World Record holder Kliment Kolesnikov was not enough to take the win. Instead, he placed 2nd in 52.97 (he held the old record in 53.35) while Evgeny Rylov won in a new lifetime best of 52.67. Rylov is the defending World Champion in the 200 back, but this is his first long course meet (and, second overall meet) since then after rehabbing a shoulder injury post-Worlds.

Other Finals Results

• Anton Chupkov, who swam a best time in the 100 to win that race earlier in the meet, was well short of his best time in the 200 breaststroke in 2:07.81. The time did win the race by half-a-second, most of that coming in a last-50 burst that pulled him away from runner-up Kirill Prigoda, who was 2nd in 2:08.32. Both swimmers were under the standard for the European Championships.
• Veronika Andrusenko won the women’s 200 free in 1:56.07, the only swimmer under the individual qualifying standard for the European Championships. That time is 1.2 seconds better than she was at last year’s Russian Nationals, after which she would go on to swim 1:55.0 and finish in 4th place at Worlds.
• Anna Egorova won the women’s 1500 free in 16:30.89.
• Moscow won the mixed 400 medley relay in 3:45.96. Their relay included a 58.99 split from Chupkov.

Finals Results By Event (in Russian)

• Women’s 200 fly
• Men’s 100 back
• Men’s 200 breast
• Men’s 200 IM
• Women’s 200 free
• Mixed 400 medley relay

Semi-Finals Highlights

• 17-year old Polina Egorova qualified through 1st to the 100 back final in 59.95 – the only swimmer under 1 minute. She’s been as fast as 59.62, which is the European Junior Record and which she used to win gold at last year’s European Junior Championships.
• Vitalina Simonova qualified 1st into the 200 breast final in 2:26.10, ahead of defending World Champion Yulia Efimova (2:27.02).