World #1s and Another 2:07 for Chupkov – Top 5 Performances, Day 2

FINA CHAMPIONS SWIM SERIES 2019 #1 – GUANGZHOU

• April 27-28, 2019
• Guangzhou, China
• Guangdong Olympic Sports Centre Swimming Natatorium
• LCM (50m)
• Saturday – 7:30 pm local / 7:30 am ET Opening Ceremony, 8:00 start
• Sunday – 7:30 pm local / 7:30 am ET start
• FINA Champions Series Info
• Entry List
• Live Stream (Olympic Channel)
• Live Stream (FINA TV)
• Extended Start Lists
• Live Results (Omega)

If day 1’s times at the 2019 FINA Champions Series’ opening stop in Guangzhou were “good,” then day 2 raised the level to “great” with several times already that are medal-worthy for this summer’s World Championships.

The only race that was a bit flat in terms of time was the mixed medley relay. There, we didn’t see the 100 back champion Fu Yuanhui, or the 100 breast champion Adam Peaty, though the race was very tight at the finish.

With that being said, here are the race that, in our opinion, are the top 5 from the 2nd day of the meet:

1. Ye Shiwen‘s Event Transformation Complete – The former World Record holder in the 400 IM at age 16 at the 2012 Olympic Games, Ye’s career looked like it might be over as she moved into her 20s, where her times really began to falter in her favored IM races. She’s back to world-class status though, now racing the 200 breaststroke, where she swam 2:22.53 on Sunday. That’s the #1 time in the world this season, undercutting Canadian Sydney Pickrem’s 2:22.63.

2. Sun Yang Pulls off Nasty Double – Sun Yang continues to find himself embroiled in an ongoing doping controversy, but that hasn’t stopped him from putting up fast times. He won both the 200 and the 400 free on Sunday. In the 400, he swam a world-leading 3:42.75, finishing ahead of runner-up Gabriele Detti of Italy’s time of 3:46.45 (he was the former world #1). About an hour later (so not the same tight turnaround we’ve seen for other big doubles), he swam a 1:46.12 – just barely edging out a hard-closing Danas Rapsys of Lithuania.

3. Katinka Hosszu‘s 200 IM – Hosszu of today is not the same Hosszu we’ve seen in the past who could win half-a-dozen events in a single session for multiple days in a row. She is conserving her energy more and came away from the meet with 3 victories in 6 swims, and 2 last-place finishes. However, on a smaller schedule, she’s still one of the best swimmers in the world. That was demonstrated in the 200 IM, where she put up a 2:08.72. Only 2 swimmers (herself in 2:08.55 a month ago, and Sydney Pickrem, who was 2:08.71 at Canadian Trials) have been faster than that time this year. That swim came after having already raced the 200 back (which she also won in 2:09.05 – against a soft field with Emily Seebohm battling food poisoning).

4. Anton Chupkov Goes 2:07 Again in 200 Breaststroke – While not quite the 2:07.00 that he swam at Russian Nationals a few weeks back, Anton Chupkov‘s 2:07.48 in the 200 breaststroke is still worth taking note. Chupkov – 200 breast. That’s the 12th time that he’s been sub-2:08, and it’s the 2nd-best time of his career in a non-national, non-global championship event. Those 12 career sub-2:08s tie him with Japan’s Ippei Watanabe, the World Record holder, for the most ever (nobody else is even close to those 2).

5. Sjostrom Doubles Again – After a 200 free/100 fly double on Saturday, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom pulled off a 50 fly/100 free double on Sunday. First she won the 50 fly in 25.55, four-tenths ahead of American Kelsi Dahlia, and then she picked up a win in the 100 free in 52.82 about 40 minutes later. On top of a runner-up finish in the 50 free (which came just 9 minutes before the 50 fly), Sjostrom amassed $51,000 at this meet – more than any other swimmer in the field.

An honorable mention goes to Britain’s Ben Proud, who swam 21.48 in the men’s 50 free. That’s faster than the 21.50 he swam at the British Championships last week.