World Cup Wrap Up; Final Day In Beijing

The final evening of the 2013 FINA World Cup Series in Beijing should provide the audience with some exciting racing. Even though both Katinka Hosszu and Chad le Clos have insurmountable the battle for individual event victories and the best overall performance  will be fierce.

The best overall performances on day one in Beijing are as follows:

Men

1. MOROZOV Vladimir (RUS): 50.97 – 984 pts – 100m IM

2. SANTOS Nicholas (BRA): 22.13 – 955 pts – 50m fly

3. GYURTA Daniel (HUN): 2:03.09 – 942 pts – 200m breast

3. BOVELL George (TRI): 51.72 – 942 pts – 100m IM

Women

1. HOSSZU Katinka (HUN): 2:05.07 – 988 pts – 200m IM

2. ZEVINA Daryna (UKR): 2:01.47 – 964 pts – 200m back

3. COUTTS Alicia (AUS): 2:06.23 – 961 pts – 200m IM

Men’ 1500 freestyle

South African Myles Brown took the men’s 1500 freestyle in a time of 14:41.63. Yun Hao of China finished second in a time of 14:42.38 followed by Hungarian Gergely Gyurta who posted a time of 14:45.53.

Women’s 400 IM

Spaniard Mireia Belmonte won the first women’s event of the competition yesterday in Beijing taking the 800 freestyle and today did it again winning the 400 IM, the night’s opening event, in a time of 4:25.23.  Her time beats her season best of 4:26.92

Mireia BELMONTE GARCIA (Photo Credit: Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)

and is just off her 2010 lifetime best of 4:24.21.

Belmonte, who won the silver medal in this event at the World Championships finishing behind Hungarian super star Katinka Hosszu, was able to overcome what looked like an surmountable lead at the 200 mark by her Hungarian rival. Hosszu had a lead of almost four full seconds over Belmonte heading into the second half of the race, but Belmonte was able to take the lead after the breaststroke and never looked back.

Hannah Miley of Great Britain, who was almost five seconds behind the world champion after the backstroke, was able to overtake Hosszu to win the silver finishing in a time of 4:27.21. Hosszu finished third touching in a time of 4:27.66.

Women’s 100 freestyle

Australian Cate Campbell has dominated the women’s sprint events in the Asian cluster and continued that trend winning the women’s 100 freestyle in a time of 51.59.

100 freestyle winning times – Asian cluster:

• Singapore – 51.67
• Tokyo – 51.31
• Beijing – 51.59

Sarah Sjoestroem overcame a slow start, turning at the 50 meter mark in a time of 25.53, to take the silver in a time of 52.41 followed by Bronte Campbell who finished third in a time of 52.57.

Men’s 200 freestyle

Thomas Fraser-Holmes of Australia had a great day yesterday winning double gold in the 400 IM and 400 freestyle, he returned to the water today collecting his third victory of the competition taking the men’s 200 freestyle in a time of 1:43.09. Fraser-Holmes  battled with both his teammate Robert Hurley and Pawel Korzeniowsky of Poland throughout the race pulling away from the two other swimmers in the final 50 meters.

Hurley and Korzeniowsky fought to the finish with Hurley beating Korzeniowsky by two one-hundredths of a second. Hurley finished second in a time of 1:43.67 followed by Korzeniowsky who touched in a time of 1:43.69.

Women’s 50 breaststroke

Jamaican Alia Atkinson took her fourth World Cup 50 breaststroke victory hitting the wall in a time of 29.20. Atkinson won the event in; Eindhoven (29.42), Berlin (29.21) and Singapore (28.94). She was followed by Dorothea Brandt of Germany who finished second in a time of 30.11 and Ran Suo of China who finished third in a time of 30.27.

Men’s 100 breaststroke

Hungarian Daniel Gyurta had a fantastic finish, which enabled him to catch Russian sprint superstar Vlad Morozov for the win in the men’s 100 breaststroke. Morozov, who won the 100 freestyle and 100 IM yesterday evening took the lead at the halfway point turning in a time of 26.85.

Gyurta, who won the 200 breaststroke on the first evening in Beijing, turned at the 50 mark in a time of 27.09 and was able to out swim Morozov in the second half of the race out touching the Russian by five one-hundredths of a second.

Gyurta won the event in a time of 57.34 followed by Morozov who finished second in a time of 57.39. Felipe Lima of Brazil finished third in a time of 58.15.

Men’s 100 butterfly

There have already been some tight races during this evenings events, but the men’s 100 butterfly was the most thrilling from start to finish. South African Chad le Clos and American Tom Shields, who have developed a bit of a rivalry during this season’s World Cup events, turned in a dead heat at the 50 meter mark both registering a split of 23.34.

le Clos managed to have a slightly faster finish beating out Shields for the gold by four one-hundredths of a second. le Clos won the event in a time of 49.41 followed by Shields who touched in a time of 49.45.

Shields still has a hold on the world’s top ranking with his time of 48.80 which he posted in Doha.

Konrad Czerniak of Poland finished third in a time of 50.22.

Women’s 100 backstroke

After finishing second in the 100 backstroke in both Singapore and Tokyo Australian Emily Seebohm captured the gold in Beijing winning the event in a time of 57.22. She was ale to out swim Daryna Zevina who finished second in a time of 57.56.

Katinka Hosszu on her second bronze medal of the evening finishing third in a time of 57.92.

Men’s 50 backstroke

American Eugene Godsoe, Australian Robert Hurley and Brazilian Guilherme Guido for the third World Cup stop in a row finished one-two-three in the men’s 50 backstroke. Godsoe won the event in Beijing posted a time of 23.07 tying his season’s best which he put up in Tokyo and is the second ranked time in the world this year.

Hurley finished second in a time of 23.40 followed by Guido who finished third in a time of 23.79.

Women’s 200 butterfly

For the second time this evening Mireia Belmonte has been able to get the better of her main rival, Katinka Hosszu, in the second half of a race. With 50 meters to go Hosszu had a lead of just under three tenths of a second, but in the last 50 meters Belmonte split a 31.70 compared to Hosszu’s 33.09.

Belmonte took the event in a season’s best time of 2:04.20 with Hosszu, still having her first gold of the night elude her, finishing second in a time of 2:05.35.

Franziska Hentke of Germany finished third in a time of 2:06.34.

Men’s 200 IM

Chad le Clos won the men’s 200 IM in a time of 1:52.60 continuing to pick up more victories adding to his World Cup leading point total. Shun Wang of China finished second in a time of 1:53.59 followed by his Chinese teammate Feilian Mao who finished third in a time of 1:55.20.

Women’s 400 freestyle

Yiwen Shao of China took the women’s 400 freestyle in a time of 3:58.92. That destroys her season’s best of 4:05.85 and beats her previous lifetime best of 4:00.56 that she posted in 2012.

Yiwen was able to finish ahead of top World Cup finishers Lauren Boyle of New Zealand, who finished second in a time of 3:59.25 and Mireia Belmonte who finished third in a time of 2:59.46.

Men’s 50 freestyle

Chalk another sprint freestyle victory for Vlad Morozov who took the men’s 50 freestyle in a time of 20.91. Morozov has taken seven of the eight World Cup victories in the event with his only loss being in Berlin where South African Roland Schoeman was able to beat him out for the gold.

Morozov’s 50 freestyle performances:

• Beijing – 20.91
• Tokyo – 20.72
• Singapore – 20.78
• Doha – 21.03
• Dubai – 20.66
• Moscow – 20.59
• Berlin – 21.00
• Eindhoven – 20.66

American Anthony Ervin finished second in a time of 21.07 followed by Roland Schoeman who posted a time of 21.11.

Women’s 200 breaststroke

The women’s 200 breaststroke was dominated by a contingent of Asian athletes. Mio Motegi of Japan won the event in a time of 2:20.23. Yun He of China finished second in a time of 2:23.80 followed by Sakiko Shimizu of Japan who finished third in a time of 2:24.56.

Women’s 100 IM

After finishing second to Katinka Hosszu in Singapore and tying her for the win in Tokyo Australian Alicia Coutts was able to pick up her first outright victory in the 100 IM winning the event in a time of 58.08. Alia Atkinson collected her second medal of the evening winning the silver in a time of 58.71.

It looks like the final night of the 2013 World Cup may be a night where a gold medal will elude Hosszu who picked up her third bronze of the evening.

Men’s 200 backstroke

Eugene Godsoe pulled out a broom from the closet and made it a clean sweep of the backstroke events in Beijing winning the 200 in a time of 1:51.29. Godso lead the race from start to finish finishing over a second ahead of Australian Ashley Delany who finished second in a time of 1:52.46.

Yuki Shirai of Japan finished third in a time of 1:52.49.

Women’s 50 butterfly

In the final individual event of the 2013 FINA World Cup series Sarah Sjoestroem took the women’s 50 butterfly in a time of 25.24.  Ying Lu of China finished second in a time of 25.42 followed by Inge Dekker of the Netherlands who finished third touching in a time of 25.68.

Mixed 4 x 50 freestyle relay

The Australians and Chinese had a great battle in the final event of the 2013 FINA World Cup Series. The Chinese men took the early lead in the race, but the Campbell sisters ended up having the performances that decided the final outcome of the mixed 4 x 50 relay.

Australia:

• Tommaso D’Orsogna (21.51)
• Travis Mahoney (21.88)
• Cate Campbell (23.27)
• Bronte Campbell (23.86)

China:

• Zetao Ning (21.35)
• Yang Shi (21.35)
• Yuhan Qui (24.18)
• Xinyi Chen (24.01)

The Australians took the win in a time of 1:30.52 followed by the Chinese who finished second in a time of 1:30.89.

The Brazilians picked up the bronze in a time of 1:31.45.