2020 RUSSIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Monday, December 14 – Saturday, December 19
- St. Petersburg, Russia
- SCM (25m)
- Prelims 9 AM / Finals 6 PM (Local Time)
- Meet Page
- Online Broadcast
- Live results
On the last day of swimming at the 2020 Russian Short Course Championships, 16-year-old Evgeniia Chikunova swam to victory in the 200 breast with a 2:18.10 for gold. That’s the second-fastest she’s ever been in the event, behind her world junior record of 2:17.71 from last December. It was a solid improvement from her morning swim of 2:22.07 and moves her up to #8 worldwide in the short course 200 breast this season.
Women’s SCM 200 Breast (2020-2021)
- Lilly King – 2:15.56
- Annie Lazor – 2:16.33
- Emily Escobedo – 2:16.51
- Kelsey Wog – 2:17.13
- Sydney Pickrem – 2:17.75
- Molly Renshaw – 2:17.80
- Tatjana Schoenmaker – 2:18.02
- Evgeniia Chikunova – 2:18.10
- Maria Temnikova – 2:18.28
- Sakiko Shimizu – 2:18.37
Maria Temnikova finished just 0.18 seconds after Temnikova with a 2:18.28, placing her just after Chikunova in the world rankings at #9. While Chikunova was just off her best, that was Temnikova’s fastest-ever time, improving upon her 2:18.35 from the 2019 European Short Course Championships.
Kirill Prigoda picked up his second breaststroke win of the meet, taking gold in the 50 breast with a 26.26 swim, getting his hand on the wall just ahead of silver medalist Andrey Nikolaev who was a 26.45. That’s a bit off his previous best and Russian record in the event of 25.49 which he set a few weeks ago racing for London Roar in the International Swimming League. Nikolaev was a little closer to his PB which currently sits at a 26.17 from last year’s Russian Champs in Kazan. To round out the top three in the event, Danil Semyaninov swam a 25.56.
After placing third in both the prelims and the semi-finals of the 100 freestyle, Evengy Rylov rose to the occasion in the final, swimming a 46.35 to steal gold from Vlad Grinev who was just 0.02 behind with a 46.37 for silver. Ivan Girev was third, hitting a 46.75. Grinev and Girev were 1st and 2nd, respectively in the first two rounds of the event but just couldn’t quite hold off Rylov by the end.
Rylov’s 46.35 was a little over his lifetime best in the event which sits at a 46.09 which he’s hit twice; first at Short Course Worlds in 2018, and again at the 2020 ISL finale just last month. Grinev was also over his best time, having been under the 46-second mark once before with a PB of 45.92 from 2018. Girev on the other hand enter the meet with a best time of 47.23 and managed to get under 47 three times this meet with a 46.81 in the heats, a 46.51 in the semi, and finally a 46.75 in the final.
The other two sprint victories of the night went to Rosalia Nasretdinova in the women’s 50 free and Svetlana Chimrova in the women’s 100 fly. Nasretdinova topped the freestyle field in a 24.22 while Chimrova hit a 56.52 to defeat the current Russian record holder in the event who was a 57.04. Surkova’s current record in the event is a 56.36 from earlier this year.
Top 3 times in the Women’s 200 scm breaststroke at the 2018 SC World Champs were 2.18.32, 2.18.62, 2.18.85. Only 1 out of the 3 medalists times from that meet was fast enough to make Top 10 in the world this year (so far) and that would currently be 10th place.
In yesterday semifinal Ivan Girev swam 46.51, while in yesterday heat 46.81, so his 46.75 in the final was the third time Girev has swum under 47″. And, obviously, his new PB is the 46.51 swum in semifinal.