2014 Youth Olympics: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2014 YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES – DAY 3 FINALS – NANJING, CHINA

WATCH LIVE

• In China – Click here.
• Rest of the world – see streaming videos here.
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SCHEDULE/RESULTS

• Live Results here: Results Link.
• Event Schedule Here (see page 10).
• Boys Entries List
• Girls Entries List
• Entry List by event
• Storylines to Watch This Week

SESSION START TIMES

Prelims begin at 10AM local time and finals begin at 6PM local time. Around the world that’s:

• 7PM/3AM U.S. West Coast Time
• 8PM/4AM U.S. Mountain Time
• 9PM/5AM U.S. Central Time
• 10PM/6AM U.S. East Coast Time
• 11PM/7AM Rio de Janeiro Time
• 3AM/11AM London Time
• 4AM/Noon Berlin/South Africa Time
• 6AM/2PM Moscow Time
• 11AM/7PM Tokyo Time
• Noon/8PM Sydney Time

We have a stacked program ahead of us here on day three of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.  Kicking off the third finals session will be the women’s 800 free final.  We saw a pair of impressive swims earlier this morning in the prelim heats out of Italy’s Simona Quadrella and Joana Evans of the Bahamas.  Quadrella put down a top time of 8:35.39 while Evans swam to a second place time of 8:39.75. Leading tonight’s 800 timed final is Spain’s Jimena Perez Blanco. Blanco is seeded first at 8:42.06, so expect to see a big swim out of her in order to take down Quadrella’s time from this morning.

The men’s splash-and-dash semi-final is likely to yield a few impressive times tonight.  Matheus Santana of Brazil touched the wall this morning in prelims with a blistering 22.55, locking up the top seed heading into semi’s tonight. Santana has a lifetime best of 22.16 the 50 free, and taking down Luke Percy’s 2013 junior world record time of 22.11 certainly isn’t out of the question for the young Brazilian tonight.  Not far behind will be Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago, who qualified second in 22.65.  Carter enjoyed a pretty stellar time drop, lowering his lifetime best of 23.01.  China’s Yu Hexin will be sitting in third, qualifying with a time of 22.79.

The women’s 100 breast semi-final will be highlighted by world record holder Ruta Meilutyte, who qualified second for semi-finals in a time of 1:08.97.  Meilutyte is coming off a gold medal performance last night in the 50 breast and will look to cruise to a solid position for tomorrow’s final.  Ukrainian Anastasiya Malyavina will seek to upset the mighty Lithuanian after posting a top preliminary time this morning, touching the wall in 1:08.91.

China’s Li Zhuhao is the favorite heading into tonight’s men’s 100 fly final, posting a top semi-final time of 53.27.  Zhuhao put up an impressive preliminary swim on Monday, getting to the wall in 52.97. After cruising to that 53.27 last night, Zhuhao will be gunning for Daniel Bell’s world junior record time of 52.52 this evening.  Not to be forgotten is a very tight race for silver and bronze; number two seed Aleksandr Sadovnikov  (53.42) and eight seed Josh Steyn (54.25) are separated by just .83.

A very quick women’s 100 free final awaits us near the end of tonight’s program, though it promises to be worth the wait.  Shen Duo of China is the decisive favorite heading into this final, though she came dangerously close to missing final altogether in last night’s semi-final.  Duo touched the wall in 55.62, giving her the eight seed by just .20.  It’s worth noting that Duo has put down a couple huge 100 free times this week, including a 53.43 anchor leg in the mixed 4×100 medley and a 54.44 in the 100 free prelims. Duo’s teammate Qiu Yuhan will ride into finals with a top overall seed time of 54.78.

Women’s 800 Freestyle – Timed Finals

• Junior World Record: 8:11.00 – Katie Ledecky – USA – 2014

The women’s 800 free gold medal was captured by Italy’s Simona Quadrella.  Quadrella swam today in the slower heats and put down a huge time of 8:35.39, cracking the world top-50.  That mark would prove quick enough to daunt all assaults coming from tonight’s timed final, with Spain’s Jimena Perez Blanco swimming a time of 8:36.95 to win tonight’s heat and earn a silver medal overall.  The Bahamas Joana Evans also swam in today’s slower heats, and her time of 8:39.75 provided her a bronze medal. Last night’s 200 IM champion Vien Ngyuen was second in tonight’s timed final at 8:41.13, good enough for fourth overall.

Women’s 50 Butterfly – Semi Final

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 26.97 – Liu Lan – China
• Junior World Record: 26.32 –  Svetlana Chimrova – Russia – 2013

Rozaliya Nasretdinova captured the top seed in the women’s 50 fly heading into tomorrow’s final, posting a time of a 26.55 in the first semifinal heat. Just behind Nasredinova was Slovenia’s Nastja Govejsek, touching the wall in 26.77.  Winning the second semifinal heat was Australia’s Brianna Throssell, putting up a time of 26.82. Svetlana Chimrova’s junior world record will be under assault by her compatriot Nasretdinova tomorrow. Last night’s 200 fly champion Liliana Szilagyi will also be in the hunt, qualifying sixth in 27.04. 

Advancing to Finals:

1. Rozaliya Nasretdinova RUS (26.55)

2. Nastja Govejsek SLO (26.77)

3. Brianna Throssell AUS (26.82)

4. Svenja Stoffel SUI (26.89)

5. Naess Elise Olsen NOR (27.01)

6. Liliana Szilagyi HUN (27.04)

7. Giovana Tomanik BRA (27.05)

8. Barbora Misendova SVK (27.17)

Men’s 50 Freestyle – Semi Final

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 22.35 – Andrii Govorov – Ukraine
• Junior World Record: 21.98 – Evgeny Sedov- Russia – 2014

Yu Hexin of China demolished the field in the men’s 50 free, speeding to a time of 22.01.  Hexin narrowly missed the junior world record of 21.98 held by Evgeny Sedov, and the next closest competitor was almost half a second behind him.  Brazil’s Matheus Santana holds the second seed after posting a 22.48 and Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago was just behind in third with a 22.49.  With Santana’s lifetime best a 22.16, tomorrow’s final should be interesting to say the least.

Advancing to Final:

1. Yu Hexin CHN (22.01)

2. Matheus Santana BRA (22.48)

3. Dylan Carter TTO (22.49)

4. Jan Holub POL (22.74)

5. Ducan Scott GBR (22.78)

6. Damien Wierling GER (22.80)

7. Miles Munro GBR (22.80)

8. Alessandro Bori ITA (22.87)

Women’s 200 Backstroke – FINALS

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 2:11.46 – Anqi Bai – China
• Junior World Record: 2:08.02 – Daria Ustinova – Russia – 2014

Hannah Moore of the United States appeared destined to take the gold in the women’s 200 back, leading the race until the final 50 meters when Italy’s Ambra Esposito made a last-effort surge at the wall to tie in a dead heat with Moore. The pair will share the gold with a time of 2:10.42.  The two gold medalists were well ahead of the field, with Spain’s Africa Zamarano Sanz taking the bronze medal in 2:11.94.

Men’s 100 Butterfly – FINALS

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 53.13 – Gyuchelo Chang – South Korea
• Junior World Record: 52.52 – Daniel Bell – New Zealand – 2008

We almost saw another gold medal tie tonight in the men’s 100 fly, as Li Zhuhao of China and Russia’s Aleksandr Sadovnikov went head-to-head until the final touch with Zhuhao coming out on top 52.94 to 52.97.  Daniel Bell’s junior world record lives to see another day, though fans were still treated to a spectacular race in which their countryman nabbed a victory.  Sneaking into bronze medal territory was Australia’s Nicholas Brown in 53.18.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Semi Finals

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 1:08.59 – Tara Van Beilen – Canada
• Junior World Record: 1:05.63 – Rūta Meilutytė – Lithuania – 2014

Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte was clearly keeping things in reserve, cruising to a semifinal win with a 1:07.83.  The mark is well off her season best and world leading time of 1:05.21, though the young phenom appears to be in good shape heading into tomorrow’s final.  China’s He Yun will be sitting in second after touching the wall in 1:08.47 and Ukraine’s Anastasiya Malyavina was close behind in 1:08.71.

Advancing to Finals:

1. Ruta Meilutyte LTU (1:07.83)

2. He Yu CHN (1:08.47)

3. Anastasiya Malyavina UKR (1:08.71)

4. Silja Kansakoski FIN (1:08.82)

5. Dalma Sebestyen HUN (1:09.58)

6. Georgina Evans GBR (1:09.80)

7. Julia Willers GER (1:09.82)

8. Anna Sztankovics (1:09.84)

Men’s 50 Backstroke – Semi Finals

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 26.36 – Christian Homer – Trinidad and Tobago
• Junior World Record: 25.22 – Simone Sabbioni – Italy – 2014

We saw another shootout between Italy’s Simone Sabbioni and Russia’s Evgeny Rylov in tonight’s 50 back semi after the pair tied for gold in the 100 back last night.  Sabbioni would ultimately hold out for the top seed, touching in 25.40.  Rylov was just behind in 25.42; it it’s safe to say that tomorrow’s final will be a close one.  Apostolos Christou of Greece wasn’t far behind with a 3rd place mark of 25.63.  

Advancing to Finals:

1. Simone Sabbioni ITA (25.40)

2. Evgeny Rylov RUS (25.42)

3. Apostolos Christou GRE (25.63)

4. Vitor Nascimento BRA (25.79)

4. Filipp Shopin RUS (25.79)

6. Laurent Bams NED (25.84)

7. Andrii Khloptsov UKR (25.95)

8. Robert Glinta ROU (25.98) 

Women’s 100 Freestyle – FINALS

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 54.46 – Tang Yi – China
• Junior World Record: 54.47 – Siobhan Bernadette Haughey – China – 2013

Duo Shen sped to an incredible time of 53.84 in the women’s 100 free, dipping well under the junior world record and putting her 13th in this years world rankings. That time solidifies Shen as one of China’s top freestylers and a rising threat to the Asian record time of 53.13.  Finishing second behind Shen was Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, locking up the silver medal in 54.61.  Haughey actually flipped ahead of Shen at the turn, but Shen’s back 50 split of 27.44 was just too much to fend off. Rounding out the bronze medal was China’s Qiu Yuhan with a time of 54.66.

Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay – FINALS

• 2010 Youth Olympic Champion: 3:23.91 – Russia
• Junior World Record: 3:16.93 – Australia – 2013

It was all Great Britain in the men’s 400 free relay, thanks in large part to huge lead off leg of 49.67 by Duncan Scott. Miles Munro followed up that lead off with another big split of 49.83.  Martyn Walton (50.18) and Luke Greenbank (51.51) kept the lead alive to finish strong in a gold medal time of 3:21.19.  Taking home second place was a strong Italian quartet of Alessandro Bori (49.85), Giacomo Carini (51.65), Simone Sabbioni (50.97) and Nicolangelo di Fabio (49.82) to finish in 3:22.89. Germany’s squad of Marek Ulrich (51.52), Maximilian Pilger (51.99), Damian Wierling (49.50) and Alexander Kunert (49.92) slipped into the bronze position with a 3:22.93. Team USA’s squad fell to 7th.