2017 FINA World Cup Singapore: Michael Andrew Downs 2 WJR’s

2017 FINA WORLD CUP – SINGAPORE

• Saturday, November 18th & Sunday, November 19th
• OCBC Aquatic Centre, Singapore
• SCM
• Prelims 9:30am local/Finals 6pm local
• Startlists
• Results

Both veterans and fresh talent within our sport took to the Singapore stage on day 1 of the last FINA World Cup stop of the series. Entering the meet, South African Chad Le Clos and Swede Sarah Sjostrom lead the overall money lists with totals of $138,850 and $167,500, respectively. Both Olympians look primed to capture the $50,000 cluster bonuses, as well as the $150,000 series title.

Le Clos started off strong by reaping the men’s 200m butterfly victory tonight in a mark of 1:49.25 to represent the only swimmer to notch a time under the 1:50 barrier. Right behind was Japan’s Daiya Seto, who has had a successful World Cup run already with 200m IM and 400m IM World Cup Records in earlier stops.

Securing bronze in the men’s 200m fly race was Japan’s Masaki Kaneko, who stopped the clock well behind the top 2 finishers in 1:52.23.  USA’s 15-year-old Carson Foster made the final, finishing in 1:56.10 for 8th place overall.

Kaneko earned bronze earlier in the men’s 100m backstroke race, making it a 1 & 3 finish in that event for Japan. Leading the pack was mainstay Ryosuke Irie, who registered a time of 49.88 for gold in a new personal best.  His mark also falls less than a second from American Matt Grevers’ World Record of 48.92 in the event. China’s powerhouse backstroker Xu Jiayu touched in 50.05 for silver. Foster was also a finalist in that 100m backstroke, touching in 52.17 for 8th place.

The trio of terror that is Ranomi Kromowidjojo from Netherlands, Sarah Sjostrom from Sweden, and Cate Campbell from Australia slayed the women’s 100m freestyle once again, with the Aussie taking the top prize in Singapore. The gold has rotated among the 3 dynamos throughout the World Cup, but C1 landed on top to end the series, taking the title in 50.85. That registered as the green and gold Olympian’s 2nd career best, as well as the 5th fastest mark ever recorded in the event.

Sjostrom was the other swimmer to land under the 51-second threshold in 50.99, while Kromo wrangled up bronze in 51.65. 50m freestyle Olympic champion Pernille Blume of Denmark was also in the race, finishing 4th in 51.94, while America’s Lia Neal was 5th in 52.46.

China’s Li Bingjie was on fire once again in the women’s 800m freestyle, nearly surpassing her countrymate Wang Jianjiahe’s junior world record in the process. Tonight, Bingjie scored a winning time of 8:12.36, just .06 off of Wang’s time of 8:12.30 from Beijing.

The women’s 200m backstroke saw a young star make the podium, as American Regan Smith earned silver in a time of 2:02.70, just half a second off of her own personal best from Tokyo. Although that fell about a second behind winner Emily Seebohm‘s mark of 2:01.41, tonight represents just the 2nd time Smith has been in the 2:02 range, crushing the 2:04.77 the teen was at this time in 2016.

Smith also made her mark tonight by beating Hungarian dominator Katinka Hosszu for a second consecutive 200m back race. Hosszu finished in 2:04.60, well-off her World Record and slower than Tokyo, where she earned bronze in 2:03.56.

Finally, American Michael Andrew crushed a new World Junior Record time in the men’s 100m IM to take silver in the race behind winner Vlad Morozov of Russia. Morozov took the gold tonight in 50.49, just .19 off of his own 50.30 world record from 2016. Andrew finished a little more than a second behind in 51.65, beating the FINA-listed WJR of 51.86 from Beijing, even though Andrew had been faster when winning the World Championship title in Windsor in 51.84.

Andrew was also a member of the American World Junior Record-breaking mixed medley relay. Although they finished 5th overall, with Australia, Brazil, Netherlands and China finishing in respective 1st through 4 place positions, the American foursome of Alex Walsh (27.52), Andrew (26.02), Smith (26.02) and Trey Freeman (22.35) collectively clocked a time of 1:41.91 to establish a new WJR standard.

Additional Winners on Day 1:

• Jamaican world record holder Alia Atkinson got the job done in the women’s 100m breaststroke, winning by well over a second in a time of 1:03.79.
• Hungary’s Peter Bernek sealed up the win in the men’s 400m freestyle, scoring the only sub-3:40 effort of the field in 3:39.36. Australian sprinter Cameron McEvoy tried this mid-distance race on for size and wound up with the silver in 3:41.24. American teen Andrew Abruzzo settled for a respectable 5th in 3:44.17, a huge personal best by almost 5 seconds.
• The women’s 200m butterfly saw a 2-woman race come down to China’s Zhang Yufei and Australia’s Olympic medalist Emma McKeon, who has been racing this event more seriously as of late. Zhang won at the wall, earning a time of 2:04.22 to McKeon’s 2:04.88. Both women’s performances position them just outside the list of top 20 performers of all time. United States’ swimmer Dakota Luther finished 5th in 2:08.17.
• Hungary’s Hosszu masterfully won her signature 200m IM event once again, cruising to the top of the podium in a cool 2:04.37. A little over a second behind was Emily Seebohm of Australia in 2:05.46 with Korea’s Kim Seoyeong next in 2:06.12. For Seoyeong, her outing tonight checks-in as a new Korean national record. Also in the race was America’s Alex Walsh who finished in 4th in a time of 2:06.14, while Sjostrom was also in the race, finishing in 2:09.84 for 5th.
• Vlad Morozov flew to the wall in the men’s splash n’ dash in 20.61, the only time under the 21-second threshold of the field. Japan’s Shinri Shioura was next in 21.32, tied with McEvoy who also touched in 21.32 for joint silver in the race.
• Russia’s Kirill Prigoda wrapped up the men’s 50m breaststroke victory in 25.80 tonight.