2017 World University Games: Day 6 Finals Live Recap

29TH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES (SUMMER UNIVERSIADE 2017)

• Sunday, August 20-Sunday, August 20, 2017
• 50-Meter Course
• Taipei, Taiwan
• National Taiwan Sport University Arena
• Meet Info
• Webcast schedule
• Results

Competition at the 2017 World University Games continues with day 6 finals in Taipei. Tonight, we’ll see finals action in the women’s 800 free, men’s 100 fly, women’s 200 free, women’s 50 back, men’s 200 back, men’s 50 breast, and men’s 4×200 free relay. Swimmers will also race in the semifinals of the women’s 50 breast, men’s 50 free, women’s 200 fly, and women’s 50 free.

WOMEN’S 800 FREE FINAL:

• Meet Record: Flavia Rigamonti (SUI), 8:25.59, 2007

1. GOLD: Simona Quadarella, ITA, 8:20.54
2. SILVER: Sarah Koehler, GER, 8:21.67
3. BRONZE: Joanna Evans, BAH, 8:31.18

Germany’s Sarah Koehler took off with the early lead, but Italy’s Simona Quadarella reeled her in at around the 600-meter mark to take the win and smash the Meet Record by 5 full seconds with a lifetime best 8:20.54. Koehler held on for silver, also swimming under the former Meet Record with an 8:21.67. The Bahamas’ Joanna Evans held steady at 3rd the entire race to take bronze in 8:31.18.

Australia’s Kiah Melverton (8:32.46) was in 6th place for the majority of the race, but made a big charge on the final 50 to overtake Great Britain’s Camilla Hattersley (8:32.84) and Liechtenstein’s Julia Hassler (8:32.86) in the race for 4th place.

WOMEN’S 50 BREAST SEMIFINALS:

• Meet Record: Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 30.12, 2013

Top 8:

1. Andee Cottrell, USA, 30.82
2. Leiston Pickett, AUS, 31.16
3. Mariia Liver, UKR, 31.37
4. Jessica Eriksson, SWE, 31.61
5. Jessica Steiger, GER, 31.66
6. Dominika Sztandera, POL, 31.78
7. Kim Hyejin, KOR, 31.82
8. Miranda Tucker, USA, 31.87

The USA’s Andee Cottrell was the only woman to break 31 tonight, putting up a 30.82 to lead the way into finals. Her biggest challenger in the gold medal race looks to be Australia’s Leiston Pickett (31.16) who closed in on the 31-barrier tonight. The U.S. is the only country with 2 in this final, as Miranda Tucker (31.87) snuck in at 8th.

MEN’S 100 FLY FINAL:

• Meet Record: Jason Dunford (KEN), 50.85, 2009

1. GOLD: Aleksandr Sadovnikov, RUS, 51.81
2. SILVER: Andrii Khloptsov, UKR, 51.91
3. BRONZE: Henrique Martins, BRA, 51.96

Brazil’s Henrique Martins was the only man to crack 24 through the halfway point, turning in a blistering 23.80 split to take the lead. The field began to catch up with him on the back half, though, as Russia’s Aleksandr Sadovnikov and the Ukraine’s Andrii Khloptsov out-touched him to take gold and silver respectively at the finish. Martins held on for the bronze in 51.91, holding off Poland’s Konrad Czerniak (52.00) and Japan’s Yuki Kobori (52.09).

WOMEN’S 200 FREE FINAL:

• Meet Record: Viktoriiya Andreeva (RUS), 1:57.31, 2013

1. GOLD: Siobhan Haughey, HKG, 1:56.71
2. SILVER: Katie Drabot, USA, 1:57.61
3. BRONZE: Arina Openysheva, RUS, 1:58.53

Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey picked up another gold as she became the first woman to break 1:57 in the 200 free at a WUGs meet with a 1:56.71. Behind her, American Katie Drabot had a breakthrough swim. Drabot, who hasn’t swum a best time in the event since putting up a 1:58.58 at 2015 Nationals, crushed her former best tonight. She shaved nearly a second off it to finish 2nd in 1:57.61.

The battle for bronze was close between a handful of women, but Russia’s Arina Openysheva got the job done in 1:58.53. Openysheva was in 7th through the 150, but surged ahead of  Brazil’s Manuella Lyrio (1:58.64) and the USA’s Claire Rasmus (1:58.74) with a blazing 29.59 down the final stretch. Canada’s Katerine Savard took it out quick to lead the entire field at the halfway mark in 56.60, but she faded to 6th in 1:59.21.

MEN’S 50 FREE SEMIFINALS:

• Meet Record: Vlad Morozov (RUS), 21.67, 2013

Top 8:

1. Italo Manzine Amaral Guarte, BRA, 21.93
2. Ari Pekka Liukkonen, FIN, 21.99
3. Katsumi Nakamura, JPN, 22.01
4. Lorenzo Zazzeri, ITA, 22.07
5. Aleksei Brianskii, RUS, 22.23
6. Ryan Held, USA, 22.24
7. Konrad Czerniak, POL, 22.32
8. Andrii Govorov, UKR, 22.34

The only 2 men to break 22 tonight were Brazil’s Italo Manzine Amaral Guarte (21.93) and Finland’s Ari-Pekka Liukkonen, winning their respective semifinals. Japan’s Katsumi Nakamura (22.01) and Italy’s Lorenzo Zazzeri (22.07) cut it close in semifinal 2 to take 2nd and 3rd respectively in the heat behind Guarte.

WOMEN’S 50 BACK FINAL:

• Meet Record: Anastasia Zueva (RUS), 27.89, 2013

1. T-GOLD: Ali Deloof, USA, 28.09
2. T-GOLD: Kira Toussaint, NED, 28.09
3. BRONZE: Hannah Stevens, USA, 28.14

The USA’s Ali Deloof and the Netherlands’ Kira Toussaint battled stroke-for-stroke into the finish, tying for gold in 28.09. They just out-touched Hannah Stevens, who gave the Americans 2 on the podium with her 28.14 for bronze. Russia’s Mariia Kameneva (28.25) was just a tenth back to take 4th, while Poland’s Alicja Tchorz (28.32) touched out Australia’s Sian Whittaker (28.35) for 5th place.

MEN’S 200 BACK FINAL:

• Meet Record: Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:54.13, 2009

1. GOLD: Danas Rapsys, LTU, 1:56.52
2. SILVER: Austin Katz, USA, 1:56.70
3. BRONZE: Roman Larin, RUS, 1:57.29

Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys sat in 7th through the halfway point, but mad big moves on the back half, including a 28.87 on the final 50, to pull ahead of the field for gold in 1:56.52. He just out-touched American Austin Katz (1:56.70), who also came up with a big back half to break 1:57 for the first time in his career. Russia’s Roman Larin held the lead through the first 150 meters of the race, but wasn’t able to hold those 2 swimmers off as he took bronze in 1:57.29. Also breaking 1:58 here was Japan’s Kosuke Hagino with a 1:57.77 for 4th.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY SEMIFINALS:

• Meet Record: Audrey Lacroix (CAN), 2:05.83, 2007

Top 8:

1. Ella Eastin, USA, 2:09.20
2. Martina Van Berkel, SUI, 2:10.94
3. Nida Ustundag, TUR, 2:11.28
4. Auroroa Petronio, ITA, 2:11.70
5. Laura Taylor, AUS, 2:11.79
6. Isobel Grant, GBR, 2:11.88
7. Jinyoung Park, KOR, 2:11.90
8. Klaudia Nazieblo, GER, 2:11.95

Team USA’s Ella Eastin dominated the field tonight, winning the 2nd semifinal by 2 full seconds in 2:09.20. That clipped her former best time, which stood at a 2:09.24 from 2017 Nationals. Martina Van Berkel of Switzerland was the only other woman to clear the 2:11-mark tonight in 2:10.94. Everyone else who qualified for the final was bunched into the 2:11-range.

MEN’S 50 BREAST FINAL:

• Meet Record: Andrea Toniato (ITA), 27.06, 2015

1. GOLD: Ilya Shymanovich, BLR, 27.39
2. SILVER: Johannes Skagius, SWE, 27.49
3. BRONZE: Fabian Schwingenschlogl, GER, 27.63

100 breast co-champions Andrew Wilson of the USA and Ilya Shymanovich of Belarus went head-to-head again in the 50 breast, but this time Shymanovich was the lone man on top of the podium with his 27.39. Wilson was just out of the medals by a hundredth with a 27.64 for 4th, while Sweden’s Johannes Skagius (27.49) and Germany’s Fabian Schwingenschlogl (27.63) rounded out the podium. Also narrowly missing the medals was Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Balandin (27.65) in 5th.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE SEMIFINALS:

• Meet Record: Aliaksandra Herasimenia (BLR), 24.48, 2013

Top 8:

1. Mariia Kameneva, RUS, 24.82
2. Caroline Baldwin, USA, 25.15
3. Graciele Herrmann, BRA, 25.18
4. Katrina Konopka, USA, 25.24
5. Lucrezia Raco, ITA, 25.32
6. Marchio Harrison, BRA, 25.36
7. Chihiro Igarashi, JPN, 25.38
8. Kaho Okano, JPN, 25.39

The USA’s Katrina Konopka put up a quick 25.24 to win semifinal 1, but semifinal 2 saw a trio of swimmers top that. Russia’s Mariia Kameneva led the way with a 24.82, putting up the only sub-25 of the night. Caroline Baldwin came in behind her at 25.15, missing her best time by just 2 hundredths, followed by Brazil’s Graciele Herrmann in 25.18.

MEN’S 4×200 FREE RELAY FINAL:

• Meet Record: Russia, 7:05.49, 2013

1. GOLD: Japan- 7:08.45
2. SILVER: USA- 7:12.19
3. BRONZE: Russia- 7:13.47

Japan dominated this race from start to finish, taking the lead with Katsuhiro Matsumoto‘s 1:47.42 leadoff leg and extending their lead over the field to nearly 4 seconds throughout the race. Yuki Kobori (1:46.95) and Kosuke Hagino (1:46.83) really sealed the deal for them with a pair of 1:46s on the final 2 legs.

Italy got off to a strong start with a 1:47.66 opening split from Filippo Megli, but were overtaken by the Americans after Maxime Rooney‘s 1:47.36 on the 2nd leg. The USA (7:12.19) held their position to finish 2nd, while Russia (7:13.47) made big moves on the anchor split with Mikhail Vekovishchev‘s field-leading 1:46.81 to pull away from Italy. The Russians took bronze, with the Italians trailing them for 4th in 7:16.22.