2021 FINA World Cup – Kazan: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2021 FINA World Cup Stop #4 – Kazan

• Thursday, October 28 – Saturday, October 30th
• Kazan Aquatics Palace, Kazan, Russia
• Prelims: 10 am local / 3 am ET
• Finals: 6 pm local / 11 am ET
• SCM (25m)
• Results

After the Doha stop had relatively thin fields, several Russians have entered the fourth and final stop of the 2021 FINA World Cup circuit in Kazan to bolster the meet and provide some intriguing battles.

Among those is the arrival of Russian sprinting star Kliment Kolesnikov, who will race Daiya Seto and Matt Sates in an exciting three-way battle in the men’s 100 IM at the end of the session.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 3:53.97, Wang Jianjiahe (CHN), 2018

1. Leah Neale (AUS), 4:01.73
2. Madi Wilson (AUS), 4:02.05
3. Aleksandra Bykova (RUS), 4:05.12

Australian Leah Neale picks up her first victory of the 2021 FINA World Cup as she manages to hold off teammate Madi Wilson to touch first in the women’s 400 free, putting up a time of 4:01.73.

Neale jumped on the lead on the second 50, and slowly pulled ahead of Wilson over the course of the race to flip just over a second ahead with two lengths to go. Wilson, who won this race in Doha, charged home in 29.32, but fell just over three tenths shy for second in 4:02.05.

Neale has been almost half a second faster this year, hitting 4:01.28 in the ISL regular season, while Wilson’s time marks a new best, lowering her 4:02.72 from the ISL season.

The rest of the field was made up entirely of Russians, and it was 18-year-old Aleksandra Bykova grabbing the third spot on the podium in 4:05.12, edging out Anastasia Guzhenkova (4:05.14) and Valeriia Salamatina (4:05.46). Bykova owns a best of 4:03.94 set in December.

MEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 3:32.77, Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009

1. Matt Sates (RSA), 3:38.28
2. Danas Rapsys (LTU), 3:38.81
3. Daniil Shatalov (RUS), 3:39.54

Matt Sates makes it three wins in four matchups with Danas Rapsys in the men’s 400 freestyle, using his blazing closing speed to edge out the Lithuanian in a time of 3:38.28.

Sates sat back in fourth at the 200 in 1:49.44, with Rapsys leading the way in 1:48.02 and Russian Daniil Shatalov (1:48.31) and Frenchman Jordan Pothain (1:49.39) sitting second and third.

After Rapsys and Shatalov opened up a gap over the next 100, Sates fired off a 27.07 penultimate 50 to pull even with the leading trio, and then blasted a 25.78 final 50 to claim the win. Sates’ time is less than four-tenths off of his World Junior Record of 3:37.92 set in Budapest.

Rapsys closed in 26.04 to take second in 3:38.81, with his season-best of 3:38.19 set at the Berlin stop—his lone win in the event on the circuit.

Shatalov took more than a second off his previous best to touch third in 3:39.54, ranking him sixth in the world this season. Russian Alexey Rtishchev (3:41.21) and Pothain (3:42.26) were fourth and fifth.

WOMEN’S 50 BACK – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 25.81, Kira Toussaint (NED), 2021

1. Kira Toussaint (NED), 25.87
2. Holly Barratt (AUS), 26.25
3. Daria Vaskina (RUS), 27.09

Kira Toussaint makes it a clean sweep in the women’s 50 back for the 2021 World Cup circuit, winning the event for a fourth straight time in 25.87.

Toussaint’s clocking was just .06 shy of her World Cup Record and world-leading time of 25.81, set at the opening stop in Berlin.

Australian Holly Barratt was the runner-up in 26.25, dipping under her season-best of 26.32, while Russia’s Daria Vaskina rounded out the podium in 27.09. Vaskina owns a best of 26.41 set at the Russian SC Championships in December. The rest of the field all finished within half a second of Vaskina.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 1:46.11, Arkady Vyatchanin (SRB), 2009

1. Aleksei Tkachev (RUS), 1:51.34
2. Yakov Toumarkin (ISR), 1:51.55
3. Grigory Tarasevich (RUS), 1:51.93

17-year-old Aleksei Tkachev came from behind to pick up the win in the men’s 200 backstroke, moving up from fourth at the 100 and third at the 150 to touch first with a blistering final 50 of 27.59.

Tkachev closing split moved him past Israel’s Yakov Toumarkin, giving the Russian the win in 1:51.34 to Toumarkin’s 1:51.34. Tkachev’s countryman Grigory Tarasevich was third in 1:51.93, while 20-year-old Russian Egor Dolomanov (1:52.32) took fourth.

Tkachev shatters his previous best time of 1:54.02 and moves into a tie for eighth in the world this season. Toumarkin lowers his season-best of 1:52.19, set in Berlin, while Tarasevich has been as fast as 1:50.23 during the ISL season competing for the New York Breakers.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 2:00.78, Liu Zige (CHN), 2009

1. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 2:05.88
2. Anastasiia Markova (RUS), 2:05.97
3. Maria Ugolkova (SUI), 2:07.46

In an extremely close battle between 32-year-old Zsuzsanna Jakabos and 16-year-old Anastasiia Markova, it was the Hungarian veteran getting the job done in the women’s 200 butterfly in a time of 2:05.88.

Jakabos, twice the age of Markova, trailed by just over three-tenths at the 150 but reeled the Russian in coming down the stretch, splitting 32.68 to seal the victory and win her second straight 200 fly on the World Cup. Jakabos jumps up from 11th into fourth in the world for the 2021-22 season.

Markova finished in a time of 2:05.97, lowering her previous best by two seconds, while Switzerland’s Maria Ugolkova, the winner of this event in Budapest, took third in 2:07.46.

15-year-old Lana Pudar finished fourth in 2:08.21, setting a new Bosnian and Herzegovinian Record.

MEN’S 100 FLY – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 48.48, Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS), 2009

1. Tom Shields (USA), 49.20
2. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 50.07
3. Pavel Samusenko (RUS), 50.33

Tom Shields goes a perfect four-for-four in the men’s 100 fly on the World Cup circuit, using a dominant opening 50 of 22.52 to win easily in a time of 49.20.

Shields ranks second in the world this season with his time of 48.67 from the Berlin stop, and is set to compete in the play-off phase of the ISL season beginning in November.

Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo, known for his 50 fly abilities, was six-tenths back of Shields at the 50 and lost more ground coming home, ultimately clocking 50.07 to take second. That lowers his season-best by .01, having been 50.08 in Berlin.

Russia’s Pavel Samusenko closed in 26.85 to take third in 50.33, a new PB, while Deividas Margevicius took fourth in 50.95 to narrowly miss Danas Rapsys‘ Lithuanian Record of 50.79.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 2:15.42, Leisel Jones (AUS), 2009

1. Vitalina Simonova (RUS), 2:19.22
2. Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 2:20.49
3. Mariia Temnikova (RUS), 2:21.12

After notching her 11th career sub-2:20 swim in the prelims, 29-year-old Vitalina Simonova made it 12 in tonight’s women’s 200 breaststroke final, clocking 2:19.22 to earn a definitive victory over a talented field.

Simonova, who went 2:19.80 in the heats, owns a best time of 2:18.03 from 2014, and with her swim in the final, moves into a tie for seventh in the world this season.

Fellow 29-year-old Russian Yuliya Efimova was out-split by Simonova on all four 50s but still overcame the rest of the field to take second in 2:20.49. Efimova cruised to the win at the Doha stop in 2:22.19 with just a few swimmers in the field.

Another Russian, Maria Temnikova, was third in 2:21.12, sitting up with Efimova at the halfway mark before falling off on the second 100. Temnikova ranks fourth in the world this season after clocking 2:18.98 during the ISL regular season.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 55.61, Cameron van der Burgh (RSA), 2009

1. Arno Kamminga (NED), 55.82
2. Fabian Schwingenschlogl (GER), 56.16
3. Anton Chupkov (RUS), 57.30

Joining Toussaint and Shields with a fourth consecutive event victory for the World Cup here in Kazan is Arno Kamminga, as the 26-year-old flew to a time of 55.82 in the men’s 100 breaststroke to break his own Dutch National Record.

Kamminga’s time takes down his previous mark of 55.99 set in July while maintaining his place as the fifth-fastest man of all-time. He remains the #2 ranked swimmer in the world in the 2021-22 season, trailing Belarusian Ilya Shymanovich (55.63).

Taking a close second was German Fabian Schwingenschlogl, who crushes his German Record in a time of 56.16 to move into a tie for ninth all-time. Schwingenschlogl set the previous German mark of 56.63 while taking second to Kamminga in Doha last week. The 30-year-old also moves into third in the world this season.

Overall it was a blistering final with seven swimmers under 58 seconds. Russia’s Anton Chupkov turned sixth at the 50 but stormed home to take third in 57.30, while Lithuanian Andrius Sidlauskas (57.62) snared fourth over Russia’s Andrey Nikolaev (57.54).

WOMEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 22.93, Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED), 2017

1. Emma McKeon (AUS), 23.53
2. Madi Wilson (AUS), 23.94
3. Holly Barratt (AUS) / Michelle Coleman (SWE), 23.95

Emma McKeon threw down her fourth straight 23.5 in a women’s 50 freestyle final on the World Cup circuit, winning for the third time in 23.53.

McKeon’s set her best time in Budapest at 23.50, and also won in Berlin (23.56) while taking second to Ranomi Kromowidjojo (23.46 to 23.54) in Doha.

McKeon’s Australian teammates Madi Wilson (23.94) and Holly Barratt (23.95) also got on the podium, with Barratt tying with Sweden’s Michelle Coleman for third. Wilson’s time dips under her previous season-best of 23.96, while Barratt cracks 24 for the first time in 2021 after going 24.04 in Budapest. Coleman has been as fast as 23.84 in the ISL this year.

MEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 20.48, Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 2018

1. Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 20.68
2. Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 20.81
3. Jesse Puts (NED), 21.08

Kyle Chalmers carried the momentum he created with some monster swims in Doha over to the opening day of action here in Kazan, swimming the fastest 50 freestyle of his career for a new Australian and Oceanian Record of 20.68.

Chalmers’ time lowers his previous mark of 20.74, set during the Season 1 ISL Final, and puts him just .01 outside of Caeleb Dressel‘s world-leading time of 20.67 for the 2021-22 season. This is also Chalmers’ third win in the event on the circuit.

Vladimir Morozov, who defeated Chalmers in Doha with a time of 20.89, had his fastest swim of the season in 20.81 to finish in the runner-up position, taking over third in the world.

Dutchman Jesse Puts, the 2016 SC World Champion in this event, was just .04 off his best time set in Budapest for third in 21.08.

Russian Vladislav Grinev was also in the field, finishing just .05 shy of his lifetime best in 21.28 for fourth.

WOMEN’S 100 IM – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 56.51, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2017

1. Maria Ugolkova (SUI), 58.47
2. Michelle Coleman (SWE), 58.54
3. Anastasiia Sorokina (RUS), 1:00.08

Maria Ugolkova made it three straight victories in the women’s 100 IM, out-touching Michelle Coleman in a new Swiss National Record of 58.47.

Ugolkova, who had previously been 58.81 this season in Budapest, moves up into ninth in the world rankings this season, while Coleman torches her 2021-22 best (59.65) by more than a second to vault up from 20th to 12th in the world.

17-year-old Russian Anastasiia Sorokina was a distant third in 1:00.08, while Serbian Nina Stanisavljevic set a new National Record of 1:00.96 in fourth.

MEN’S 100 IM – FINAL

• World Cup Record: 50.26, Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 2018

1. Daiya Seto (JPN), 51.29
2. Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 51.31
3. Matt Sates (RSA), 51.96

In an extremely intriguing matchup between three swimmers with vastly different skillsets, Daiya Seto came out on top against Kliment Kolesnikov and Matt Sates in the men’s 100 IM, coming back on the Russian to win and set a new Asian Record of 51.29 in the process.

Seto’s time takes down the seven-year-old Asian and Japanese Record of 51.30, set by the recently-retired Kosuke Hagino at the 2014 SC World Championships, and improves his previous best of 51.40 from 2018. Seto won the Doha stop in 51.56.

Kolesnikov, the World Junior Record holder in the event at 50.63, led through the 50 in 23.13 but was outgunned by Seto coming home, touching .02 back in 51.31.

Seto and Kolesnikov now occupy the #2 and #3 spots in the 2021-22 world rankings, with Caeleb Dressel well clear with the top time in 50.68.

Sates, who won the first two stops in respective times of 51.78 and 51.77, rounded out the podium in 51.96. In fourth, Israel’s Yakov Toumarkin set a new National Record in 52.17.