2022 FINA World Cup – Berlin: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2022 FINA WORLD CUP – BERLIN

• Friday, October 21 – Sunday, October 23, 2022
• Europa-Sportpark, Berlin, Germany
• SCM (25 meters)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 8:30 am local / 2:30 am ET
  • Finals: 7:00 pm local / 1:00 pm ET
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results (Omega)
• Live Stream (FINA YouTube)
• Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet

Annika Johnson contributed to this reporting.

The final day of the first stop of the 2022 FINA World Cup is here. As was the case in the previous two days, there will be an ‘A’ flight and ‘B’ flight in this morning’s prelims session. The ‘A’ flight for all events will take place first, then the ‘B’ flight will begin immediately upon the conclusion of the ‘A’. This morning will begin with the slow heats of the men’s 400 IM and women’s 800 free, which are timed finals events.

The men’s 200 breast will feature Americans Nic Fink and Reece Whitley, both of whom are swimming well in Berlin. Whitley, as he has been throughout the meet, isn’t entered with a time in the 200 breast, and therefore will be racing in the final heat of the event this morning, during the ‘B’ flight.

The men’s 50 fly features Hungary’s Szebastian Szabo, who holds the World Record in the event alongside Brazil’s Nicholas Santos at 21.75. Coincidentally, that time also ties the World Cup Record, so we’ll be keeping an eye on Szabo in case he swims a personal best. However, he’ll still have Dylan Carter to contend with in the race, and Carter has been swimming well in Berlin.

The women’s 200 back will feature another showdown between American Beata Nelson and Canadians Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm. Nelson managed to win the 100 back last night, so she enters this morning with some momentum.

After winning the women’s 100 breast last night, Ruta Meilutyte is back in action in the women’s 50 breast this morning. Meilutyte is the top seed in the event, entering at 29.33, just 0.01 seconds ahead of Anastasia Gorbenko.

MEN’S 400 IM – SLOW HEATS

• World Record: 3:54.81, Daiya Seto (JPN), 2019
• World Jr Record: 3:56.47, Ilya Borodin (RSF), 2021
• World Cup Record: 3:57.25, Daiya Seto (JPN), 2018

Norway’s Jon Joentvedt took the top time of the morning, touching the wall first at 4:11.39. He narrowly beat Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland who finished second (4:13.75). Joentvedt was the only swimmer to crack the slowest seed time in tonight’s final which is 4:12.85.

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – SLOW HEATS

• World Record: 7:59.34, Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 2013
• World Jr Record: 7:59.44, Jianjiahe Wang (CHN), 2018
• World Cup Record: 7:59.34, Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 2013

Maddy Gough of Australia was first to the wall in the women’s 800 free. She won the heat handily with a time of 8:26.48, about 16 seconds faster than the rest of the field. Gough has been as fast as 8:15.24 in the event, a time which she swam in 2018.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – HEATS

• World Record: 54.59, Kelsi Dahlia (USA), 2021
• World Jr Record: 55.39, Claire Curzan (USA), 2021
• World Cup Record: 54.84, Kelsi Dahlia (USA), 2018

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Louise Hansson (SWE) – 55.66
2. Maaike de Waard (NED) – 57.40
3. Angelina Kohler (GER) – 57.73
4. Helena Bach (DEN) – 57.90
5. Barbora Seemanova (CZE) – 57.91
6. Laura Lahtinen (FIN) – 57.94
7. Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 58.03
8. Kim Busch (NED) – 58.08

Sweden’s Louise Hansson secured the top spot in the final by barreling into the wall with a final 50-meter split of 29.95. She was the only swimmer under 30.00 on that last length and came within .56 of her lifetime best time from December 2021. De Waard was just one-third of a second behind her best time from this same meet in Hungary in 2021.

MEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – HEATS

• World Record: 21.75, Nicholas Santos (BRA), 2018/Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 2021
• World Jr Record: 22.34, Andrei Minakov (RUS), 2020
• World Cup Record: 21.75, Nicholas Santos (BRA), 2018

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Dylan Carter (TTO) – 22.61
2. Tom Shields (USA) – 22.63
3. Marius Kusch (CLB) –22.64
4. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) – 22.67
5. Shaine Casas (USA) – 22.68
6. Chad le Clos (RSA) – 22.84
7. Matteo Rivolta (ITA) – 22.85
8. Florent Manaudou (FRA) – 22.90

The men’s 50 fly was cutthroat this morning. Trinidad and Tobago’s Carter took the lead going into tonight’s final, just .02 ahead of American Olympian Tom Shields in second. This was a solid swim for Carter, but still .63 off his national record from the 2021 World Championships. First and eighth place this morning were separated by just .29 and Florent Manaudou squeaked into the final with a 22.90, bumping his French teammate Maxime Grousset out of the final by .08.

Marius Kusch pushed ahead of World Record holder Szabo by .03 to claim the third spot in the final.

Fifth seed Thomas Ceccon, who won silver in the 50 back final last night, did not compete. He is entered in the 100 back later this session.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – HEATS

• World Record: 1:58.94, Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2020
• World Jr Record: 2:00.03, Missy Franklin (USA), 2011
• World Cup Record: 1:59.35, Daryna Zevina (UKR), 2016

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 2:04.58
2. Adela Piskorska (POL) – 2:05.31
3. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 2:05.98
4. Lotte Hosper (NED) – 2:06.38
5. Beata Nelson (USA) – 2:06.39
6. Hanna Rosvall (SWE) – 2:06.82
7. Daryna Zevina (UKR) – 2:07.05
8. Tessa Vermeulen (NED) – 2:07.81

Canada had a great performance in women’s backstroke this morning with Kylie Masse taking first and Ingrid Wilm third. Masse seemed to have control over the race as the only swimmer under 2:05.00 so far. 19-year-old Adela Piskorska claimed the second spot in the finals by coming within a second of her Polish national record from December. She posted a blistering second 50 split of 31.10 which was .73 faster than Masse on that length. And while Masse, Wilm, and Hosper had faster finishing speeds than Piskorska on the last 50, her initial speed proved insurmountable.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – HEATS

• World Record: 48.33, Coleman Stewart (USA), 2021
• World Jr Record: 48.90, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2017
• World Cup Record: 48.88, Jiayu Xu (CHN), 2018

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Shaine Casas (USA) – 50.91
2. Apostolos Christou (GRE) – 51.42
3. Tomas Franta (CZE) –   51.53
4. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA) / Ksawery Masiuk (POL) – 51.66
5. –
6. Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 51.82
7. Javier Acevedo (CAN) –  51.88
8. Yakov Toumarkin (ISR) –52.03

Shaine Casas had a tight turnaround between the 50 fly and 100 back, but it only seemed to make him stronger. He is entering tonight’s final half a second faster than the entire field.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – HEATS

• World Record: 28.56, Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2018
• World Jr Record: 28.81, Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 2020
• World Cup Record: 28.56, Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2018

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 29.65
2. Sophie Hansson (SWE) – 29.91
3. Klara Thormalm (SWE) – 30.24
4. Lisa Angiolini (ITA) – 30.27
5. Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 30.28
6. Ida Hulkko (FIN) – 30.31
7. Silje Slyngstadl (NOR) – 30.38
8. Florine Gaspard (BEL) – 30.48

Lithuania’s Meilutyte led the charge this morning by finishing with a .25-second lead over the field. Sophie Hansson joined her under the 30.00 mark and led a strong 2-3 finish for Sweden with Thormalm behind her. This was a very solid swim for Hansson whose best time stands at 29.55 from the 2021 World Short Course Championships while Meilutyte has been as fast as sub-29.00 before.

Norway’s Silje Slyngstadl made it back for finals from the ‘B’ flight, swimming a 30.38 to take seventh overall, bumping Tes Schouten out of the top eight.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – HEATS

• World Record: 2:00.16, Kirill Prigoda (RUS), 2018
• World Jr Record: 2:03.23, Akihiro Yamaguchi (JPN), 2012
• World Cup Record: 2:00.48, Daniel Gyurta (HUN), 2014

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Matej Zabojknik (CZE) – 2:07.61
2. Dawid Wiekiera (POL) – 2:07.63
3. Marco Koch (CLB) – 2:07.71
4. Nic Fink (USA) – 2:08.56
5. Andrius Sidlauskas (LTU) – 2:08.61
6. Maksym Ovchinnikov (UKR) – 2:08.93
7. Ivo Kroes (NED) – 2:09.71
8. Christoffer Haarsaker (NOR) – 2:11.36

Czech national record holder Matej Zabojknik had an exciting duel with Poland’s Wiekiera who crept up on him on the third 50. Zabojknik went out in 28.82, nearly one second faster than Wiekiera’s first 50 split. But the Polish 20-year-old built up speed and axed away at Zabojknik’s lead by splitting 32.52/32.74 on the final two 50’s.

Top seed Nic Fink landed in 4th, about six seconds off his entry time. Who knows what Fink or Germany’s Marco Koch will do in the final (Koch’s German national record scares the 2:00.00 mark at 2:00.44).

Reece Whitley had been swimming well at this meet, but DNS (did not swim) the event this morning.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – HEATS

• World Record: 50.25, Cate Campbell (AUS), 2017
• World Jr Record: 51.45, Kayla Sanchez (CAN), 2018
• World Cup Record:50.58, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2017

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 52.41
2. Madison Wilson (AUS) – 52.72
3. Marrit Steenbergen (NED) – 52.74
4. Catie de Loof (USA) – 52.77
5. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 52.86
6. Michelle Coleman (SWE) – 53.06
7. Meg Harris (AUS) – 53.10
8. Erika Brown (USA) – 53.33

Siobhan Haughey really set the pace this morning, blasting a 52.41 to claim the top finals spot. It was a much tighter race for second through fourth place which were separated by just .05. Everyone should watch out for Marrit Steenbergen tonight; she was the only swimmer to break 27.00 on the final 50 with a split of 26.97.

The Americans secured two finals spots, making this one of their most stacked events of tonight’s finals session alongside the men’s 50 fly.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – HEATS

• World Record: 1:39.37, Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009
• World Jr Record: 1:40.65, Matt Sates (RSA), 2021
• World Cup Record: 1:39.37, Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Matt Sates (RSA) – 1:43.14
2. Kieran Smith (USA) – 1:43.87
3. Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 1:44.28
4. Danas Rapsys (LTU) – 1:44.30
5. Luc Kroon (NED) – 1:44.40
6. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 1:44.50
7. Kregor Zirk (EST) – 1:44.88
8. Ben Schwietert (NED) – 1:45.24

19-year-old Matt Sates of South Africa took the early lead and held onto it tight. He went out in 23.79 with the only sub-24.00 first 50 split in the field and maintained that speed until the end. Kieran Smith pushed his pace on the second and final lengths to join Sates under the 1:44.00 mark and claim the second spot in tonight’s final.

Noe Ponti clocked a 1:44.50 in the late heats to take sixth overall, qualifying for the final.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – HEATS

• World Record: 2:01.86, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014
• World Jr Record: 2:04.48, Yiting Yu (GHN), 2021
• World Cup Record: 2:02.13, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Abbie Wood (GBR) – 2:09.85
2. Bailey Andison (CAN) – 2:10.13
3. Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 2:10.30
4. Charlotte Bonnet (FRA) – 2:10.47
5. Beata Nelson (USA) – 2:10.58
6. Sara Franceschi (ITA) – 2:10.67
7. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) – 2:10.75
8. Ilaria Cusinato (ITA) – 2:11.09

Great Britain’s Abbie Wood defended her top seed spot handily, although Bailey Andison nearly destroyed her lead on the final 50 meters with a killer 30.76 split compared to Wood’s 31.93.

There will be a swim-off to determine whether Horska or Cusinato gets the eighth spot in the final. Ilaria Cusinato won the swim-off, posting a 2:09.89, which would have been fast enough for second overall in the heats. Cusinato put together a strong middle of her race, splitting 33.02 on backstroke and 36.76 on breaststroke to pull away from Horska, who had inched ahead on butterfly. Horska ended up touching in 2:11.26, just off her original time.