Aussies Show Up On Day 2 Of The FINA World Cup – Tokyo

2019 FINA WORLD CUP STOP #1 – TOKYO, JAPAN

• Friday, August 2nd – Sunday, August 4th
• Tokyo, Japan
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Hungary’s Iron Lady kicked off day 2 of the 2019 FINA World Cup in Tokyo, Japan with another gold, carrying on her tradition of dominating this annual series.

30-year-old Katinka Hosszu topped the podium in the women’s 400m IM, hitting a time of 4:32.20 to clear the field by over 2 seconds. Runner-up tonight was Japan’s IM queen Yui Ohashi, who posted a silver medal-worthy mark of 4:34.27, while Spain’s Mireia Belmonte produced her fastest time in 2 years. You can read more about Belmonte’s rebound swim here.

Hosszu and Ohashi went head-to-head in this 400m IM event at the just-concluded FINA World Championships in Gwangju, Korea, where Hosszu nabbed the top prize once again, producing a time of 4:30.39. Ohashi wound up with the bronze behind China’s Ye Shiwen, with the Japanese National Record holder punching the clock in 4:32.33.

Hosszu’s 2nd race of the night came in the 100m back, where the Hungarian fell to Australia’s Emily Seebohm in a tight race to the end. The women touched in marks of 59.44 and 59.65, respectively, with Seebohm in the water with the gold after having missed racing in the World Championships in Gwangju. Seebohm was outperformed by teenagers Minna Atherton and Kaylee McKeown at the Aussie World Trials.

Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, the women’s 200m free World Champion in Gwangju, secured bronze in the 100m back here in a time of 1:00.13. That outing is just .10 outside of the Olympic icon’s personal best in this event.

Russia’s Vladimir Morozov was another double winner tonight in Tokyo, topping the podium in both the men’s 50m back and the 100m free. He already took the 50m free last night to bring his total to 3 through 2 days at the first stop of this 2019 FINA World Cup Series.

Morozov touched tonight in 24.53 in the men’s 50m back, which is a quick time just .10 outside of his own World Cup Record of 24.43 from last year’s series.

America’s Michael Andrew reaped silver in 24.87 tonight after finishing off the podium in the 100m fly, but he did get bronze in the 50m free yesterday.

Morozov also nailed the 100m free victory tonight in a time of 48.12, with American Blake Pieroni finishing with the silver in 48.43. Hungary’s Sebastian Sabo took bronze in 48.45.

For Sabo, this effort checks-in as a monster new personal best, slashing over half a second off of his previous lifetime fastest of 49.04 from this year’s Hungarian National Championships.

Japan’s World Championships silver medalist in the 200m free, Katsuhiro Matsumoto, produced a 100m free time of 48.59 for 5th, while America’s Andrew Seliskar followed his 100m fly PB gold from last night with a 100 free effort of 48.80 for 6th.

Matsumoto’s time came with hundredths of his 48.52 lifetime best from this year’s Japan Swim, while Seliskar’s time is indeed a new career-best. Entering this meet the American’s quickest was represented by the 48.99 notched at last year’s Pan Pacific Championships. The top 7 men were all under 49 seconds.

Going back to (Michael) Andrew, he wound up 4th in the 50m breast, hitting the wall in 27.23, while it was Belarusian breaststroker Ilya Shymanovich who produced the winning effort of 26.78. For Shymanovich, he already won the 100m breast last night and his mark tonight in this one-lap sprint fell just .04 of the World Cup Record.

Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi finished in 26.88 for the silver, while Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki clocked 27.05 for bronze.

The Australian swimmers of Brianna Throssell and Madi Wilson went 1-2 in the women’s 200m free, with Throssell taking the top prize in 1:56.99. That’s her 2nd best time ever, sitting only behind the 1:56.62 she produced for 4th place at Aussie World Trials.

Throssell was one of the key members of the Aussie 4x200m freestyle relay that took gold in a new World Record time in Gwangju, as was Wilson. Wilson tonight touched behind Throssell in a mark of 1:57.44. She was 1:56.85 at World Trials.

Continuing the Aussie winning trend was Mitch Larkin, with the St. Peters Western star hitting the clock in 1:57.06. That represented the only sub-2:00 time of the field and beats out what Larkin put up in Gwangju, which was 1:57.32 for 7th place in that final.

Aussie teammate Thomas Fraser-Holmes secured silver in 2:00.00, while Japan’s Kosuke Hagino posted a time of 2:00.03 for bronze. This is a solid time for Hagino, who has been out of the water for over 5 months due to taking a mental and physical health break, Look for a follow-up post on his swim.

Australia ended the meet with a bang, as the combination of Cameron McEvoy, TFH, Wilson and Cate Campbell clocked a new World Cup Record in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.

McEvoy got the party started with a 48.89 opener, the fastest of the field, while TFH carried it on in 49.45. Wilson was next with a productive split of 54.29, while C1 anchored in a solid 52.26.

All told, the Aussies came away with gold in a time of 3:24.89. That crushed the previous World Cup Record of 3:27.42 set by the Netherlands last year in Kazan.

Additional Notes:

• Host country swimmer Syogo Takeda was the 1500m freestyle winner in 15:07.05.
• Aussie Holly Barratt edged out Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen in the women’s 50m fly, with the women stopping the clock in respective times of 25.96 and 25.97.
• South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker took gold in the 2breast last night and produced a big-time swim this evening in the 100m breast as well. Her winning time of 1:06.54 is within striking distance of her own National Record of 1:06.32 from this year’s World University Games in Naples, Italy.
• Of note, Miho Teramura of Japan’s silver medal-earning time of 1:06.77 makes her the 8th fastest Japanese performer of all-time in the women’s 100m breast event.
• Nao Horomura of Japan won the men’s 200m fly in 1:55.25, with America’s Zach Harting reaping silver in 1:56.26. That’s Harting’s 7th fastest time ever in the event.