Morozov Hammers Out 21.50 To Open FINA World Cup – Budapest

FINA WORLD CUP – BUDAPEST

• Friday, October 4th – Sunday, October 6th
• Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
• LCM
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While the International Swimming League (ISL) squads Cali Condors, DC Trident, Energy Standard and Aqua Centurions will be competing in Indianapolis, Indiana this weekend at the very first meet of the inaugural season, Katinka Hosszu, Danas Rapsys, Kira Toussaint and more are doing their thing in Hungary.

Cluster #2 of the 2019 FINA World Cup Series kicked off today in Budapest, with the big names wasting no time cashing in on their races.

Iron Lady Hosszu is set to battle her ex-husband and former coach Shane Tusup‘s new protege, Italian Ilaria Cusinato in the women’s 200m and 400m IM races later in this 3-day meet. But, for now, the Hungarian settled for 200m fly gold, putting up a time of 2:08.55. That was enough to hold off teammate Zsuzsanna Jakabos who touched in 2:09.67 for silver, with the pair representing the only racers in the field to dip under the 2:10 threshold.

For comparison, Hosszu was super quick at 2:07.07 at the last stop of cluster #1 in Singapore, with Jakabos nailing a strong time of 2:07.48 herself.

Aussie Maddie Gough stopped the clock at 4:10.36 in the women’s 400m free to beat the field by almost 2 seconds. Although off her 4:08.09 time from the Singapore stop, Gough’s effort beat out American Kaersten Meitz, who made her World Cup debut in 4:12.28 for silver.

Meitz won the gold at this summer’s World University Games in this 400m free event, topping the podium in Naples, Italy in a time of 4:05.80.

Of note, Mireia Belmonte of Spain was also in the 400m free field tonight but finished off the podium in 4th in a time of 4:12.43. That was just .11 behind bronze medalist Ajna Kesely, the teen from Hungary who was a triple medalist at least year’s European Championships.

Dutch Olympian Kira Toussaint made some magic in the women’s 50m backstroke, collecting a new Dutch Record en route to gold. Her time of 27.68 overtakes a supersuited record, which was 27.77 posted by Hinkelien Schreuder back at the 2009 World Championships. You can read more about Toussaint’s performance here.

Toussaint’s teammate, Arno Kamminga, also got the job done in record-breaking fashion in the men’s 100m breaststroke. His winning mark of 59.05 also checked-in as a new national record. You can read more about his performance here.

Newly-minted 200m fly World Record holder Kristof Milak of Hungary blew away the men’s 100m fly field tonight, establishing himself as the gold medalist in a time of 51.27. He opened his race in 3rd place, splitting 24.14, but fired off the fastest back-half by over half a second, finishing in 27.13 to put up the only sub-52 second outing of the field.

Milak’s next closest competitor came in the form of teammate Sebastian Sabo, the former Serbian competitor who touched tonight in 52.16. That’s well off his 51.28 mark from the Singapore World Cup.

Bronze went to young Jakub Majerski of Poland, who finished in 52.34. That represents a new personal best for the Pole, outperforming his previous career-fastest of 52.64 produced in the prelims of last year’s European Junior Championships.

Russia’s Vlad Morozov put on a show in the men’s 50m freestyle to cap off the night, taking the win easily in a mark of 21.50. The former USC Trojan represented the only athlete of the final to dip under the 22-second barrier, with the next closest competitor being that of Hungarian Maxim Lobanovskij who touched in 22.18. Japan’s Kosuke Matsui hit the wall in 22.26 for bronze.

At the Singapore stop of this year’s Series, Morozov established a new World Cup Record of 21.27, a time that also set a new Russian National Record in the event.

Additional Winners:

• The men’s 400m free was on the sluggish side, with Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys touching in 3:49.09. Rapsys was originally on the Energy Standard ISL roster, but decided to opt-out in order to focus on his Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games preparation.
• Japanese maestro Ryosuke Irie got his hand on the wall first in the men’s 200m back, touching in 1:56.79 for the win. That outing wasn’t too far off his mark of 1:56.52 produced at this summer’s World Championships for 5th place.
• Slovenia’s Tjasa Vozel produced a new National Record in the heats of the women’s 200m breast. She nailed a new lifetime best of 2:26.06 to claim the top spot and came within striking distance of that new mark with a finals effort of 2:26.52 for gold.
• Sweden’s Michelle Coleman blasted a new personal best in the women’s 50m freestyle to take the gold. She produced a time of 24.56 to shave .09 off of her previous PB of 24.65 from the Singapore stop of the 1st cluster of this year’s FINA World Series. Dutch Olympian Ranomi Kromowidjojo settled for silver in 24.62, while Russia’s Mariia Kameneva was right behind in 24.65 to round out the top 3.