Russia’s Miron Lifincev Logs 1:56.61 200 Back On Day One Of 2024 BRICS Games

2024 BRICS GAMES

• Kazan, Russia
• Wednesday, June 19th – Friday, June 21st (swimming)
• LCM (50m)
• Results

The 2024 BRICS Games saw action begin on Wednesday, June 19th, with the sport of swimming representing one of 27 being contested by more than 4700 athletes in Kazan, Russia.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. The Games are an annual multi-sport competition held in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

On day one, Russia collected gold in both the women’s and men’s 400m free. Sofya Dyakova topped the former podium in 4:07.07, the sole sub-4:10 result of the field, while Nikolay Kolesnikov won the latter in 3:50.67.

Russia also reaped gold in the women’s 50m back, with Milana Stepanova beating the field in 28.63, a new best time. Her result outperformed her previous career-quickest result of 28.76 logged at this year’s Russian Championships.

Teammate Maria Osetrova snagged silver in 28.91 while Brazil’s Julia Goes rounded out the podium in 28.93.

Miron Lifincev cleared the field in the men’s 200m back, punching a result of 1:56.61. The 18-year-old’s outing is a new lifetime best and checks him in among the best-ever Russian performers list in slot #6.

Russian Men’s LCM 200 Back Performers All-time

1. Evgeny Rylov – 1:53.23, 2021
2. Arkady Vyatchain – 1:54.75, 2009
3. Kliment Kolesnikov – 1:55.14, 2017
4. Stanislav Donets – 1:55.25, 2009
5. Andrey Shabasov – 1:56.50, 2016
6. Miron Lifincev – 1:56.61, 2024

He now ranks among the top 25 performers in the world this season.

Lifincev is the unofficial World Junior Record holder in the 100m back event, owning a career-best of 52.34 from April’s Russian Championships.

Additional Winners

• Russia’s Serafima Fokina was too quick to catch in the women’s 200m fly, posting 2:11.72 as the gold medalist. Brazilian Maria Pessanha was right behind, however, touching only .02 off Fokina’s time to hit 2:11.74 and settle for silver.
• German Zazhirskii of Russia turned in a time of 52.54 to beat Belarusian Grigori Pekarski in the men’s 100m fly. Pekarski was also sub-53, logging 52.66 to earn the silver. Zazhirskii had never before been in the 52-second zone, entering this competition with a lifetime best of 53.25 from last year. Pekarski, on the other hand, owns a PB of 51.92 from 2 years ago.
• Belarusian Alina Zmushka got on the board for the women, decisively topping the 200m breast podium. The 27-year-old Olympian put up 2:24.51 to beat the field by over 4 seconds en route to victory.
• Ilya Shumanovich, also of Belarus, was the sole sub-minute men’s 100m breaststroker on night one. He hit 59.93 as the gold medalist, although he’s already been as quick as 59.35 this season. That swifter performance was produced in Doha where he placed 6th.
• Brazil’s first gold came in the form of Victor Alcara who won the men’s 50m free in 22.28.
• Maria Poleschuk of Russia got it done for gold in the women’s 50m free, posting 25.24 as the top swimmer.