Standout Swims From Morozov, Kromowidjojo Highlight Day 2 Of Tokyo WC

2018 FINA WORLD CUP TOKYO

• Friday, November 9th – Sunday, November 11th
• Tatsumi International Swimming Center
• SCM
• Heats at 9:30am local/Finals at 6pm local
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Entry List
• Day 1 Prelims
• Day 1 Finals
• Day 2 Prelims
• Results

Day 2 finals of the 2018 FINA World Cup stop in Tokyo were highlighted by a plethora of records being broken, as some of the sport’s biggest stars put on a show with some very exciting racing.

In the opening event of the session Katinka Hosszu and Yui Ohashi went head-to-head in the timed final of the women’s 400 IM, with Hosszu using a superior freestyle leg to win in a time of 4:21.91, her fastest showing since August of last year. Ohashi took 2nd in 4:22.73, breaking the Asian Record in the event previously held by Ye Shiwen (4:23.33) from 2012.

Wang Shun and Li Zhuhao set a pair of Chinese records, and we also saw a new Russian and World Cup mark from Vladimir Morozov in the men’s 100 free, and Ranomi Kromowidjojo moved to #2 all-time in the women’s 50 fly with a new Dutch Record.

Wang won the men’s 200 IM in a time of 1:51.45, topping Kosuke Hagino (1:52.50) and lowering his previous national mark of 1:51.63 from 2016. Li did the same in the men’s 200 fly, using some crazy front-half speed (24.04, 51.97) to win in a time of 1:50.92 and break his old Chinese record of 1:51.57 set last year. You can read more about those records here.

In the men’s 100 free, Morozov continued his hot streak with a win in 45.16, lowering his own Russian and World Cup records of 45.23 set last August. Kyle Chalmers was the runner-up in 45.78, his first time under 46 seconds, and Blake Pieroni was 3rd in 46.79. You can read more about this record here.

And then in the other major record of the day, Kromowidjojo broke her Dutch record of 24.53 to win the women’s 50 fly in 24.51, edging out Sarah Sjostrom (24.58) by seven one-hundredths. Kromowidjojo’s swim also moved her past Sjostrom for #2 all-time in the event, now only trailing Therese Alshammar (24.38). Read more on that here.

Another national record fell in the men’s 50 back, as Dylan Carter lowered the Trinidad and Tobago mark that he had set in the prelims in 23.43 to place 4th. Xu Jiayu won the event in 22.87, just 0.17 off of his Chinese record, and Michael Andrew (23.17) set a new personal best in placing 2nd. For Andrew, that improved his 23.19 from the Budapest stop in October.

OTHER EVENTS

• Mykhailo Romanchuk of Ukraine won the men’s 1500 freestyle in a time of 14:27.93, pulling away from Shogo Takeda (14:33.26) on the back half. That swim is just under two seconds faster than what Romanchuk went to win in Beijing (14:29.88), and moves him past Florian Wellbrock (14:29.27) for #1 in the world, while Takeda’s swim was just off of the Japanese national record (14:31.64).
• Sjostrom had a second close runner-up finish for the day in the women’s 200 free, as Femke Heemskerk used some big time front-end speed to open up a lead she just barely hung on to at the end. She bulldozed her way down the first 100, out in 54.48 to Sjostrom’s 55.17, and then with a lead of 0.47 at the 150, relinquished 0.46 to the Swede on the last 50 to hold on for the win in 1:51.91. Sjostrom charged back in 28.19, but fell just short of the gold in 1:51.92. Heemskerk finished just just a few tenths off of her Dutch national record (1:51.69), and also set a new season-best (previously 1:52.04).
• 18-year-old Minna Atherton took out the big guns for the second straight meet in the women’s 100 back, splitting 27.07/28.97 to touch in a time of 56.04 to top Kira Toussaint (56.24), Hosszu (56.47) and Emily Seebohm (56.59). Atherton won the Beijing meet by .04 in 56.49 over Hosszu, and with this performance now moves to 3rd in the world this year behind Seebohm and Kathleen Baker, and also into 11th all-time in the event. Toussaint’s swim was also notably just .03 off of her Dutch record of 56.21.
• Slovenian Peter Stevens prevailed in the final of the men’s 50 breast, clocking 26.03 to top Russian Kirill Prigoda (26.19), Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki (26.20) and Belarusian Ilya Shymanovich (26.26). Yan Zibei of China was 5th in 26.38, just .07 off of the Chinese record.
• Alia Atkinson out-split Yuliya Efimova on both 50s to win the women’s 100 breast in 1:03.09, with Efimova just over three-tenths back in 1:03.42. That swim solidifies Efimova for the Russian SC Worlds team in the event, as she was under the top time from their National Championships (1:05.05 from Maria Temnikova).
• The NUHW Club from Japan won the mixed 200 free relay in 1:31.72 over the Australians (1:32.25), with Kousuke Matsui leading them off in 21.67 and Aya Satou anchoring in 23.84. Chalmers led off Australia in 21.36.