Coutts Breaks Two Commonwealth Records In Tokyo

The 2013 FINA World Cup Series has been incredible with 18 world records being broken in stops in Eindhoven, Berlin, Moscow, Dubai, Doha and Singapore. What will we see in Tokyo?

Going into the competition the top three leading point scorers are as follows:

Men

1. Chad le Clos – 436 pts
2. Vlad Morozov – 303 pts
3. Robert Hurley – 216 pts

Women

1. Katinka Hosszu – 675 pts
2. Alia Atkinson – 228 pts
3. Mireia Belmonte – 214 pts

A more complete source for the World Cup statistics can be found here

Women’s 800 freestyle

In the first event of the evening world record holder Mireia Belmonte of Spain and Lauren Boyle of New Zealand battled it out in the 800 freestyle. At the 400 meter mark Boyle turned in a time of 4:04.51 just ahead of Belmonte who hit the half way mark in a time of 4:04.90.

Lauren Boyle (Photo Credit: Victor Puig)

Belmonte continued to push Boyle up until the last 150 meters where the Kiwi started to increase her lead hitting the wall first in a time of 8:06.15. Belmonte finished second posting a time of 8:08.40.

American teenager Rebecca Mann who is making her first appearance at a World Cup stop this year finished third in a time of 8:18.47.

Men’s 400 IM 

The men’s 400 IM was another amazing race this time between three athletes; World Cup point leader Chad le Clos of South Africa, Thomas Fraser-Holmes of Australia and World Cup record holder Daiya Seto of Japan. After the backstroke le Clos and Fraser-Holmes separated themselves from the rest of the field, but Seto made up the ground in the breaststroke.

With only 50 meters to go what was still a dead heat with just over four tenths of a second separating the three men. That was when le Clos put on a burst of speed swimming the last 50 in a time of 25.62 more than a second faster than Fraser-Holmes (26.65) and almost two seconds faster than Seto (27.53).

le Clos took the race in a time of 3:59.23. Fraser-Holmes finished second in a time of 3:59.92 followed by Seto who recorded a time of 4:00.72.

Men’s 100 freestyle

Russian Vlad Morozov once again took the title in the 100 freestyle. Morozov had his typical quick start turning in a time of 21.86, but was followed closely by American Anthony Ervin who hit the halfway mark in a time of 21.96. It was the Russian

Vlad Morozov (Photo Credit Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)

who dominated the second half of the race swimming the last 50 meters in a time of 23.79 winning the event in a season’s best 45.65.

Konrad Czerniak of Poland finished second in a time of 46.73 followed by Ervin who finished third posting a time of 46.93.

Women’s 200 freestyle

The women’s 200 freestyle was another fantastic race that came down to the final few inches. World Cup leader Katinka Hosszu turned fourth at the 100 meter mark, third at the 150 and made a final push in the last 50 meters of the race to touch out Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden by three one-hundredths of a second to win her first event of the evening.

Although Sjostrom did not have enough to hold off Hosszu she did keep Australian Emma McKeon at bay finishing second in a time of 1:53.15. McKeon finished third in a time of 1:53.32.

Men’s 50 breaststroke 

South African Roland Schoeman has dominated the men’s 50 breaststroke throughout the 2013 World Cup series and today was no different. Schoeman finished first in a time of 26.12. In Barcelona Australian Christian Sprenger, the 100 breaststroke world champion finished second in a time of 26.26 just two one-hundredths of a second off his season’s best which he posted in prelims.

Kouichirou Okazaki of Japan finished third recording a time of 26.47.

Women’s 100 breaststroke

Jamaican Alia Atkinson has put up some fantastic times in the 100 breaststroke in the last few World Cup stops and she did so once again winning the women’s 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:02.99 which is just off her lifetime and season’s best time of 1:02.91 which she recorded in Dubai.

Atkinson led the race from start to finish, but was challenged in the last 50 meters by 50 breaststroke world champion Yulia Efimova of Russia. Atkinson turned at the first 50 wall in a time of 29.54 almost half a second ahead of Efimova. The Russian almost made up the ground finishing the final 50 meters in a time of 32.99 finishing only three one-hundredths of a second behind Atkinson. Efimova posted a lifetime best finishing in a time of 1:03.02.

Mio Motegi of Japan finished third in a time of 1:05.43.

Women’s 100 butterfly

In Singapore Australian Alicia Coutts finished second to Katinka Hosszu posting a time of 56.67, she did considerably better in Tokyo. Coutts took the event in a time of 55.30 breaking the World Cup record of 55.46 which was set by fellow Australian Felicity Galvez in 2010. That was not Galvez’s only record taken down by Coutts in this race.

Coutts also set a new Commonwealth and Australian National record beating Galvez’s 2010 mark of 55.43.

Yuka Katou of Japan finished second in a time of 56.09 while Sarah Sjostrom picked up her second medal of the evening finishing third in a time of 56.14.

Men’s 100 backstroke

American Eugene Godsoe was able to hold off a fast charging Robert Hurley of Australia to take the men’s 100 backstroke in a lifetime best time of 49.87. Godsoe’s time is also the fastest done in the world so far this year.

Eugene Godsoe (Photo Credit: Tim Binning, the swim pictures)

Hurley finished only five one-hundredths of a second behind the American finishing in a time of 49.92. His time breaks the Commonwealth record of 50.00 which was set by South African George Du Rand in 2009. Hurley also broke his own Australian National record of 50.01 which he posted at the World Cup stop in Berlin.

Fellow Australian Mitch Larkin finished third in a time of 50.83.

Women’s 50 backstroke

The women’s 50 backstroke was as close as they come with Brazilian Etiene Medeiros out touching Great Britain’s Elizabeth Simmonds by one one-hundredth of a second. Medeiros took the race in a time of 26.61, tying the South American record held by fellow Brazilian Fabiola Molina. Simmonds finished second in a time of 26.62.

Daryna Zevina of the Ukraine finished third in a time of 26.81.

Men’s 200 butterfly

Chad le Clos set the bar pretty high only a few days ago in Singapore where he set a new world record in the 200 butterfly posting a time of 1:48.56, he was not able to match that feat today, winning the event in a time of 1:50.33. It was le Clos’s second win of the evening taking the 400 IM early in the evening.

After leading for much of the race Kousuke Hagino touched the wall in second recording a time of 1:51.02. His Japanese teammate Takeshi Matsuda finished third in a time of 1:51.55.

Women’s 200 IM

Katinka Hosszu and Alicia Coutts both went in the 200 IM looking for their second gold of the evening. Hosszu took the lead from Coutts after the butterfly never to relinquish it touching first in a time of 2:04.52. Coutts finished second in a time of 2:05.63, breaking her own Commonwealth record of 2:05.82 which she posted at the Australian Short Course Championships earlier this year.

Sophie Allen of Great Britain finished third in a time of 2:06.69.

Men’s 400 freestyle

Earlier in the evening Australian Thomas Fraser-Holmes had to contend with Chad le Clos in the 400 IM losing an extremely close race to the South African. In the 400 freestyle Fraser-Holmes faced a familiar foe, fellow Australian teammate Robert Hurley.

Fraser-Holmes led the race from tip to tail holding off a fast charging Hurley. Fraser-Holmes took the race in a time of 3:38.39. Hurley negative split the race (1:49.81/1:49.23) finishing second posting a time of 3:39.04.

Naito Ehara of Japan finished third in a time of 3:43.10 one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Ous Mellouli.

Women’s 50 freestyle

World Champion Cate Campbell of Australia won the women’s 50 freestyle in a blazing 23.47 beating her lifetime best of 23.73 which she posted in Singapore. Campbell’s winning time tonight is only second to Ranomi Kromowidjojo’s world record of 23.24 in the world rankings.

Cate’s sister Bronte finished in a second place tie with German Dorothea Brandt with both swimmers hitting the wall in a time of 23.91.

Men’s 200 breaststroke

Hungarian Daniel Gyurta once again ended up on the top of the medal podium in the 200 breaststroke. Gyurta, the world champion and short course world record holder, won the event in a new World Cup record time of 2:01.30. He broke his own record which he set in Berlin earlier this year.

Yasuhiro Koseki of Japan finished second in a time of 2:03.63 followed by Michael Jamieson of Great Britain who posted a 2:04.32 to finish third.

Men’s 100 IM

There have been many Japanese medalists that the hometown crowd could cheer for on the first night in Tokyo, but Kousuke

Kosuke Hagino (Photo Credit Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)

Hagino became the first to win gold. Hagino took the men’s 100 IM in a time of 51.58. George Bovell III of Trinidad and Tobago finished second in a time of 51.65. Vlad Morozov collected his second medal of the evening finishing third in a time of 51.98.

Women’s 200 backstroke

After finishing third in the 50 backstroke Daryna Zevina of the Ukraine returned to the pool to win the women’s 200 backstroke in a time of 2:01.70. Elizabeth Simmonds, who finished just ahead of Zevina in the 50 backstroke, finished second in a time of 2:02.34.

Australian Emily Seebohm finished third in a time of 2:04.13 beating Katinka Hosszu by five one-hundredths of a second.

Men’s 50 butterfly

In the final individual event of the evening Chad le Clos collected his third gold medal of the night. le Clos won the men’s 50 butterfly in a time of 22.26. Nicholas Santos of Brazil took the silver in a time of 22.33 followed by Roland Schoeman, who collected his second medal of the evening, finishing third in a time of 22.46.

Mixed 4 x 50 medley relay

In Singapore the Australian quartet of Robert Hurley, Christian Sprenger, Alicia Coutts and Cate Campbell set a new world record in the mixed 4 x 50 medley relay posting a time of 1:38.02 and in Tokyo the same combination of athletes bettered their own record winning the event in a time of 1:37.84.

Singapore:

Hurley (23.47)/ Sprenger (25.97)/ Coutts (25.35)/ Campbell (23.23)

Tokyo:

Hurley (23.46)/ Sprenger (25.91)/ Coutts (25.19)/ Campbell (23.28)

The Russian team finished second in a time of 1:39.69 followed by the Brazilian team that finished third in a time of 1:40.21.