FINA World Cup, Tokyo: Chad Le Clos, Therese Alshammar Close Tour in Strong Fashion

TOKYO, Japan, November 13. WHILE assured victories in the FINA World Cup overall standings, only awaiting FINA's official confirmation of their triumphs, South Africa's Chad Le Clos and Sweden's Therese Alshammar put the finishing touches on what proved to be tremendously consistent performances during the 2011 edition of the short course event.

Le Clos finished with $45,500 in race winnings from 23 golds, 10 silvers, and 2 bronzes. Once FINA makes his overall standings victory official, his total cash winnings will rise to $145,500 for just seven meets of work.

Alshammar, meanwhile, finished with $26,000 in race winnings after claiming 14 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze in just six meets of racing. She missed the Dubai stop, and still had more than enough to capture the overall $100,000 check to wind up with a $126,000 payday.

Men's 1500 free
Japan's Youhei Takiguchi won the distance freestyle event in 14:42.22 to move to fifth in the world rankings, while Daisuke Doi took second in 14:51.21. Ryouta Watanabe wound up third in 14:53.02.

Japan's Yuto Sato (14:57.29), Australia's Robert Hurley (14:59.30), Japan's Yuki Isogawa (15:03.13), Japan's Junpei Higashi (15:05.40) and Austria's Markus Rogan (15:19.28) also swam in the championship heat.

Financials: Takiguchi pushed his tally to $2,000 after winning $500 yesterday. Doi ($1,000) and Watanabe ($500) were first-time winners.

Women's 100 free
Australia's Cate Campbell raced to victory in the sprint event with a 52.31 to move to second in the world rankings this year. Only Missy Franklin has been faster with a 52.09 from Berlin. Campbell's effort moved her to 15th all time in the event, and into second in the Australian ranks behind only Libby Trickett's world record 51.01. Emma McKeon dropped to third with a 52.41 from Singapore.

Japan's Haruka Ueda finished second in 53.34, while China's Tang Yi earned third in 53.40. Trickett (53.80), Australia's Merindah Dingjan (54.00), Japan's Hanae Ito (54.20), Japan's Yayoi Matsumoto (54.47) and Japan's Tomoko Hagiwara (54.53) rounded out the rest of the championship heat.

Financials: With her second win of the weekend, Campbell increased her winnings to $6,000, while Ueda now has $2,500. Tang picked up her second $500 check of the circuit for $1,000 overall.

Men's 200 free
After being held from the top of the podium yesterday, a rarity on the World Cup circuit this year, South Africa's Chad Le Clos returned to his winning ways with a 1:43.79 for his 23rd gold medal of the series. He came up just short of his third-ranked season best of 1:43.62 from Beijing. Japan's Takeshi Matsuda placed second in 1:43.99 for seventh in the rankings, while compatriot Syogo Hihara took third in 1:44.69 to crack into the top 15.

Australia's Kyle Richardson (1:44.70), Japan's Syunsuke Kuzuhara (1:45.14), China's Pu Wenjie (1:46.05), Japan's Hirotada Noritake (1:48.00) and Masataka Mishima (1:48.13) finished fourth through eighth in the finale.

Financials: Le Clos' 23rd gold-medal check of the circuit moved his overall tally $44,500 in winnings. Matsuda, meanwhile, pushed his total to $2,500 this weekend, his only participation of the circuit. Hihara claimed $500 for $1,500 this weekend so far.

Women's 50 breast
Australia's Leiston Pickett captured the sprint breast victory in 30.28, just missing her fifth-ranked season best of 30.23 from Beijing. Korea's Kim Hye Jin earned a runner-up finish with a 30.42 to move to sixth in the rankings, while Australia's Olivia Halicek placed third in 30.71.

Japan's Mina Matsushima (31.00), Korea's Jeong Darae (31.48), Japan's Saya Fujimoto (31.60), Japan's Rie Kaneto (31.76) and Japan's Miku Kanasashi (31.90) also vied for the title.

Financials: Hye Jin became the ninth swimmer on the circuit to clear $10,000 in overall winnings as her $1,000 runner-up check moved her to $10,500. Pickett's winning tally improved her to $8,000 overall, while Halicek has earned $5,000 on the circuit.

Men's 100 breast
Japan's Ryo Tateishi jumped into second in the world rankings with a winning time of 57.52. That swim came up short only of Fabio Scozzoli's top-ranked 57.44 from August in Italy. Australia's Christian Sprenger finished second in 57.57 to move to third in the rankings, bettering his fourth-ranked season best of 57.91 from Singapore. Japan's Kosuke Kitajima made his way onto the podium with a third-place 58.36 for ninth in the rankings.

Australia's Brenton Rickard (58.57), Japan's Naoya Tomita (58.77), Japan's Ryo Kobayashi (59.37), Japan's Kohei Tominaga (59.40) and Japan's Akihiro Yamaguchi (59.74) also competed in the championship finale.

Financials: Sprenger's second-place check increased his winnings to $9,000 overall, while Tateishi ran his earnings to $4,000 in just one weekend of work. Kitajima, meanwhile, broke into the money for the first time with a third-place $500.

Women's 400 IM
Japan's Miho Takahashi claimed the distance medley title in 4:29.98, moving to second in the world rankings behind Zsuzsanna Jakabos' 4:29.65 from the Stockholm stop. That swim came up a bit short of Maiko Fujino's Japanese record of 4:29.77, but moved Takahashi to 21st in the all-time rankings. Miyu Otsuka finished second in 4:31.84, short of her fifth-ranked 4:31.35 from Singapore. Emu Higuchi completed the podium with a third-place 4:33.35.

Ayaka Komatsubara (4:33.45), Sakiko Shimizu (4:35.22), Kyouka Suenaga (4:35.46), Aya Watanabe (4:41.30) and Wakaba Hashiguchi (4:41.85) completed an All-Japan final heat.

Financials: Otsuka improved her circuit tally to $3,500, while Higuchi now has $2,500 in winnings. Takahashi ($1,500) was a first-time winner.

Men's 100 fly
Japan's Ryo Takeyasu touched out Kohei Kawamoto, 50.52 to 50.55, for the victory. Those swims moved the two to third and fourth in the world rankings, behind Evgeny Korotyshkin (50.04) and Tyler McGill (50.47). Kazuya Kaneda finished third in 51.06 to tie for eighth in the rankings.

Japan's Takeshi Matsuda (51.20), Australia's Chris Wright (51.35), Australia's Sam Ashby (51.49), Japan's Hiroki Kato (51.89) and Japan's Syota Hara (52.61) comprised the rest of the finale.

Financials: Takeyasu pushed his total to $3,000 with his second win of the weekend, while Kawamoto ($1,500) and Kaneda ($1,000) also have won money this weekend.

Women's 100 back
Japan's Aya Terakawa raced to the win in the event with a 56.28, bettering Natalie Coughlin's 56.47 for the top-ranked time in the world. That swim jumped Terakawa to fifth all time in the event, closing in on Shiho Sakai's world record of 55.23. Australia's Rachel Goh took second in 57.08, missing her fourth-ranked season best of 56.99, while Sakai snared third in 57.24 for sixth in the rankings.

Australia's Grace Loh (57.64), Japan's Eri Tabei (58.69), Sayaka Akase (59.05), Hanae Ito (59.54) and Momoko Nakamura (59.74) picked up the other championship finishes.

Financials: Goh increased her second-ranked winnings to $14,500, behind Therese Alshammar's $24,500 (not counting the world-record buttressed $22,500 that Missy Franklin will be bypassing). Sakai pushed her total to $3,500, while Terakawa's second win this weekend gave her $3,000 overall.

Men's 50 back
Japan's Junya Koga cruised to victory in 24.02, tying for eighth in the world rankings in the sprint backstroke event. Junya Hasegawa placed second in 24.32, while Masafumi Yamaguchi wound up third in 24.38.

Papua New Guinea's Ryan Pini (24.50), Japan's Seiji Taniguchi (24.59), Tetsuya Iwata (24.65), Yamato Ujibayashi (24.65) and Motoaki Miyama (24.70) earned fourth through eighth in the championship heat.

Financials: Yamaguchi ran his overall winnings to $4,500, while Koga's second win of the weekend pushed his total to $3,000. Hasegawa earned his first cash of the circuit with $1,000 for his runner-up finish.

Women's 200 fly
Korea's Choi Hye Ra posted a 2:04.16 to claim the distance fly crown for the evening. That swim missed her top-ranked effort of 2:03.65 from the Beijing stop of the circuit. Sweden's Martina Granstrom finished second in 2:05.76, off her fourth-ranked 2:05.02 also from Beijing. Japan's Natsumi Hoshi wrapped up third in 2:05.97 to take sixth in the rankings.

Japan's Chise Hosaka (2:08.85), Fujino Shigenobu (2:08.91), Yai Watanabe (2:09.21), Hiroko Sugino (2:09.79) and Ayana Miwa (2:10.13) finished fourth through eighth tonight for the host country.

Financials: Hye Ra moved into a second-place tie with Rachel Goh for overall winnings with $14,500 overall, while Granstrom increased her tally to $3,000. Hoshi earned her first $500 check.

Men's 200 IM
Japan's Kosuke Hagino snared the title in 1:53.67 to move to third in the world rankings. Only Michael Phelps (1:51.89) and James Goddard (1:52.57) have been faster this year. Chad Le Clos touched second in 1:54.72 as he closed in on winning the overall series title, and the $100,000 grand prize. That swim came up short of his fourth-ranked 1:54.06 from Singapore. Japan's Hidemasa Sano finished third in 1:55.94, well back of his sixth-ranked 1:54.31 from Berlin.

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima (1:56.75), Takuro Fujii (1:56.82), Takuto Ueki (1:57.25), Yuya Horihata (1:57.27) and Australia's Travis Nederpelt (1:57.56) earned the other championship finishes.

Financials: Le Clos' runner-up check jumped his earnings to $45,500, while Sano moved to $6,500 overall. Hagino's $1,500 for the win increased his winnings to $5,500.

Women's 400 free
Australia's Blair Evans, one of the top distance freestylers on the circuit this year, won the middle distance affair in 4:01.24. She cruised to the win, as she's been much faster with a top-ranked 3:58.31 from the Beijing stop. New Zealand's Melissa Ingram took second in 4:02.03 for ninth in the world, while China's Wang Fei placed third in 4:04.62.

China's Ren Luomeng (4:05.07), Japan's Marie Kamimura (4:06.68), Japan's Asami Chida (4:08.93), Japan's Atsuyo Yoshida (4:09.74) and Australia's Merindah Dingjan (4:10.58) also competed in the finale.

Financials: Evans improved her total winnings to $8,000, while Ingram increased her tally to $4,500. Wang was a first-time moneywinner with $500 for third place.

Men's 50 free
Japan's Kenta Ito clocked a 21.25 to win the men's splash-and-dash event, moving to the top of the world rankings ahead of Matt Targett's 21.31 clocked in July. That swim smashed the Japanese record of 21.60 held by Makoto Ito . Australia's Kyle Richardson placed second in 21.55 to move into a seventh-ranked tie, while France's Alain Bernard completed the podium with a third-place 21.60.

Japan's Shinri Shioura (21.90), Ryo Ishii (21.94), Ito (22.04), Yuki Kawachi (22.12) and Kenji Kobase (22.23) also swam in the finale.

Financials: Richardson became the 10th person on the tour to break into five digits in total winnings with $10,000 after his runner-up $1,000 paycheck. Ito improved to $2,500 for the weekend and the circuit, while Bernard joined the moneywinners with $500 for third.

Women's 200 breast
Japan's Rie Kaneto touched out compatriot Saya Fujimoto, 2:19.72 to 2:19.94, in the distance breaststroke event. The two moved to second and third in the world rankings, behind Kanako Watanabe's 2:19.05 from Beijing. Korea's Jeong Darae placed third tonight in 2:21.55, off her seventh-ranked season best of 2:20.74.

Japan's Keiko Fukodome (2:21.62), Japan's Mio Motegi (2:21.66), Korea's Back Su Yeon (2:22.15), Sweden's Joline Hostman (2:23.07) and Japan's Ayumi Koshiyama (2:26.18) also vied for the title.

Financials: Darae improved to $2,500 for the circuit, while Kaneto ($1,500) and Fujimoto ($1,000) were first-time winners.

Women's 100 IM
China's Zhao Jing clinched the sprint medley crown with a 59.54, just missing her fifth-ranked season best of 59.50 from Beijing. Japan's Tomoko Hagiwara (1:00.52) and Tomoyo Fukuda (1:00.67) took second and third in the event.

Japan's Miho Teramura (1:00.71), Australia's Olivia Halicek (1:00.94), Japan's Emu Higuchi (1:01.14) and Japan's Asami Kitagawa (1:01.39) took fourth through seventh, while Japan's Chihiro Igarashi drew a disqualification.

Financials: Zhao earned $2,500 for the weekend, pushing her total to $5,250 for the tour. Fukuda grabbed $2,000 overall, while Hagiwara joined the moneywinner column with $1,000 for her runner-up finish.

Men's 200 back
Colombia's Omar Pinzon won the distance dorsal in 1:51.15, short of his second-ranked season best of 1:50.46 from Beijing. Japan's Kazuki Watanabe finished second in 1:51.51 for fourth in the rankings, while Yuki Shirai took third in 1:51.98 for fifth in the rankings.

Japan's Takahiro Yamazaki (1:53.51), Takeshi Kawamoto (1:53.69), Takashi Nakano (1:54.10), Germany's Jan-Philip Glania (1:56.11) and Japan's Masaki Kaneko (1:56.48) placed fourth through eighth.

Financials: Pinzon closed out his time on the circuit with $5,500 in winnings, while Watanabe finished with $3,250. Shirai moved to $750 total for the weekend, and the tour.

Women's 50 fly
Sweden's Therese Alshammar earned her 15th gold medal of the World Cup with a 25.35 to capture the sprint fly event. That swim finished well shy of her top-ranked 25.01 from the Singapore stop. Japan's Yuka Kato took second in 25.52 for fourth in the rankings, while Rino Hosoda placed third in 26.40.

Japan's Ayako Asano (26.87), Miho Teramura (27.05), Kaho Nagai (27.05), Masako Kuroki (27.11) and Chika Dobashi (27.16) rounded out the final finale of the circuit.

Financials: Alshammar completed the tour with $26,000 in race winnings, and likely another $100,000 grand prize when FINA issues its final calculations for the overall standings. Kato grabbed $2,000 total, while Hosoda was the final first-time moneywinner of the circuit with $500 in winnings.

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