Final Preliminary Session Sets Up Stacked Finals at FINA World Short Course Championships

DOHA – The final day of qualifying at the FINA World Short Course Championships featured a world record in the women’s 200 free relay, as well as a stacked finale in the women’s 200 free and men’s 200 back.

Women’s 200 free relay

Gian Mattia D'Alberto / lapresse 13-06-2014 Roma sport nuoto trofeo Settecolli nella foto: Ranomi Kromowidjojo NED Gian Mattia D'Alberto / lapresse 13-06-2014 Rome in the photo: Ranomi Kromowidjojo NED

Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia Dalberto/Lapresse

The Netherlands kicked off the morning with a bang as its sprinters raced to a world record in the women’s 200 free relay at the FINA World Short Course Championships.

The foursome of Esmee Vermeulen (25.09), Ranomi Kromowidjojo (23.01), Maud van der Meer (23.89) and Inge Dekker (23.75) crushed the world record with a sizzling time of 1:35.74.

That swim eclipsed the 1:37.04 set by Denmark’s Pernille Blume (24.90), Jeanette Ottesen (23.66), Kelley Rasmussen (24.63) and Mie Nielsen (23.85) at last year’s European Championships in Herning.

The Netherlands still owns the world best and European record with a 1:33.25 from 2009, but FINA did not retroactively recognize all potential world records upon recognizing this event last year.

France’s Anna Santamans (24.15), Melanie Henique (24.49), Mathilde Cini (24.50) and Marie Wattel (24.62) took a distance second with a time of 1:37.76, while Team USA’s Abbey Weitzeil (24.23), Amy Bilquist (24.13), Kathleen Baker (23.90) and Amanda Weir (24.61) put the U.S. within striking distance of the American record with a third-place 1:37.87.

Georgia, led by Kara Lynn Joyce, set the American record with a 1:37.27 at the 2004 NCAA Championships.

Italy (1:38.47), Denmark (1:38.55), Denmark (1:38.55), China (1:38.67), Japan (1:39.92) and Brazil (1:40.12) will also vie for the title tonight.

Men’s 200 back

Ryosuke Irie Pan Pacs 2014

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

Japan’s Ryosuke Irie was the only swimmer to break 1:50 this morning in the men’s 200 backstroke at the FINA World Short Course Championships.

Irie turned in a time of 1:49.57, and is looking for his first career short course title. His time is also a season best, moving him to third in the world behind Mitch Larkin (1:47.72) and Christian Diener (1:49.14).

The time broke the Asian record of 1:49.69 set by Yuki Shirai at the 2012 Tokyo stop of the FINA World Cup tour.

USA’s Tyler Clary (1:50.05) and Ryan Lochte (1:50.35) qualified second and third in prelims.  Lochte has medaled four straight times in this event with two golds and two silvers, while Clary took silver in 2010.

Israel’s David Gamburg and Japan’s Yuki Shirai tied for fourth with 1:50.83s, while Larkin took sixth in 1:51.11.

Colombia’s Omar Pinzon (1:51.29) and Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki (1:51.44) also made the finale.  Kawecki is the defending champion.

Meanwhile, Diener missed out on finals with an 11th-place 1:51.89 despite being second in the world this year.

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Women’s 200 breast

Kanako Watanabe Pan Pacs 2014

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

Japan’s Kanako Watanabe led a quartet of swimmers in the 2:18 range during the women’s 200 breast at the FINA World Short Course Championships.

Watanabe touched the wall in 2:18.45 to move to third in the world behind Alia Atkinson (2:17.84) and Vitalina Simonova (2:18.03), and will look to improve on her bronze-winning finish from 2012.

Simonova qualified second tonight in 2:18.80, while Canada’s Kierra Smith put up a 2:18.95 for third to move to fifth in the world.  China’s Shi Jinglin wound up fourth in the finale with a 2:18.98 as well as just one of six swimmers under 2:19 this year.

Japan’s Rie Kaneto (2:19.16), Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen (2:19.24), Canada’s Martha McCabe (2:19.49) and Russia’s Maria Astashkina (2:19.71) also made the finale.

Atkinson, the world leader with her 2:17 from the Singapore stop of the FINA World Cup, missed finals with a 10th-place 2:20.08.

She likely was suffering a bit of a hangover from winning Jamaica’s first world title ever last night with a world-record-tying swim in the 100 breast last night.

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Men’s 200 fly

Daiya Seto Pan Pacs 2014

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

Japan’s Daiya Seto threw down a meet record to lead prelims of the men’s 200 fly at the FINA World Short Course Championships.

Seto turned in a sizzling time of 1:50.82 to clear the 1:51.01 set by compatriot Kazuya Kaneda to win the event in 2012.

Seto has more in the tank as he posted a second-ranked 1:49.68 this year at the Tokyo stop of the FINA World Cup, behind Chad le Clos’ world-leading 1:48.88 from the Singapore stop.

Poland’s Pawel Korzeniowski took second this morning in 1:51.24, while le Clos cruised into third with a 1:51.37.

Denmark’s Viktor Bromer (1:51.81), Australia’s Grant Irvine (1:52.12), USA’s Tom Shields (1:52.64), Russia’s Aleksandr Kudashev (1:52.66) and Russia’s Nikolay Skvortsov (1:52.67) also will compete for the title.

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Women’s 200 free

Femke Heemskerk Doha 2014

Photo Courtesy: FINA Doha 2014

The Netherlands’ Femke Heemskerk picked up the top seed as just one of three 1:52s this morning in the women’s 200 free.

Heemskerk clocked a time of 1:52.54, a bit off her third-ranked season best of 1:51.72 from the International Swim Festival in Germany.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, the second-ranked swimmer in the world with a 1:51.44, took the second seed this morning with a 1:52.60.

Meanwhile, Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu grabbed the third seed in 1:52.73.  Hosszu is the world leader with a 1:51.41 from the Doha stop of the FINA World Cup tour, and could look for her fifth world record and victory of the meet already.

Hosszu, who already set world records in the 100 back, 200 back, 100 IM and 200 IM this week, could challenge Federica Pellegrini’s world record of 1:51.17 from Istanbul in 2009.  Camille Muffat’s meet record of 1:52.29 from 2010 is almost assured of falling.

USA’s Shannon Vreeland qualified fourth in 1:53.81 with Pellegrini taking fifth in 1:54.04.

France’s Charlotte Bonnet (1:54.48), Russia’s Veronika Popova (1:54.63) and Hungary’s Evelyn Verraszto (1:54.80) qualified sixth through eighth.

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Men’s 400 medley relay

Mehdy Metella 2012 US Open

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

France picked up the top time of the men’s 400 medley relay this morning during prelims of the FINA World Short Course Championships.

France’s Ben Stasiulis (50.89), Giacomo Perez-Dortona (57.01), Mehdy Metella (50.15) and Clement Mignon (45.92) put up a 3:23.97 to lead the way this morning.

The team will have some time to drop to challenge Russia’s world record of 3:19.16 to continue the trend of global standards this week.

Australia’s Mitch Larkin (50.00), Jake Packard (57.80), Tommaso D’Orsogna (49.95) and Matt Abood (46.87) touched second in 3:24.62, while Russia’s Stanislav Donets (50.50), Oleg Kostin (57.26), Aleksandr Popkov (50.67) and Oleg Tikhobaev (46.59) finished third in 3:25.02.

Germany (3:25.79), USA (3:26.29), Japan (3:26.39), Brazil (3:26.52) and Great Britain (3:26.81) closed out the championship field.

Women’s 400 medley relay

Swimming - Prudential Singapore Swim Stars 2014 - OCBC Aquatic Centre, Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore - 5/9/14 Women's 100m Butterfly - Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark in action Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Norman Ng Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

Photo Courtesy: Action Images / Norman Ng

Denmark topped the women’s 400 medley relay this morning at the FINA World Short Course Championships.

Denmark’s Mie Nielsen (57.38), Rikke Moller Pedersen (1:05.90), Jeanette Ottesen (56.91) and Pernille Blume (52.71) put up the top time with a 3:52.90, but will need to drop some serious time to challenge USA’s world record of 3:45.56.

Japan’s Sayaka Akase (57.86), Satomi Suzuki (1:06.00), Rino Hosoda (57.22) and Miki Uchida (52.06) touched second in 3:53.14.

Australia’s Madi Wilson (57.85), Leiston Pickett (1:05.35), Brianna Throssell (57.95) and Bronte Campbell (52.51) clinched third in 3:53.66.

Sweden (3:53.70), Italy (3:54.32), Finland (3:55.65), Germany (3:55.69) and Russia (3:55.77) will also compete in the finale.

In a surprise, Team USA missed finals by half-a-second with a ninth-place time of 3:56.39.  Since the beginning of this event at Worlds in 1993, the U.S. has missed the podium only once in 1999.

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Scheduled Events

  • Women’s 200 free relay
  • Men’s 200 back
  • Women’s 200 breast
  • Men’s 200 fly
  • Women’s 200 free
  • Men’s 400 medley relay
  • Women’s 400 medley relay
  • Men’s 1500 free

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