Abruzzo Wins Second Distance Gold on Big Night for Team USA at 2017 FINA World Junior Championships

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Team USA put up a strong showing Friday evening at the 2017 FINA World Junior Championships. Michael Andrew sits comfortably as the top seed in two events after this evening, two events for which he also now holds the World Junior Record. He tops the heat sheet for both the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter backstroke finals.

Regan Smith also dominated in the women’s 200-meter backstroke final, setting a new championship record.

Andrew Abruzzo, gold medalist in the 400-meter freestyle, successfully added another first-place finish under his belt in the men’s 800-meter freestyle.

Other records were set by Great Britain’s Freya Anderson in the women’s 100-meter freestyle final (championship record), as well as by Japan’s Rikako Ikee in the women’s 50-meter butterfly (championship record). Hungarian Kristof Milak lowered the championship record in the men’s 100-meter butterfly on his way to gold.

Team Canada’s world-class sprinters in Penny Oleksiak, Taylor Ruck, and Ruslan Gaziev dominated the mixed 4×100 freestyle relay for gold, while Team USA combined for silver.

Schedule of Events:

Women’s 50 Fly Semi-Finals
Men’s 50 Free Semi-Finals
Women’s 200 Back FINAL
Men’s 100 Fly FINAL
Women’s 100 Breast Semi-Finals
Men’s 50 Back Semi-Finals
Women’s 100 Free FINAL
Men’s 800 Free FINAL
Mixed 400 Free Relay FINAL

Women’s 50 Fly Semi-Finals

Rikako Ikee of Japan flew to a first place seed in the women’s 50 fly semi-finals. The Japanese sprint star unleashed a time of 25.77 to take down the previous championship record of 26.26, set by Ikee in Singapore in 2015.

Sweden’s Sara Junevik picked up second overall with a time of 26.19, while Belarus’ Anastasiya Shkurdai earned the third place seed with a 26.35.

Sayuki Ouchi of Japan grabbed the fourth place seed with a 26.62, followed by Canada’s Rebecca Smith and her time of 26.64.

Germany’s Maya Tobehn (26.98), Sweden’s Hanna Rosvall (27.00), and Great Britain’s Emily Large (27.18) completed the top eight.

Men’s 50 Free Semi-Finals

After crushing the World Junior Record and his own personal best time in prelims of the event, Michael Andrew stayed consistent during semi-finals of the men’s 50-meter freestyle, touching in 21.79. Just 0.04 off of his prelims time, Andrew looks to be in good shape to lower his new record even further during finals of the race.

Following Andrew, the runner-up qualifier in the event was France’s Maxime Grousset with his time of 22.32. Just behind in the third qualifying spot was Alberto Mestre of Venezuela, in 22.38.

Fourth and fifth seed for finals went to Italy’s Leonardo Deplano in fourth (22.44), and Canada’s Ruslan Gaziev in fifth (22.46).

Rounding out the top eight were Nandor Nemeth of Hungary, who touched in 22.55, Andrew’s USA teammate Will Davis with a 22.67, and Poland’s Karol Ostrowski in 22.72 for eighth, just squeaking into the final by 0.01 above ninth-place Luis Gustavo Borges.

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Women’s 200 Back Finals

15-year-old Regan Smith delivered in a big way during finals of the women’s 200-meter backstroke, dropping two seconds from her semi-final qualifying time to score the gold medal and set a championship record in the event with her time of 2:07.45. Her opening speed was unmatched, her first 100 being almost two full seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Teammate Alexandra Sumner was close behind in 2:09.04 for second place. Bronze went to Natsumi Sakai of Japan in 2:09.34.

Russia rounded out fourth and fifth place, with fourth place going to Polina Egorova of Russia in 2:10.04, and fifth to teammate Anastasiia Avdeeva in 2:10.11.

Canada’s Hannah Jade touched sixth in 2:10.44, while Tatiana Salcultan of Moldova took seventh in 2:11.56. Eight place in the final went to Laura Ilyes of Hungary, with her time of 2:13.31.

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Men’s 100 Butterfly Finals

Hungary’s Kristof Milak has done it again! The young Hungarian delivered a scorching 51.08 to lower the championship record of 52.23, set by Russia’s Andrei Minakov earlier in the meet. Milak holds the World Junior Record at a 50.62 from the 2017 FINA World Championships.

Throughout the summer months Milak lowered the World Junior Record (WJR) from a 51.26, set by Li Zhuaho of China at the 2016 Rio Games, before settling at a 50.62. His efforts earned him the silver medal at the 2017 FINA World Championships.

The Russian duo of Egor Kuimov and Minakov rounded out the podium with times of 51.16 and 51.84.

Japan’s Shinnosuke Ishikawa took fourth overall with a time of 52.84, followed by Estonia’s Kregor Zirk’s 52.99.

Germany’s Jan Eric Friese (53.13), Australia’s Jordan Brunt (53.26), and Turkey’s Umitcan Gures (53.91) rounded out the top eight athletes.

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Women’s 100 Breaststroke Semi-Finals

Faith Knelson of Canada notched the top qualifying time during the semi-finals of the women’s 100-meter breaststroke this evening, touching in 1:07.51 to second-seed Mona Lucille McSharry of Ireland’s time of 1:07.79. Third place going into finals went to Team USA’s Zoe Bartel in 1:08.19, while teammate Emily Weiss was not far behind for fourth seed in 1:08.42.

Anastasia Makarova of Russia’s time of 1:08.47 was good for fifth place heading into the final, while teammate Alena Chekhovskikh touched in 1:09.19 to nab the sixth qualifying spot.

Rounding out the final heat will be Sweden’s Hannah Brunzell (1:09.33) and Spain’s Laia Marti Fernandez (1:09.52).

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Men’s 50 Backstroke Semi-Finals

Andrew added another first-place seed to his lineup in the men’s 50-meter backstroke during semi-finals of the event. Again, he was just off his world junior record by 0.04 set during prelims of the event, as he sprinted to a time of 24.67. He will be looking to lower this new record during finals as well. Second place went to Hugo Gonzalez of Spain in 25.40, while Daniel Martin of Romania and Poland’s Kacper Stokowski tied in 25.49 to round out the top four semi-final finishers.

The fifth spot went to Ireland’s Conor Ferguson in 25.62, while Kamil Kazmierczak grabbed sixth seed in 25.72. Russia’s Gleb Karasev was seventh in 25.78.

The last athlete to make it into the final was Team USA’s Nicolas Albiero, who just squeaked in by 0.02 over the ninth-place finisher with his time of 25.90.

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Women’s 100 Free Finals

The women’s 100-meter freestyle final saw a win for Great Britain, as Freya Anderson brought it home quick to touch in 53.88 for the gold, downing Taylor Ruck’s championship record of 53.92 set in Singapore in 2015 along the way. Japan’s Rikako Ikee was a close silver in 54.16, while Kayla Noelle Sanchez of Canada rounded out the podium with her bronze-medal time of 54.44.

Making up the rest of the final heat were Canada’s Rebecca Smith in fourth (54.63), Czechoslovakia’s Barbora Seemanova in fifth (54.78), and Sayuki Ouchi of Japan in sixth with a 54.91.

Seventh place went to Team USA’s Grace Ariola with a 55.46, and Vasilissa Buinaia of Russia was eighth in the final with her swim of 55.52.

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Men’s 800 Free Finals

Andrew Abruzzo of the United States added another distance gold medal to his name with a top showing in the men’s 800 free. Abruzzo delivered a time of 7:54.58, winning the gold by more than two seconds. Earlier in the meet Abruzzo claimed victory in the 400 free as well.

Hungary’s David Lakatos and the USA’s Michael Brinegar rounded out the podium with times of 7:56.81 and 7:57.22 respectively.

Russia’s Isaroslav Potapov claimed fourth place overall with a time of 7:59.69, rounding out the swimmers who finished beneath the eight minute mark.

Akos Kalmar of Hungary finished fifth overall with a time of 8:00.28, followed by Australia’s Jacob Vincent and his time of 8:01.22.

Poland’s Antoni Kaluzynski and Spain’s Marcos Gil Corbacho picked up seventh and eighth place from earlier heats in the day. The two posted times of 8:05.76 and 8:06.07 respectively.

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Mixed 4×100 Freestyle Relay Finals

Team Canada led the way in the mixed 4×100 freestyle relay finals, touching first over Team USA by just under two seconds and setting a World Junior Record in the process. Gaziev, Alexander Pratt, Taylor Ruck, and Penny Oleksiak – some of the greatest sprinters in the world – combined for a gold-medal time of 3:26.65. They lowered their own 2015 World Junior Record of 3:27.71.

Daniel Krueger, Matthew Willenbring, Lucie Nordmann, and Ariola put together a team effort to nab the silver in 3:28.17. Australia’s Elijah Winnington, Jordan Brunt, Jemima Horwood, and Eliza King rounded out the podium in 3:28.57 for bronze.

Fourth place went to Russia’s team in 3:28.83, fifth to Brazil in 3:29.54, and sixth to Poland in 3:32.92.

Germany nabbed seventh place with their combined time of 3:33.10, while Hungary’s team containing 100-butterfly champion Milak was disqualified at a chance for the title.

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