2019 FINA Champions Swim Series Budapest: Sarah Sjostrom Wins Two, Posts Sub-57 Second 100 Fly (RACE VIDEO)

Kristof Milak at 2017 Junior Worlds, Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The second stop of the FINA Champions Series kicked off today in Budapest, Hungary with 15 events on the first night of times finals. This is the second of three stops in the 2019 series, with the final stop planned for Indianapolis later this month.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom was a big winner again in Budapest, posting two individual wins and improving on her season-best in the 100 fly to move up to the #1 ranked time in the world for 2019. Several other swimmers moved up to the top of the world rankings, including Yulia Efimova (who also was a multiple event winner) and Hungary’s Kristof Milak.

You can see a full recap of the day’s events below, as well as links to the results:

Women’s 400 Free

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Hungary’s own Ajna Kesely opened the Champions Swim Series with a win in the 400 free. Kesely touched in 4:05.92, which is a season best for the Hungarian and moves her within the top-10 performers in 2019. She now sits at #7 just behind American Leah Smith.

Finishing second was Wang Jianjiahe, who nearly went an identical time (4:07.50) to what she went at the opening Champions Swim Series two weeks ago in Guangzhou. Li Bingjie, who was second in this event in Guangzhou, was fourth here behind Great Britain’s Holly Hibbott.

Men’s 200 Fly

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Hungarian Kristof Milak continued his country’s winning streak in the 200 fly, touching ahead of a stacked field to produce the #1 time in the world. Milak was sitting second at the 100 in a tight race with Japan’s Masato Sakai and South African Chad le Clos before pulling ahead at the 150 and earning the win by nearly two seconds. His time of 1:53.64 is the fastest in the world so far this year and is less than a second off his lifetime best from the European Championships last year.

Sakai ended up second in 1:55.40, just ahead of le Clos who was third in 1:55.95 after leading through the first half of the race. That moves Sakai up to #3 in the world for 2019, while le Clos moves up to #6. Hungarian Laszlo Cseh was finished fourth in 1:56.83.

Women’s 100 Fly

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World record holder Sarah Sjostrom claimed the top time in the world for 2019 in the women’s 100 fly, missing her season-best by about a tenth to touch first in 56.78. That is Sjostrom’s second time under 57-seconds this year and is just ahead of Australia’s Emma McKeon, who was 56.85 last month at the Australian Swimming Championships and is currently #2 in the world rankings. This is Sjostrom’s second consecutive win in the 100 fly during the 2019 Champions Series.

In second was Egypt’s Farida Osman with a 58.32, just a half second off her own lifetime best. Canadian Penny Oleksiak was just behind her in third with a 58.52, a couple tenths off her own season best.

Men’s 50 Free

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Great Britain’s Ben Proud won the men’s 50 free in 21.52, just off his own top-ranked time of 21.48. That season-best came at the last stop of the FINA Champions Swim Series. In second was Brazil’s Bruno Fratus, who tied his season best with a 21.67. Russian Vlad Morozov was back in third (21.77), about two-tenths off his season best from the Guangzhou stop of the Champions Series.

Defending Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin was fourth in 22.82.

Women’s 200 Breast

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Russia’s Yulia Efimova had a strong swim in the women’s 200 breast, putting up the #1 time in the world with a 2:22.52. That moves her .01 ahead of China’s Ye Shiwen, who posted the #1 time in the world at the Guangzhou stop of the Champions Series.

The rest of the field was well back from Efimova but tightly bunched, with Hungary’s Eszter Dora Bekesi touching second in 2:27.54. That is a lifetime best for Bekesi. She was just ahead of American Katie Meili (2:27.86). Fellow American Molly Hannis was fourth in 2:29.57.

Men’s 100 Back

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Russian Evgeny Rylov had his first sub-53 swim of the year, touching first in 52.81. That moves him up to #2 in the world for 2019, moving just behind China’s Xu Jiayu. In second was American Matt Grevers, who nearly joined Rylov under the 53-second barrier with a 53.09. That is a season-best for the American veteran, moving him to #3 for 2019. That time also makes him the fastest American so far this year, moving ahead of Ryan Murphy (53.17). Grevers had an incredibly even split race, going out in just 26.24 but coming home in a very strong 26.85, the only closing split under 27-seconds in the field.

In third was Russian Kliment Kolesnikov, who was passed by Grevers on the second 50 to end up third in 53.75. In fourth was world leader and champion from the first stop of the series Xu Jiayu. He was well back from the rest of the field in 54.65.

Women’s 200 Back

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World leader Margherita Panziera put up what would have been the #2 ranked time in the world this year, touching first in 2:06.41. She is already ranked #1 in the world for the 200 back, having posted a 2:05.72 that is just ahead of Canadian Kylie Masse, who broke her own National Record at the Canadian Trials in April with a 2:05.94. Second place went to Katinka Hosszu, who improved her own season-best from the last stop of the Champions series with a 2:08.16.

Emily Seebohm, who was ill at the last stop of the Champions Series, was much stronger here, touching third in 2:08.89, just ahead of Hungarian Katalin Burian (2:09.00).

Men’s 50 Fly

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Brazilian Nicholas Santos dropped four-tenths from his world leading 50 fly season best and .01 from his lifetime best, touching first here in 22.60. That put him nearly 3-tenths ahead of world-record holder Andrii Govorov (22.87), who also improved on his season best and moved to #2 in the world rankings. That time is good for a new Brazilian and South American record for Santos, who turned 39-years old in February.

American Michael Andrew was back in third in his first race of the evening, touching in 23.19. That dropped about a tenth from his season best from Guangzhou and moves him to fourth in the world rankings.

Women’s 100 Free

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Sarah Sjostrom picked up her second win of the night, touching first in the 100 free to add to her earlier victory in the 100 fly. While she was almost a second back from Pernille Blume at the 50 (26.10 to 25.28), Sjostrom came home with a sub-27 second second 50 to touch in 53.03. Blume faded on the second 50 but still had enough to finish in second (53.40). That is Sjostrom’s second straight in the 100 free as well, and just off the time she swam in Guangzhou (52.82).

Italy’s Federica Pellegrini was third in 53.91, while Penny Oleksiak finished fourth (54.45) after doubling up with the 100 fly.

Men’s 200 IM

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Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches won a hard fought 200 IM over American Chase Kalisz, touching the wall just off his season-best with a 1:57.01. Desplanches led through the fly and back legs before Chase Kalisz passed him with his typical strong breaststroke leg, but Desplanches fought back with a 28.00 closing 50 to pass Kalisz and take the win. Kalisz finished second in 1:57.74, just hundreths off his own season-best from the TYR Pro Swim Series.

German Phillip Heintz was third (1:58.39), followed by Wang Shun (1:58.54). Wang was the series winner in the event in Guangzhou, but like his teammate Xu Jiayu could not match that performance here in Budapest.

Women’s 50 Breast

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Yulia Efimova grabbed her second win of the series in the 50 breast, touching first over Molly Hannis by about half a second 30.26 to 30.77. That is currently the fastest time in the world for 2019, while Hannis was just off her former world-leading season best of 30.42.

Finishing third was Great Britain’s Imogen Louise Clark (30.85), just ahead of American Katie Meili (30.98).

Men’s 100 Breast

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Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli moved up to #4 in the world rankings with his win in Budapest tonight, touching first in 59.05. Scozzoli was out fast, touching in 27.34 to hold a nearly 8-tenths lead over the rest of the field at the 50 mark. Russian Anton Chupkov, who is known for his strong back half, nearly caught Scozzoli coming home but ran out of room, finishing second in 59.21. That moves him up to #5 in the world rankings.

Also under 1:00 in third was Great Britain’s Ross Murdoch (59.63), while American Kevin Cordes was fourth in 1:00.75.

Women’s 50 Back

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Russian Anastasia Fesikova took the win the women’s 50 back with the #1 time in the world. Fesikova touched first in 27.58, just moving past the former #1 time from China’s Fu Yuanhui from the Guangzhou stop of the Champions Series. In second was Great Britain’s Georgia Davies (27.89), just a tenth off her season-best that has her #4 in the world. She was followed by Etiene Medieros (28.25) in third and Seebohm (28.51) in fourth.

Men’s 200 Free

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Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys won a tight men’s 200 free in 1:46.74, just off his season best from the last Champions Series stop in Guangzhou. All four men in the field were practically tied at the 100 mark of the race, flipping in 51.8-51.9. In second was Russia’s Aleksandr Krasnykh, who had a strong closing 100 to nearly catch Rapsys to the wall. He was just short, finishing in 1:46.91, while third went to Hungary’s Dominik Kozma in 1:47.12. le Clos, who was out first at the 50 trying to push the pace, couldn’t hold on in the second half and ended up well back in fourth with a 1:48.82.

Mixed 400 Free Relay

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The mixed 400 free relay team of Desplanches (49.92), Justin Ress (48.81), Siobhan O’Connor (54.76), and Oleksiak (54.14) won the closing race of the first night of finals, finishing with a healthy lead over Team 3.

Ress had the second-fastest flying start for men, while France’s Mehdy Metella tied the American with a strong flat start time of 48.81 that was quickest among men. Belgian Pieter Timmers had the fastest flying start among men (48.68). Oleksiak had the strongest split among all women in the field.

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4 Comments

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6’5” and Can Absolutely Fly

4 years ago

I love that you post the splits for each race! Thanks!

Enrico

4 years ago

Panziera went 2:05.72 in April at Italian Nationals and is ranked #1 in the world already

Patrick S

4 years ago

Reply to Enrico

It seems like the ranking lists they’re using haven’t been updated in quite some time. Sarah Sjöström’s swim in the 100m fly wasn’t a world leading time either, she did 56.69 in Stockholm last month.

Patsy Morin

4 years ago

Matthew Gougeon