2019 World Junior Swimming Championships Day 3 Prelims: Kayla van der Merwe Earns Top Seed

Kayla van der Merwe took the top seed in the 100 breast at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships continued with Day 3. Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / deepbluemedia

World Junior Swimming Championships (Kayla van der Merwe)

Budapest, Day 3 Prelims

The 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships continued on Thursday morning in Budapest with a full slate of events as the top junior swimmers in the world vied for world titles.

The session started with the women’s 50 butterfly, followed by the men’s 50 backstroke, the women’s 100 breaststroke, the men’s 50 free and the women’s 200 back before moving to the 4×100 mixed free relay.

Women’s 50 Fly

World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (24.43)
World Junior Record: Rikako Ikee, Japan (25.46)
Meet Record: Rikako Ikee, Japan, (25.46)
Top Entry: Anastasiya Shkurdai, Belarus (25.87)

After entering the meet with the top time in the 50 fly (25.87), Anastasiya Shkurdai of Belarus took the top seed during prelims, finishing in 26.20.

Claire Curzan of the U.S. took the second seed in 26.32, a tenth ahead of France’s Naele Portecop (26.42).

Another U.S. swimmer, followed as Torri Huske touched the wall in 26.58. Miriam Sheehan followed in 26.82, while Ecuador’s Anicka Delgado (27.00), and a pair of Italians — Costanza Cocconcelli (27.03) and Helena Biasibetti (27.04) — rounded out the top eight.

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Men’s 50 Back

World Record: Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia (24.00)
Meet Record: Michael Andrew, USA (24.63)
World Junior Record: Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia (24.00)
Top Entry: Thomas Ceccon, Italy (25.16)

Jan Cejka of the Czech Republic put together the fastest prelim time in the 50 back, touching the wall in 25.32.

Wyatt Davis of the U.S. was a mere three hundredths of a second behind in 25.35, while Italy’s Thomas Ceccon, who had the top entry time of 25.16 took the third seed in 25.51.

The top eight were separated by less than a half second as Russia’s Nikolay Zuev took the fourth seed (25.53), followed by India’s Srihari Nataraj (25.63) and Russia’s Pavel Samusenko (25.73).

Germany’s Marvin Dahler (25.77) and USA’s Adam Chaney (25.80) rounded out the top eight.

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Women’s 100 Breast

World Record: Lilly King, USA (1:04.13)
Meet Record: Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania (1:06.61)
World Junior Record: Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania (1:05.39)
Top Entry: Kayla van der Merwe, Great Britain (1:07.12)

Great Britain’s Kayla van der Merwe came into the session with the top entry time at 1:07.12 and was very near that pace with prelims swim of 1:07.50 to take the top seed.

She was the only swimmer in the field to break 1:08.

Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova took the second seed in 1:08.07, followed by compatriot Anastasia Makarova, who finished in 1:08.23.

USA’s Kaitlyn Dobler was next in 1:08.59, followed by Denmark’s Thea Blomsterberg (1:09.05).

Hungary’s Eszter Bekesi (1:09.12), Canada’s Avery Wiseman (1:09.14) and USA’s Ellie Andrews (1:09.33) rounded out the top eight.

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Men’s 50 Free

World Record: Cesar Cielo, Brazil (20.91)
Meet Record: Michael Andrew, USA (21.75)
World Junior Record: Michael Andrew, USA (21.75)
Top Entry: David Curtiss, USA (22.25)

U.S. teen David Curtiss bettered his entry time by taking the top seed in the 50 free with a 22.16.

It was nine hundredths of a second faster than his entry time.

Ukraine’s Vladyslav Bukhov took the second seed for the semifinals in 22.29, followed by Singapore’s Jonathan Tan (22.46).

New Zealand’s Michael Pickett took the fourth spot in 22.61 ahead of Armenia’s Artur Barseghyan (22.79).

USA’s Adam Chaney was the second American qualifier, touching the wall in 22.84, followed by Sweden’s Robin Hanson (22.88) and Ukraine’s Illia Linnyk (22.90).

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Women’s 200 Back

World Record: Regan Smith, USA (2:03.35)
Meet record: Regan Smith, USA (2:07.45)
World Junior Record: Regan Smith, USA (2:03.35)
Top Entry: Ryenne Ulett, USA (2:09.70)

Even though Regan Smith is a junior, she was not on hand to try to better her world junior record, also a world record.

The prelims of the women’s 200 back seemed much slower than Smith has made the world accustomed to, but for prelims, the event brought some solid times from athletes around the world.

Canada’s Jade Hannah used a fast start, an opening split of 29.97, to take the top seed in 2:10.21.

Austria’s Lena Grabowski took the second seed, nearly a second behind in 2:11.03, followed by USA’s Natalie Mannion (2:11.56).

Italy’s Erika Gaetani took the fourth seed in2:1.67, just head of Hungary’s Eszter Szabo-Feltothy (2:11.70) and Israel’s Aviv Barzelay (2:11.91).

Poland’s Zuzanna Herasimowicz (2:12.41) and Austria’s Tahlia Thornton (2:12.48) rounded out the top eight.

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4×100 Mixed Free Relay

World Record: USA (3:19.40)
Meet Record: Canada (3:26.65)
World Junior Record: Canada (3:26.65)

The USA took the top seed in the mixed free relay as Jake Magahey, Carson Foster, Grace Cooper and Maxine Parker combined to take the top spot in 3:30.60.

The quartet turned in splits of 50.08, 50.21, 55.07 and 55.23, respectively.

Russia’s Arsenii Chivilev, Pavel Samusenko, Aleksandra Sabitova and Daria Trofimova took the second seed in 3:32.45.

Australia’s Noah Millard, Alex Quach, Rebecca Jacobson and Jenna Forrester took the third seed in 3:32.96.

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