2019 World University Games: Zach Apple Swims 47.7 100 Free; Sargent, Yoshida Win Gold Medals

Zach Apple; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The first night of the 2019 World University Games featured four finals and five semi-finals from Naples, Italy. USA’s Asia Seidt and Ian Finnerty broke meet records in the 200 back and 100 breast to open the Games. The women’s 4×100 free relay from the United States won the gold medal and also set the meet record.

The American men swam the fastest 4×100 free relay in two years with Zach Apple, Dean Farris, Robert Howard and Tate Jackson crushing the field for the gold medal.

USA’s Makayla Sargent (400 IM) and Japan’s Keisuke Yoshida (400 free) won gold medals on the first night of the meet.

Men’s 400 Free

Japan’s Keisuke Yoshida won the 400 free final to start off the 2019 World University Games with a 3:49.48. Yoshida was well off the Universiade Record of 3:45.96 from Mykhailo Romanchuk of the Ukraine in 2017. Yoshida won in an incredible race as Italy’s Matteo Ciampi won the silver medal at 3:50.04. Russia’s Anton Nikitin won the bronze medal with a 3:50.41.

Yoshida was in third place throughout the entire race as Russia’s Nikitin and Sweden’s Victor Johansson were leading throughout most of the race. Yoshida came home in a 26.74 to win the gold medal. USA’s Trey Freeman placed fourth with a 3:50.55 while Zach Yeadon was seventh at 3:52.18.

Results:

Keisuke Yoshida, JPN, 3:49.48
Matteo Ciampi, ITA, 3:50.04
Anton Nikitin, RUS, 3:50.41
Trey Freeman, USA, 3:50.55
Victor Johansson, SWE, 3:50.94
Mattia Zuin, ITA, 3:51.96
Zach Yeadon, USA, 3:52.18
Adam Paulsson, SWE, 3:52.25

Women’s 50 Fly Semi Finals

Korea’s Jeong Soeun is the top seed in the women’s 50 fly semi-finals with a 26.50 as she leads the eight qualifiers to tomorrow’s final. She will lead a final with five total Asian swimmers as fellow Korean Park Yerin (26.57) is seeded third. Japan’s Ai Soma (26.55) and Mayuka Yamamoto (26.74) moved through in second and sixth place to the final. Taipei’s Huang Mei-Chien (26.99) just snuck in in eighth place.

South Africa’s Tayla Lovemore (26.60), who swam at Florida State, is the fourth seed. Kinge Zandringa (26.65) and Sofia Spodarenko (26.84) also qualified for the final.

USA’s Veronica Burchill (27.20) did not advance to the final in 12th place.

Results:

Jeong Soeun, KOR, 26.50
Ai Soma, JPN, 26.55
Park Yerin, KOR, 26.57
Tayla Lovemore, RSA, 26.60
Kinge Zandringa, NED, 26.65
Mayuka Yamamoto, JPN, 26.74
Sofia Spodarenko, RUS, 26.84
Huang Mei-Chien, TPE, 26.99
Lisa Hopink, GER, 27.03
Lucie Svecena, CZE, 27.03
Ida Liljeqvist, SWE, 27.17
Veronica Burchill, USA, 27.20
Polina Egorova, RUS, 27.21
Federica Greco, ITA, 27.26
Emily Barclay, GBR, 27.35
Charlotte Atkinson, GBR, 27.47

Men’s 100 Back Semi Finals

Justin Ress led a group of six US-based swimmers into the final of the men’s 100 back on Thursday at the 2019 World University Games in Naples, Italy. Ress swam a 53.47 as he is the fifth fastest American this year. He is the top seed going into the final as he is looking to win his second straight World University Games gold medal. He won the gold medal in Taipei two years ago at 53.29.

Ress is ahead of Louisville grad Grigory Tarasevich (53.71) and Alabama’s Zane Waddell (54.01). Tarasevich represents Russia while Waddell is representing South Africa. The other American to qualify was Bryce Mefford (54.34) in fourth place.

Brazil’s Gabriel Fantoni (54.40) and Russia’s Mark Nikolaev (54.56) also qualified for the final as they also swim for American colleges with Fantoni representing Indiana and Nikolaev swimming for Grand Canyon.

France’s Yohann N’Doye-Brouard (54.38) and Brazil’s Guilherme Basseto (54.81) also qualified for the final.

Results:

Justin Ress, USA, 53.47
Grigory Tarasevich, RUS, 53.71
Zane Waddell, RSA, 54.01
Bryce Mefford, USA, 54.34
Yohann N’Doye-Brouard, FRA, 54.38
Gabriel Fantoni, BRA, 54.40
Mark Nikolaev, RUS, 54.56
Guilherme Basseto, BRA, 54.81
Cameron Tysoe, AUS, 54.87
Benedek Kovacs, HUN, 54.93
Lee Junho, KOR, 54.93
Kacper Stokowski, POL, 55.08
Joe Litchfield, GBR, 55.16
Stanislas Huille, FRA, 55.21
William Yang, AUS, 55.25
Rob Hill, CAN, 55.74

Women’s 400 IM

Results have not been made official due to a disqualification from Great Britain’s Abbie Wood.

USA’s Makayla Sargent won the 400 IM dominating fashion as she led a 1-2 finish with Evie Pfeifer on the 4th of July. Sargent started her World University Games meet with a 4:37.95 in the 400 IM as she is the third fastest American this year in that event. Pfeifer won the silver medal at 4:40.16 as she held off Italy’s Ilaria Cusinato (4:40.18).

Cusinato was the heavy favorite coming in as she was the silver medalist at European Championships last year. She was a 4:34 in 2018.

Results:

Makayla Sargent, USA, 4:37.95
Evie Pfeifer, USA, 4:40.16
Ilaria Cusinato, ITA, 4:40.18

Men’s 100 Breast Semi Finals

USA’s Ian Finnerty broke the first meet record of the 2019 World University Games with a 59.51 in the 100 breast on Thursday in Naples, Italy. Finnerty lowered the Universiade Record of 59.53 from Igor Borysik of the Ukraine in 2009. Finnerty was out in a very quick 27.73 and held on over the second 50 to break the meet record from 10 years ago.

Finnerty won the first semi-final of the 100 breaststroke in Naples as he is the top seed for tomorrow’s final. He is also the second fastest American in 2019 behind fellow Indiana Hoosier Cody Miller (59.24). Finnerty was the only American to advance to the semi-finals after Connor Hoppe was 22nd at 1:01.97.

Finnerty is ahead of South Africa’s Michael Houlie (59.64) and Lithuania’s Andrius Sidlauskas (59.80) into tomorrow’s final.

Japan’s Yuya Hinomoto (59.92), Great Britain’s Craig Benson (59.93) and Russia’s Kirill Prigoda (59.96) should all factor into the medals tomorrow as well as it could take another meet record to win the gold medal.

France’s Theo Bussiere (1:00.18) and Turkey’s Berkay Ogretir (1:00.48) also qualified for the final tomorrow.

Results:

Ian Finnerty, USA, 59.51, UR
Michael Houlie, RSA, 59.64
Andrius Sidlauskas, LTU, 59.80
Yuya Hinomoto, JPN, 59.92
Craig Benson, GBR, 59.93
Kirill Prigoda, RUS, 59.96
Theo Bussiere, FRA, 1:00.18
Berkay Ogretir, TUR, 1:00.48
Ilya Khomenko, RUS, 1:00.54
Christopher Rothbauer, AUT, 1:00.71
Federico Poggio, ITA, 1:00.92
Mauro Castillo, MEX, 1:01.04
Pedro Cardona, BRA, 1:01.20
Alessandro Pinzuti, ITA, 1:01.37
Johannes Skagius, SWE, 1:01.39
Grayson Bell, NZL, 1:01.69

Women’s 200 Back Semi Finals

USA’s Asia Seidt kept the meet records flowing on the first night of the 2019 World University Games in Naples, Italy. Seidt swam a 2:08.81 in the 200 back semi finals to lower the meet record of 2:08.91 from Stephanie Proud of Great Britain set in 2009. Seidt will be a senior at the University of Kentucky and she lowered the meet record from a fellow SEC rival in Proud who swam at the University of Florida.

Seidt moved up to 14th in the world rankings for 2019 as she is now the fifth fastest American this year. She is the top seed heading into tomorrow’s finals ahead of Texas A&M grad Lisa Bratton of the United States (2:09.29).

The two Americans were the only swimmers to break 2:10 in the semi finals as Great Britain’s Chloe Golding (2:10.37) is the third seed. Germany’s Sonnele Ozturk (2:11.27) is the fourth seed as she swims collegiately at Auburn. There were four swimmers advancing to the final with ties to American universities. Seidt (Kentucky), Bratton (Texas A&M), Ozturk (Auburn) and Canada’s Kennedy Goss (Indiana) all advanced. Goss is the seventh seed at 2:12.74.

Great Britain’s Kathryn Greenslade (2:11.41), Moldova’s Tatiana Salcutan (2:12.19) and Japan’s Marina Furubayashi (2:13.19) also advanced to the final.

Results:

Asia Seidt, USA, 2:08.81, UR
Lisa Bratton, USA, 2:09.29
Chloe Golding, GBR, 2:10.37
Sonnele Ozturk, GER, 2:11.27
Kathryn Greenslade, GBR, 2:11.41
Tatiana Salcutan, MDA, 2:12.19
Kennedy Goss, CAN, 2:12.74
Marina Furubayashi, JPN, 2:13.19
Vera Koprivova, CZE, 2:13.20
Nadine Laemmler, GER, 2:13.25
Irina Prikhodko, RUS, 2:13.63
Nathania Van Niekerk, RSA, 2:13.81
Olivia Ellard, CAN, 2:14.74
Anastasiia Osipenko, RUS, 2:14.80
Tereza Gruzova, CZE, 2:15.65
Calypso Sheridan, AUS, 2:16.93

Men’s 50 Fly Semi Finals

Australia’s William Yang has the top seed in the 50 fly semi finals with a 23.39 as he is relatively well in front of Japan’s Yuya Tanaka (23.61). The rest of the final for tomorrow is fairly crowded as Italy’s Lorenzo Gargani (23.63) is the third seed ahead of Belarus’s Grigori Pekarski (23.73).

Both Americans advanced to the final with Jack Saunderson (23.75) and Coleman Stewart (23.84) placing fifth and eighth.

Russia’s Daniil Markov (23.78) and Poland’s Pawel Sendyk (23.78) are tied for sixth place and also advanced to the final. Sendyk is going in to his senior season at Cal Berkeley.

Results:

William Yang, AUS, 23.39
Yuya Tanaka, JPN, 23.61
Lorenzo Gargani, ITA, 23.63
Grigori Pekarski, BLR, 23.73
Jack Saunderson, USA, 23.75
Daniil Markov, RUS, 23.78
Pawel Sendyk, POL, 23.78
Coleman Stewart, USA, 23.84
Daniele D’Angelo, ITA, 23.85
Guilherme Rosolen, BRA, 23.89
Aleksandr Sadovnikov, RUS, 23.94
Heiko Gigler, AUT, 24.09
Yang Jaehoon, KOR, 24.13
Nao Horomura, JPN, 24.14
Alberto Lozano, ESP, 24.18
Kaan Ayar, TUR, 24.22

Women’s 4×100 Free Relay

The United States women won the 4×100 free relay and broke the meet record in the event on the first night of the 2019 World University Games in Naples, Italy. The American team of Veronica Burchill (55.39), Claire Rasmus (54.63), Catie DeLoof (54.10) and Gabby DeLoof (53.87) won the gold medal easily with a 3:37.99. They lowered the meet record of 3:38.12 from 2015 that the United States set with Abbey Weitzeil, Shannon Vreeland, Maddie Locus and Lia Neal four years ago in Gwangju.

The Americans won by nearly four full seconds over Japan (3:41.74) and home country Italy (3:41.84). Japan was second with Mayuka Yamamoto (56.15), Sachi Mochida (55.60), Kanako Watanabe (55.55) and Runa Imai (54.44) for the silver medal. The Italians gave the home crowd something to cheer about with Paola Biagioli (55.75), Gioelemaria Origlia (55.72), Giulia Verona (55.52) and Aglalia Pezzatto (54.85) winning the bronze medal.

The quickest splits outside of the top four came from Russia’s Elizaveta Klevanovich (55.46), Canada’s Sarah Watson (55.50), Poland’s Paulina Peda (55.82) and Canada’s Ainsley McMurray (56.10).

Russia (3:44.84), Canada (3:44.89), Australia (3:46.63), Poland (3:47.59) and Singapore (3:52.98) also competed in the final.

Results:

United States, 3:37.99 (Burchill, Rasmus, C. DeLoof, G. DeLoof)
Japan, 3:41.74 (Yamamoto, Mochida, Watanabe, Imai)
Italy, 3:41.84 (Biagioli, Origlia, Verona, Pezzatto)
Russia, 3:44.84 (Baklakova, Nasretdinova, Klevanovich, Buinaia)
Canada, 3:44.89 (Huddle, Watson, McMurray, Goss)
Australia, 3:46.63 (Hawkins, Rogers, Messer, Stuart)
Poland, 3:47.59 (Georges, Peda, Naskret, Sztandera)
Singapore, 3:52.98 (Chan, Ong, Yeo, Liew)

Men’s 4×100 Free Relay

The United States men put on a show to close out the first night of the 2019 World University Games with a near meet record of 3:11.03 in the 4×100 free relay. The team of Zach Apple (47.79), Dean Farris (47.48), Robert Howard (47.74) and Tate Jackson (48.02) almost took down Russia’s impressive 3:10.62 meet record from 2013.

For comparison, that 3:11.03 was faster than any swims from 2018 as the United States team of Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni, Apple and Nathan Adrian were 3:11.67 at Pan Pacs last year. It is the fastest men’s 4×100 free relay that anyone has swum since the 2017 Worlds when the Americans were a 3:10.06.

Through the first three legs, the Americans were within a second of the world record pace that was set in the legendary 4×100 free relay from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Americans won by nearly four full seconds over Brazil (3:15.27) and Italy (3:15.91). The Brazilians had Gus Borges (49.57), Marco Ferreira (48.00), Gabriel Ogawa (49.57) and Felipe de Souza (48.13) swimming on their team for the silver medal. The Italians won their fourth medal of the night with the bronze as they had Ivano Vendrame (48.91), Alessandro Bori (48.87), Davide Nardini (49.10) and Giovanni Izzo (49.03) swimming for them.

The quickest splits outside the top three came from Russia’s Ivan Kuzmenko (48.54), Great Britain’s David Cumberlidge (48.76), Japan’s Kaiya Seke (48.93) and Juran Mizohata (48.96).

Japan (3:16.38), Russia (3:18.01), Poland (3:18.03), Great Britain (3:18.47) and Australia (3:18.76) also swam in the final.

Results:

United States, 3:11.03 (Apple, Farris, Howard, Jackson)
Brazil, 3:15.27 (Borges, Ferreira, Ogawa, De Souza)
Italy, 3:15.91 (Vendrame, Bori, Nardini, Izzo)
Japan, 3:16.38 (Matsui, Mizohata, Kawane, Seki)
Russia, 3:18.01 (Snegirev, Kuzmenko, Ablovatskii, Dubinin)
Poland, 3:18.03 (Ostrowski, Ksiazek, Piszczorowicz, Sendyk)
Great Britain, 3:18.47 (Cumberlidge, McLean, Litchfield, Szaranek)
Australia, 3:18.76 (Brinkworth, Negri, Stockwell, Carleton)

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Thomas A. Small

4 years ago

Congratulations