Andrei Nikolaev Fires Off 26.86 In 50 Breaststroke At Russian Solidarity Games; Evgeny Rylov Fourth In 200 Back

Photo Courtesy: Maria Dobysheva

The third day of the Russian Solidarity Games concluded in Kazan with Andrei Nikolaev‘s 26.86 in the 50 breaststroke the most notable performance.

Results
Days 1 & 2 wrap

Nikolaev’s time was 0.20 outside his national record of 26.66 from April and would have secured him fourth at the recent World Championships from which Russia were banned.

Evgeny Rylov also took to the water, weeks after his one-time friend Mykhailo Romanchuk of Ukraine said he “was ready to go and kill him” when he saw the Russian at a Vladimir Putin rally in Moscow.

Rylov was handed a nine-month ban by FINA after being pictured at the rally in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Rylov attended the rally in March wearing the pro-war symbol of the letter ‘Z’ on his clothing, prompting an expression of anger and emotion by Romanchuk, who said at the Budapest worlds that:

“Inside of me I was ready to go and to kill him but before he was a good friend but everything changed.”

Read: Mykhailo Romanchuk Pleads To Maintain Ban On Russia As Father Fights In Eastern Ukraine

Rylov, who won the backstroke double at the Tokyo Olympics, is allowed to compete because the meet in Kazan is not a FINA-approved competition, just as he swam at the Russian Championships in April.

The double world champion qualified first for the 200 back in 1:57.69 – the only man inside 1:59 – but come the final and he placed fourth in 1:58.20, 0.76 behind winner Nikolay Zuev.

That followed Rylov’s fifth in the 100 back on the opening night of competition.

Maria Kameneva fired off 27.65 in the women’s 50 back, Anastasia Guzhenkova held off the fast-finishing Valeriia Salamatina to win the 200 free by 0.02 in 1:58.42 to 1:58.44 and Arina Surkova won the 100 fly in 57.58.

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