Chupkov & Lesaffre Triumphs Prevent China Sweep As Hosts Take 6 Golds At Military Games

Anton Chupkov of Russia on his way to win in a New World Record time in the men's 200m Breaststroke Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 26 July 2019.

Anton Chupkov - Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer

Swimming Starts At Military Games, Wuhan

Anton Chupkov, the World 200m breaststroke champion and record holder, and France’s Fantine Lesaffre managed to prevent a China sweep of all golds on the first day of racing at the 7th Military Games in Wuhan.

Chupkov claimed the 100m breaststroke gold in a championship record of 59.17, while Lesaffre clocked 4:37.91 for the 400m medley title.

Out in 28.39, Chupkov lagged Chinese pair Yan Zibei and Qin Haiyang at the turn but the 200m man had the better home-coming speed, his 30.78 securing gold ahead of Yan’s 59.27 (27.93, 31.34) and Qin Haiyang’s 59.94 (28.25; 31.69).

Lesaffre took charge of the long medley on backstroke and kept her lead all the way to gold ahead of Vietnam’s Thi Anh Vien Nguyen, on 4:44.62, and China’s Yang Chang, on 4:46.77. After heats, Lesaffre told Swimming World that her aim was “a 4:37”. Job done.

All the other six races went to Chinese swimmers, often with two from the host nation making the podium.

Wang Jianjiahe got the medals machine rolling for China with a dominant 4:04.42 win the 400m freestyle. Teammate Zhang Yuhan clocked 4:07.29 for silver, the bronze to Russia’s Anna Egorova in 4:11.40.

China’s No2 backstroker specialist Li Guangyuan took the 100m crown in 54.50, 0.2sec ahead of Brazil’s Guilherme Guido, whose 54.70 was in turn 0.2sec ahead of bronze in the shape of Russia’s Roman Larin, Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki locked out in 54.92.

China’s Zhu Menghui set a meet mark of 24.81 for victory in the 50m freestyle. The silver went to France’s Melanie Henique in 25.28, the podium completed by China’s Zhang Yufei in 25.32, France’s second swimmer home, Charlotte Bonnet locked out in 25.44.

Liu Yaxin took the women’s 200m backstroke in 2:09.92 (31.16; 1:03.70; 1:37.00 and last lap 33.30) ahead of Russia’s Daria Ustinova, who served a doping suspension in her youth, on 2:10.64, and Italy’s Giulia Ramatelli, on 2:13.95.

The men’s 4x200m freestyle title went to China in 7:13.35, ahead of quarters from Brazil (7:17.84) and Poland (7:20.91), while the hosts also took the women’s 4x100m medley crown, in 4:00.16, silver to Russia (4:02.74), bronze to Poland (4:05.95).

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