Komisarz Has Strong Day as World Cup Shifts to Moscow

MOSCOW, Russia, January 25. THERE’S no arguing that the times slowed down since Berlin, but the Moscow stop on the World Cup circuit kicked off on Wednesday with several high-quality performances. Highlighting the events of the third meet of the European leg were American Rachel Komisarz and the Ukraine’s Oleg Lisogor.

Komisarz continued her strong showings in World Cup action by taking top honors in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Clocking 1:56.73 in the 200 free, Komisarz edged out France’s Alena Popchanka (1:57.06). She then added the 100 fly title to her stash when her time of 58.60 was quicker than the 58.62 of Slovakia’s Martina Moravcova. For good measure, Komisarz was second to Russia’s Anastasya Ivanenko in the 800 free. Ivanenko finished in a mark of 8:18.82.

After setting a world record in the 50 breast and a European standard in the 100 breast during competition in Berlin, Lisogor won a pair of events as the Moscow meet started. Lisogor finished ahead of the field in the 50 breast with a time of 26.75 and also claimed gold in the 100 individual medley with a swim of 53.38. Russia’s Igor Berezutskii was second in the I.M. in 54.53, although he prevailed in the 400 I.M. (4:05.83). The 200 breast, meanwhile, was won by Russia’s Grigory Falko in 2:07.36.

The United States produced a solid first day as Jason Lezak and Randall Bal rolled to decisive triumphs. Lezak was fastest in the 100 free as he covered the four-lap race in 47.66, ahead of the 48.49 turned in by Algeria’s Salim Iles. As for Bal, he scorched a time of 51.15 for a first-place outing in the 100 backstroke. Russia’s Arkady Vyatchanin was second (52.54). On the female side, Tara Kirk was the winner of the 100 breast as she checked in with a time of 1:06.20.

Another nation that enjoyed a spectacular day was Poland, which received gold-medal swims from Pawel Korzeniowski and Katarzyna Baranowska. The reigning world champ in the 200 butterfly, Korzeniowski won his specialty in 1:53.24. Baranowska was the top finisher in the 200 I.M. as her effort of 2:11.31 was significantly swifter than the 2:13.54 of Russia’s Daria Beliakina.

Belarus’ Aliaksandra Herasimenia was a double winner as she knocked off the competition in the 50 back (27.61) and touched the wall first in the 50 free (24.74). Other winners were Russia’s Yuri Prilukov in the men’s 400 free (3:44.33), the Ukraine’s Katerina Zubkova in the women’s 200 back (2:08.03) and the Ukraine’s Sergiy Breus in the men’s 50 fly (23.11).

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