Russians Dominate First Day of Imperia World Cup Meet

IMPERIA, Italy, Jan 14. CHINA's Yang Yu swam the fastest 200 free of the 2001-02 season as the World Cup Series splashed back into action here this
evening.

The Chinese sprinter, whose pr is 1:55.50 from the Arena Meeting in Berlin two years ago, touched in a world-leading 1:56.05, taking the No. 1 global spot from former Southern Methodist University NCAA Champ Martina Moravcova. A Slovakian Olympian, Moravcova had gone a list-leading 1:56.14 in November. Moravcova also won last month's European Championships.

Yang's winning time is history's 11th-fastest performance. Her 1:55.50 is third on the all-time performances' list behind world record-holder and
Olympic Costa Rican gold medalist Claudia Poll's 1:54.17 and Moravcova's European record 1:55.12.

Other leading women's performances included Russia's Ekaterina Kibalo's 25.31 50 free win, equaling the 18th-fastest seasonal; and China's Zhan Shu's 28.30 50 back victory, 25th-fastest.

Another former SMU Mustang from Coach Steve Collins' stable, Denmark's Mette Jacobsen, won the 100 fly (1:00.43) with Russia's Irina Bespalova next(1:00.88). Romania's Beatrice Caslaru, Sydney Olympic silver medalist in the 400 IM, won the 200 (2:12.55).

Russia's Alexandra Malanina won the 800 free (8:30.28) and teammate Stanislava Komarova the 200 back (2:09.27) to complete the women's first-day events.

On the men's side, Russia won three races, with Evgeni Alechine taking gold in the 100 back (53.21), Dimitri Kormonikov taking the 200 breast (2:08.34) and Igor Marchenko the 50 fly (23.82).

Alechine's winning swim is his seasonal pr, eclipsing the 53.29 he swam at Berlin and equals the 21st-fastest global time for 2001-'02. Kormonikov, whose long-course pr is a 2:12.28 that won the European Jr. Championship title three years ago in Moscow, has a 2:07.74 seasonal pr from Berlin. However, that 2:08.34 is still seventh-quickest performance while runner-up Jim Piper (Australia) went a 2:08.66. His pr is 2:08.37 from Paris last February.

Italy's Olympic gold medalist (200 IM) Massi Rosolino won the 400 free in 3:42.50. His pr is his European Record 3:39.59 that won the gold at Antwerp three weeks ago, and that swim also makes the Italian Stallion the third-fastest performer all-time (eighth-performance).

Australi'as world-record holder Grant Hackett (3:35.01) and Ian Thorpe (3:35.64) are Nos. 1-2 all-time and between them have the top seven performances too.

Rosolino, runner-up to Thorpe at Sydney in the 400 free where his time was a European and national record, will have a chance for a rematch in just about
10 weeks at the World Short Course Championships in Moscow in early April.

Brazil's Gustavo Borgess went a seasonl-best and seventh-fastest (yearly) 47.74 to win the 100 free. The former University of Michigan star, the only man ever to win the NCAA 100 yard free four-consecutive seasons ('92-'95) will be after countryman Fernando Scherer's South American-record 47.14 come Moscow.

Runner-up in the 100 was Russia's Denis Pimakov (48.13). He was 48.04 last year.

The other two winners were Ukraine's Oleg Lisogor in the 100 IM (54.42) with America's Dr. Ron Karnuagh second (55.42), and Italy's Lorenzo Sirigiu in
the 400 IM (4:13.60).

Sirigu's time is 18th-fastest performance with teammate Massi Eroli's 4:13.94 that won him the silver good for 19th.

— Bill Bell

World Cup VI
Imperia, Italy
Day One: Jan. 14, 2002

25 meter course

RESULTS

MEN

100 meter freestyle
1. Gustavo Borges, BRA 47.73
2. Denis Pimankov, RUS 48.13
3. Bart Kizierowski, POL 48.54

400 meter freestyle
1. Massimiliano Rosolino, ITA 3:42.50
2. Denis Rodkin, RUS 3:46.37
3. Matteo Pelliciari, ITA 3:46.87

100 meter backstroke
1. Evgeni Alechine, RUS 53.21
2. Ante Maskovic, CRO 53.38
3. Min Sung, KOR 53.76

200 meter breaststroke
1. Dimitri Komornikov, RUS 2:08.34
2. Jim Piper, AUS 2:09.56
3. Olivier Vincenzetti, ITA 2:09.65

50 meter butterfly
1. Igor Martchenko, RUS 23.82
2. Denys Sylantyev, UKR 24.08
3. Anatoli Poliakov, RUS 24.32

100 meter individual medley
1. Oleg Lisogor, UKR 54.42
2. Ron Karnaugh, USA 55.42
3. Bart Kizierowski, POL 55.48

400 meter individual medley
1. Lorenzo Sirigu, ITA 4:13.60
2. Massimiliano Eroli, ITA 4:13.94
3. Sergey Prokhorov, RUS 4:15.18

WOMEN

50 meter freestyle
1. Ekaterina Kibalo, RUS 25.23
2. Cristina Chiuso, ITA 25.42
3. Lara Consolandi, ITA 25.45

200 meter freestyle
1. Yang Yu, CHN 1:56.05
2. Claudia Poll, CRC 1:56.61
3. Mette Jacobsen, DEN 1:59.86

800 meter freestyle
1. Alexandra Malanina, RUS 8:30.28
2. Claudia Poll, CRC 8:32.20
3. Simona Ricciardi, ITA 8:36.86

50 meter backstroke
1. Zhan Shu, CHN 28.30
2. Alessandra Cappa, ITA 28.53
3. Ji Shim-Min, KOR 28.57

200 meter backstroke
1. Stanislava Komarova, RUS 2:09.27
2. Roberta Ioppi, ITA 2:11.92
3. Anya Gostomelsky, ISR 2:12.92

100 meter breassttroke
1. Luo Xuejuan, CHN 1:06.49
2. Brooke Hanson, AUS 1:07.87
3. Elena Bogomazova, RUS 1:09.36

100 meter butterfly
1. Mette Jacobsen, DEN 1:00.43
2. Irina Bespalova, RUS 1:00.88
3. Petra Zahrl, AUT 1:00.90

200 meter individual medley
1. Beatrice Caslaru, ROM 2:12.55
2. Federica Biscia, ITA 2:14.09
3. Vered Borochovski, ISR 2:14.30

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