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Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania maintained her hold on the top seed of the women’s 50-meter breast with a time of 29.98. Meilutyte’s time is only .10 seconds off her 2015 best of 29.88 from the Canet stop of the Mare Nostrum circuit earlier this year and .50 seconds off her world record of 29.48. She continues to be the only swimmer under the 30-second mark.
Russia’s Yuliya Efimova moved up to the second-place seed with a time of 30.14. This is a definite improvement from her 2015 best of 30.37 from the Charlotte stop of the Arena Pro Swim Series and puts her in a good position going into tomorrow’s finals.
Jessica Hardy of the USA took third in the semis with a finishing time of 30.25. Hardy also managed to shave some time off her 2015 best of 30.61, also from the Charlotte stop of the Arena Pro Swim Series.
Jennie Johansson of Sweden sits only .14 seconds behind Hardy with a time of 30.39, putting her in a spot to contend for another medal for Sweden. Johansson previously posted a 30.64 Trofeu Sette Colli meet in Rome earlier this year.
Ukraine’s Mariia Liver finished in 30.64 for the fifth-place seed, while Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson slipped to sixth with a time of 30.78. Atkinson was formerly the second best in the world for 2015 in the event with a 30.54 but with the fast swims happening she has been bumped down. Atkinson will have to turn on the heat if she is going to re-claim her spot in the top three.
Israel’s Hrafmhildur Luthersdottir finished seventh in semis with a time of 30.90, and the Netherland’s Moniek Nihjuis posted a 30.99 to earn herself the eighth-place seed for tomorrow’s finals.
