Siobhan Haughey Closes Out Mare Nostrum Series with 200 Freestyle Title; Ilya Kharun Sweeps Butterfly Events
For the third straight time during this year’s Mare Nostrum Series, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey surged to the title in the 200-meter freestyle. After triumphs in Monaco and Canet, Haughey capped her sweep on Sunday when she won the four-lap discipline in 1:55.22. During the Canet stop, Haughey set a Mare Nostrum record when she registered a performance of 1:54.13.
Haughey faced a difficult field in Spain and was pushed to the wall by New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather (1:55.49), who turned to her distance base for a final flourish. At the final turn, Haughey was ahead of Fairweather, 1:25.24 to 1:26.45, but Fairweather charged down the last length to get within striking distance, her final split of 29.04 nearly a second faster than the 29.98 of Haughey.
Third place went to Czechia’s Barbora Seemanova in 1:56.64 while the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen was fourth in 1:57.72. Steenbergen was coming off a victory in the 100 freestyle on Saturday, an effort that saw her break the 52-second barrier in the event for the second time in a week.
A two-time Olympic medalist in the 200 freestyle, Haughey also posted a second-place finish in the 50 freestyle, where she placed behind Dutchwoman Milou van Wijk. Haughey managed a time of 24.45, which wasn’t far off the 24.33 of Van Wijk, who has enjoyed a solid Mare Nostrum tour, but has been overshadowed by the 100 freestyle excellence of Steenbergen. Van Wijk’s time was only a tenth off her personal best of 24.23, set last year.
Simona Quadarella Shines in 1500 Free
Italian star Simona Quadarella, the No. 2 performer in the history of the event, dominated the 1500 freestyle by dipping under the 16-minute barrier for a 35-second victory. The 27-year-old opened the evening session by clocking a time of 15:58.41, which was well clear of the 16:34.26 of Hanne Stamnesfet Naess (Norway). Quadarella wasn’t far off her season best, the 15:55.89 she produced at the Italian Championships in April.
Last year, Quadarella put together a sensational performance at the World Championships in Singapore, where she claimed the silver medal behind American legend Katie Ledecky. Quadarella set a European record at Worlds, going 15:31.79. That time elevated the veteran to second in the event’s all-time rankings.
Ilya Kharun Adds Another Butterfly Title
As he maneuvers through the process of switching his sporting nationality from Canada to the United States, Ilya Kharun has regularly produced high-level efforts. In Barcelona, Kharun was the sole sub-23 performer in the 50 butterfly, winning the event in 22.99. That outing handed Kharun the win over Russia’s Oleg Kostin (23.12) and Brazilian 46-year-old Nicholas Santos (23.31).
Later in the session, Kharun put his endurance and versatility on display when he won the 200 butterfly in 1:56.18, which was 29 faster than the 1:56.47 of Italian Alberto Razzetti. The 200 fly win handed Kharun a butterfly sweep in Barcelona, as he came out on top in the 100 distance on Saturday. Razzetti returned to win the 200 individual medley in 1:59.75.
American McKenzie Siroky made it 3-for-3 across the series in the 50 breaststroke, her latest win arriving in 30.40. After defeating her competition at the Monaco and Canet stops, Siroky finished .40 clear of Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko and Belgium’s Florine Gaspard, who notched matching times of 30.80. In Monaco, Siroky set a Mare Nostrum record of 29.64 for the one-lap breaststroke.
Patrick Sammon kept the United States roll going by topping the field in the 100 freestyle. After setting a Mare Nostrum record of 47.88 in the prelims, Sammon went 48.18 in the final to beat countryman Quintin McCarty (48.99). They were followed by Great Britain’s Duncan Scott, who turned in a time of 49.11.
Taylor Ruck Maintains Momentum
One week after a strong showing at the Sacramento stop of the TYR Pro Series, Canadian Taylor Ruck grabbed the title in the 100 backstroke in Barcelona. Trailing the United States’ Leah Shackley by a small margin at the turn, Ruck pulled away over the last length and won in 58.71, just .14 off the overall Mare Nostrum record. Shackley followed for second place in 59.29, while Canadian Ingrid Wilm went 59.63 for third.
Ruck also took home a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle. With minimal rest following the 100 backstroke, she went 24.67 in the one-lap dash. The Canadian was again on the blocks for the 100 butterfly toward the end of the night, this time clocking 58.24. The win went to Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk in 57.73.
In Other Action…
Argentina’s Agostina Hein picked up an easy decision in the 400 individual medley, a triumph that complemented a national record in the 400 freestyle (4:02.99) from the previous day. Hein touched the wall in 4:35.62, which was almost five seconds faster than the 4:40.40 by Canadian Ella Jansen. Hein owns the South American record in the 400 IM at 4:34.34.
Russia’s Miron Lifintsev set a Barcelona leg record while winning the 50 backstroke. Lifintsev touched the wall in 24.59, which was a quartet-second quicker than the 24.84 of the United States’ Quintin McCarty. Lifintsev’s triumph marked a Russian sweep of the 50 backstroke during Mare Nostrum action, as Pavel Samusenko prevailed during the opening two legs of the tour.
Another Russian win was supplied by world-record holder Evgeniia Chikunova in the 200 breaststroke, as she covered her four laps in 2:23.74. Second place went to Belarus’ Alina Zmushka in 2:24.58.
The Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau was the only man under one minute in the 100 breaststroke, clocking 59.96 for the win, while Czechia’s Jan Cejka comfortably won the men’s 200 backstroke in 1:56.65. Italy’s Marco De Tullio won the men’s 400 freestyle in 3:48.29.