The Week That Was: Shoma Sato Rattles World Record; Claire Curzan Breaks World Junior Record

Shoma Sato
Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS / ISL

The Week That Was sponsored by Suitmate.

As the countdown continues to the Tokyo Olympics with 103 days remaining, Trials season has heated up in many parts of the world as Russia, Japan, South Africa and New Zealand selected their respective Olympic teams this week. Shoma Sato and Tatjana Schoenmaker had some impressive 200 breaststrokes while Lewis Clareburt and Evgeny Rylov broke their own national records in the 400 IM and 200 back.

Read the five biggest stories of the week in The Week That Was sponsored by Suitmate.

The Week That Was #1: Shoma Sato Moves to #2 All-Time in 200 Breast

Shoma Sato

Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS/ISL

By John Lohn

Shoma Sato made a run at the world record in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Japanese Olympic Trials on Wednesday night and while he just missed the standard, the rising star easily earned qualification to this summer’s Tokyo Games.

With a handful of sub-2:07 performances to his credit heading into Trials, Sato was viewed as a major threat to the world record of 2:06.12, which was set at the 2019 World Championships by Russian Anton Chupkov. Ultimately, he produced the second-fastest time in history, thanks to a clocking of 2:06.40. Sato was out in 1:00.89 and comfortably prevailed over a stacked field.

The victory for Sato, as much as his No. 2 performance all-time, atoned for what transpired earlier in the week in the 100 breaststroke. In the shorter event, Sato claimed a spot on Japan’s medley relay for the Olympics, but his time in the final was off what the Japanese Federation mandated for individual qualification. With the 200 breast in the rearview mirror, Sato now has a solo event for his program.

#2: Claire Curzan Breaks World Junior Record in Showdown With Torri Huske

Claire Curzan

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By John Lohn

With the United States Olympic Trials in Omaha fast approaching, two of the biggest teenage names in the American arsenal have put on a show this weekend at the TAC Titans Premier Invitational in North Carolina. On Saturday night, Claire Curzan and Torri Huske used the 100-meter butterfly for their fireworks.

Competing in her best event, Curzan ripped a 56.20 performance to break her own National Age Group record in the 15-16 classification and position herself as the favorite in the event heading into Trials. Curzan’s previous record stood at 56.61. Huske, though, was not far behind, as she registered a time of 56.69 to break the NAG in the 17-18 category. The former standard was held by Regan Smith at 57.34.

Curzan also broke the world junior record that Canada’s Penny Oleksiak held at 56.46 back in 2016 with her silver medal winning swim from the last Olympics.Coming off a 57.37 swim during preliminaries, Curzan seemed poised to deliver something special, and that is exactly the scenario that unfolded. She went out in 26.21 and came home in 29.99 to become the second-fastest American in history, trailing only Dana Vollmer and her 55.98 that made her the 2012 Olympic champion and was a world record at the time. Huske, meanwhile, is now tied for 15th on the all-time performer list.

The Week That Was #3: Jeff Poppell to Take Head Job at South Carolina

jeff-poppell-

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By David Rieder

Jeff Poppell, previously the head coach of the women’s team at the University of Florida, will become the new head coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Poppell replaces McGee Moody, who stepped down in March after 14 seasons at the helm in Columbia.

Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde first reported the hire. South Carolina confirmed it on Friday.

Poppell spent three seasons as head coach of the Florida women’s team after taking over the program when Gregg Troy retired from college coaching in 2018. Florida’s women had struggled in Troy’s last few years with the program, going from winning an NCAA team title as recently as 2010 to not scoring a single point at the 2017 championships. Under Poppell, the Gators finished 17th at this year’s meet with 84.5 points and took second at the SEC championships, just 53 points behind Kentucky. That was Florida’s third straight runner-up finish at the conference meet.

“I am excited to welcome Jeff and his family to the University of South Carolina and our athletics program,” Athletic director Ray Tanner said in a university release. “Jeff brings an outstanding coaching resume and a coaching philosophy that will greatly benefit our student-athletes. He knows what it takes to move our swimming and diving program to a championship level.”

“I’m both honored and thrilled to have been named the new Head Swimming & Diving Coach at South Carolina,” Jeff Poppell said. “On my visit earlier this week, I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the campus, the highly ranked academic programs offered, as well as the strong commitment made by the Gamecock Athletic Administration to help build and sustain a championship caliber program at the University of South Carolina. We have a lot of work ahead of us in the future however I can’t wait to get to Columbia, meet the teams, and begin this exciting new journey.”

#4: Tatjana Schoenmaker Swims World Leading 200 Breaststroke in South Africa

tatjana-schoenmaker

Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

By Andy Ross

Tatjana Schoenmaker and Christian Sadie led the way as the Olympic and Paralympic Qualification short list continued to grow on the third night of swimming action at the SA National Aquatic Championships taking place in Gqeberha.

Schoenmaker cruised ahead of the pack in the 200m breaststroke to an impressive new African Record and Olympic Qualification time of 2:20.17, over 6 seconds ahead of Kaylene Corbett in 2:26.59 and Emily Visagie in 2:30.45.

Schoenmaker beat her own 2019 time of 2:21.79 as she is now seventh all-time.

The Week That Was #5: Rylov Hits European Record in 200 Back; Efimova Misses Russian Olympic Team in 200

evgeny-rylov

Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

By Liz Byrnes

Evgeny Rylov set a European 200 backstroke mark of 1:53.23 as he continued his record-breaking form at the Russian Swimming Championships in Kazan.

It is faster than all gold-winning times in Olympic history – Tyler Clary‘s 1:53.41 from London 2012 the next swiftest.

Link to results

Rylov had wrested back his official Russian 100m record from Kliment Kolesnikov when he went 52.12 on Monday – 0.01secs outside Camille Lacourt‘s 2010 mark of 52.11.

The Rio 2016 bronze medallist led the way into the final in 1:55.34 before demolishing the field and taking 0.13secs from his own continental record of 1:53.36 set at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow.

Splits: 27.12/55.38 (28.26)/1:24.10 (28.72)/1:53.23 (29.13)

Yulia Efimova will not be seeking her third straight Olympic 200m breaststroke medal after she was locked out of the top two at the Russian Swimming Championships in a race won by Evgeniya Chikunova in 2:21.63.

Chikunova, who had already booked a Tokyo ticket with victory over 100m, led the way into the final in 2:23.00.

The 16-year-old was third at halfway before moving through the field in 36.44 to lead at the final turn after which she produced the only sub-36 last 50 of 35.47 to stop the clock first.

Splits: 33.31/1:09.72/1:46.16/2:21.63

It was the fastest time so far this year displacing Molly Renshaw (2:22.08) at the top of the rankings but outside her Russian junior record of 2:21.07

Maria Temnikova claimed the second slot in 2:22.76 meaning there will be no Efimova in the event in Tokyo, the Rio 2016 silver medallist touching in 2:24.16 for third.

The three-time Olympic medallist was never in contention in the race.

Seventh at halfway, a 36.82 third 50 moved Efimova up to fourth but despite a last 50 of 36.62 – the second quickest in the field behind Chikunova – it was too much of a gap to make up on Temnikova and she finished 1.40secs adrift.

Efimova though will race over 100m having come second to Chikunova at trials.

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