{"id":401667,"date":"2019-11-10T11:25:01","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T18:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=401667"},"modified":"2019-11-10T11:25:01","modified_gmt":"2019-11-10T18:25:01","slug":"eugenia-chikunova-15-goes-218-for-200-breaststroke-crown-in-russian-s-c-curtain-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/eugenia-chikunova-15-goes-218-for-200-breaststroke-crown-in-russian-s-c-curtain-closer\/","title":{"rendered":"Eugenia Chikunova, 15, Goes 2:18 For 200 Breaststroke Crown In Russian S\/C Curtain Closer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russian Short-Course Championships<\/strong> came to a close in Kazan today with a hint of the potential of 15-year-old Eugenia Chikunova<\/strong>, who took the 200m breaststroke in 2:18.59 ahead of a rival nine years her senior, Maria Temnikova<\/strong>, on 2:19.73.<\/p>\n

Chikonova had entered the race with a best of 2:26.17\u00a0from a year ago. She’s been busy since then. She threw down a long-course\u00a02:21.07 in the semi-finals at the European Junior Championships back in July the day before she claimed the crown in 2:23.06. Then, in August, Chikunova claimed the World Junior title in Budapest in 2:24.03. Three months on and a 2:18 short-course effort indicates further progress.<\/p>\n

The champion’s elder sister Daria Chikunova<\/strong> took bronze in 2:21.05 in a race that went without Russian No1 breaststroke specialist for many years, Yulia Efimova, who served a doping suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2013. One of her penalties was also top lose medals claimed at the European S\/C Championships that year.<\/p>\n

The same event is due to be staged in Glasgow next month, the past six days serving as selection trials for international action. That drive produced a rush on records\u00a0at a meet bypassed or taken in the stride of training by some of the country’s top contenders as they raced in international events or worked on for Olympic year.<\/p>\n

Vladimir Morozov<\/strong> was a case in point: he’s been away winning $150,000 on World Cup tour and will race for Iron at the European International Swimming League<\/a> Derby in London the weekend after next.<\/p>\n

With Morozov – whose national 100m free record stands at 45.16 – away and Kliment Kolesnikov<\/strong> (national junior record of 46.11) bypassing the 100m free, Vladislav Grinev<\/strong> made hay in 46.47 for the title, Sergey Fesikov<\/strong> second on 46.73, the bronze to Mikhail Vekovishchev<\/strong> in 46.76.<\/p>\n

Grvnev was involved in a fine tussle over 200m free on day 2 of the meet. Battle ended with Mikhail Vekovishchev<\/strong>, Grinev and Mikhail Dovgalyuk<\/strong> finishing in that order in 1:41.73, 1:42.22 and 1:42.27.<\/p>\n

Many times made the world top 10 this season, as did the best efforts at Itay’s Nico Sapio meet<\/strong> <\/a>over the past three days, in part courtesy of a calendar that included a long-course World Cup<\/strong><\/a> and an ISL format that does not require swimmers to taper, has yet to feature a peak-form international target.<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, the European Short-Course Championships in Glasgow<\/strong> next month are likely to rattle the season ranks, as might the ISL’s Final Match in Las Vegas<\/strong> on December 20-21.<\/p>\n

At the other end of the spectrum, Yaroslav Potapov<\/strong> and Ilya Druzhinin<\/strong> endured a stroke-for-stroke tussle over 1500m freestyle, Poapov taking gold in 14:35.23, to 14:36.92.<\/p>\n

One of the top names of the meet, Maria Kamaneva<\/strong> closed her campaign with a 23.70 win over 50m freestyle to secure yet another race at Euro S\/C Championships.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the meet, Kamaneva broke her own 100m medley record in 58.39and took the 100m backstroke crown in 56.68.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the meet’s last solo national record fell to Oleg Kostin<\/strong>, who shaved 0.05sec off his own 50m butterfly mark for the crown in 22.07 ahead of Alexander Popkov<\/strong> in 22.31.<\/p>\n

The day before, Veronika Andrusenko<\/strong> replaced Veronika Popova<\/strong> as Russian 400m freestyle record holder, those ensuring the standard stayed in the same treasury, Andrusenko, on 3:58.25 better than her unmarried self on 3:58.90 back in 2016.<\/p>\n

Arina Surkova<\/strong>, 21, had a fine meet, capped by two personal bests on day 3 finals, the 100m free crown her’s in 52.43 before she established a 25.27 Russian record in the semi-finals of the 50 butterfly.<\/p>\n

She was not the only record-setter that day, Anastasia Kirpichnikova<\/strong>, 19, clocking 8:10.62 for a new Russian 800 free standard five seconds inside her best.<\/p>\n

In other action, there was a solid 2:03.97 from Mikhail Dorinov<\/strong> in the 200m breaststroke, while Martin Malyutin<\/strong> took the 400m freestyle in 3:38.63.<\/p>\n