2015 World University Games – Day 6 Finals Live Recap

2015 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES

• July 4th-July 11th, 2015 (Saturday-Saturday)
• Gwangju, South Korea
• Prelims 8:30AM/Finals 7PM (local time)
• Prelims 7:30PM (day before)/Finals 6AM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Full meet preview
• Day 6 Prelims Live Recap
• Results
• Live feed (finals only) 
• In the United States: ESPN3.com
• Twitter: @swimswamlive

After a light day yesterday with only three finals, the action picks back up again today with seven finals and multiple semifinal races. The full day six finals schedule can be found below:

Men’s 1500 Freestyle – FINALS

Japanese distance swimmer Hirai Ayatsugu pulled away from the field, winning the men’s 1500 freestyle with the third fastest time in the world this year, 14:56.10. He was the only swimmer to break 15 minutes.

Sergii Frolov finished just under seven seconds behind the leader, earning the silver medal with his time of 15:02.81. The bronze medal went to the other Japanese swimmer in the field, Yamamoto Kohei, with his time of 15:03.99.

British swimmer Jay Lelliott was one position away from the podium with his time of 15:07.84.

Jack McLoughlin (AUS), Matteo Furlan (ITA), and Arthur Frayler (USA) all came in as a pack, finishing at 15:12, 15:13, and 15:14, respectively. Jon McKay of Canada finished in eighth with a 15:18.69.

Women’s 50 Breaststroke – Semifinals

Ukraine’s Mariia Liver leads the field after posting the fastest time of the two semifinal heats. She won the first heat, touching just ahead of American Lily King who was second with her time of 30.78 and Martina Carraro (ITA) in third with a 30.89.

The women’s 50 breaststroke final will be tight. The top five qualifiers all finished under 31 seconds during the semifinal. The two swimmers to break 31 seconds in the second semifinal heat were Matsushima Mina (JPN) at 30.83 and Emma Reaney (USA) at 30.97.

Men’s 100 Butterfly – FINALS

After winning the men’s 200 butterfly with the second fastest time in the world, Evgeny Koptelov followed up his performance by winning the men’s 100 butterfly with the third fastest time in the world this year. He finished with a final time of 51.50.

Piero Codia won the silver medal with the eight fastest time in the world this year, 51.69. Yauhen Tsurkin of Belarus secured the bronze medal and the final spot on the podium with his time of 52.12.

The second Russian swimmer in the field, Aleksandr Sadovnikov, finished fourth at 52.17 and Umemoto Masayuki (JPN) was fifth with his time of 52.29.

The two American swimmer, Matthew Josa and Matt Ellis, finished together in sixth and seventh. Josa was first to the wall at the 50 by a few tenths, but ran out of gas in the final 20 meters of the race. Josa finished with a time of 52.59, while Ellis went 52.67. Poland’s Michal Poprawa finished eighth at 52.93.

Women’s 50 Backstroke – FINALS

Holly Barratt of Australia was able to get her hand on the wall first to win the women’s 50 backstroke. She reached in for a final time of 28.04, winning the race by .34 seconds.

Behind Barratt, two swimmers tied for the silver medal. South Korea’s Yu Hyounji tied with Hong Kong’s Stephanie Au at 28.38, giving South Korea their first swimming medal of the games as the host country.

US Olympian Rachel Bootsma was knocked off the podium by her Cal Berkeley teammate, Stephanie Au. It appeared that Boostma was stuck on the lane line through her final 15 meters of the race. She finished fourth with a final time of 28.42. Canadian Kylie Masse finished not far behind Bootsma in fifth place with her time of 28.45.

The Italian swimmer, Arianna Barbieri, finished sixth just ahead of Camille Gheorghiu of France at 28.59 and 28.64, respectively. Yekaterina Rudenko (KAZ) finished in eight with her time of 28.75.

Women’s 200 Freestyle – FINALS

Shannon Vreeland won Team USA’s first medal of the day in the women’s 200 freestyle. She lead the final by a half second, touching the wall with a time of 1:58.38. Wang Shijia of China was the only other swimmer to break 1:59. She earned the silver medal with her time of 1:58.89.

Martina De Memme of Italy was the bronze medalist with her time of 1:59.14. She held off Leah Smith (USA), out-touching her at the wall. Smith finished fourth with her time of 1:59.26.

Aya Takano (JPN) finished in fifth, leading Ellen Fullerton (AUS), Alina Weber (GER), and Miyamoto Yasuko (JPN). The entire group finished fifth through eighth and all posted 2:00’s.

Men’s 200 Backstroke – FINALS

American swimmer Jacob Pebley won the men’s 200 backstroke, swimming the fourth fastest time in the world this year. With his time of 1:56.29, he is now the fastest American performer of the season.

The silver medal was won by Japanese swimmer, Sunama Keita. He finished second with his time of 1:57.50, holding off the bronze medalist, Andrei Shabasov (RUS), who finished third at 1:57.68.

Christopher Ciccarese narrowly missed the podium after posting a final time of 1:57.83, only .15 seconds behind the bronze medalist.

There was a gap before the next group finished. Joe Patching of Great Britain lead in Giorgio Gaetani (ITA) and Connor Green (USA). Patching posted the fifth fastest time of 1:59.52 while Gaetani finished sixth in 2:00.07 and Green was seventh in 2:00.23.

Krzysztof Morawski (POL) finished in eighth place at 2:02.11,

Men’s 50 Freestyle – Semifinals

American sprinter Paul Powers will be the top seed heading into finals after winning the second semifinal heat with a time of 22.18. The second semi-final heat was much faster that the first. The top six swimmers from heat two qualified for finals, while only the top two from the first heat qualified.

Yauhen Tsurkin (BLR) qualified with the second fastest time of 22.23. The 100 freestyle champion, Henrique De Souza Martins of Brazil qualified third at 22.25.

Joining them in finals will be Ivan Kuzmenko (RUS), Giuseppe Guttuso (ITA), Yonel Govindin (FRA), Seth Stubblefield (USA), and Filip Wypych (POL). The top 8 swimmers all finished between 22.18 and 22.45.

Men’s 50 Breaststroke – FINALS

Caba Silabi of Serbia won the men’s 50 breaststroke, posting the tenth fastest time globally this year. Andrea Toniato finished .07 seconds behind Silabi, securing the silver medal with 14th fastest time in the world of 27.41.

The Bronze medal was won by Dimitry Balandin of Kazakhstan with his time of 27.47. Balandin has been slightly out of character this week as he typically does better in the longer breaststroke events. Despite not making the podium in his best event, the 200 breaststroke, he has finished third in the 50 breaststroke and he won the 100 breaststroke. His best 200 time of 2:07.67 is the ninth fastest swim in history, but he was more than four seconds off of that time this week.

Russia’s Kirill Prigoda finished fourth with his time of 27.70 and DJ Macdonald of the United States finished just behind him in fifth with a 27.84.

Rafael De Oliviera Rodrigues (BRA), Martin Schweizer (SUI), and Carsten Vissering (USA) finished in sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively. De Oliviera Rodrigues finished at 27.89, Schweizer was 27.96, and Vissering finished with a 27.97.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Semifinals

China’s Zhou Yilin qualified for the final of the women’s 200 butterfly with the fastest time out of semifinals. She touched the wall in 2:08.48, recording the 15th fastest time in the world this year.

Italian teamamtes Stefania Pirozzi and Alessia Polieri finished first and second in the fist semifinal heat with times of 2:09.11 and 2:09.26, securing their spots in finals.

Hali Flickinger of the United States had the fourth fastest time, finished second in the second heat with her time of 2:09.56.

Joining them in finals will be Barbora Zavadova (CZE), Jacomie Strydom (CAN), Yabu Misuzu (JPN), and Tina Rueger (GER). It took a 2:12.53 to advance to the final.

Women’s 50 Freestyle – Semifinals

The Russia duo of Elizaveta Bazarova and Rozaliya Nasretdinova posted the two fastest times during the semifinals of the women’s 50 freestyle. Bazarova had the fastest time with a 25.01 and Nasretdinova was just behind her with a 25.07.

After winning gold in the women’s 50 backstroke earlier in the session, Holly Barratt (AUS) qualified for the final of the women’s 50 freestyle with her time of 25.18.

The two American sprinters, Abbey Weitzeil and Maddie Locus, tied in the second semifinal heat of the women’s 50 freestyle, touching the wall at 25.24.

Brigit Koschischek (AUT), Lauriane Haag (FRA), and Aglaia Pezzato (ITA) will advance to finals as well. It took a 25.41 to qualify for finals.

Men’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay – FINALS

Winning the team’s third gold medal of the day, the United States’ relay made up of Clay Youngquist (1:49.03), Reed Malone (1:47.06), Michael Wynalda (1:47.25), and Kyle Whitaker (1:47.48) combined to win the men’s 4×200 freestyle relay with a 7:10.82.

Australia finished second with their time of 7:13.04, holding off Japan to win the silver medal. Japan finished third for the bronze medal with a time of 7:13.12.