2016 Short Course World Championships – Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2016 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 6th – December 11th, 2016
• Windsor, Ontario, Canada
• WFCU Centre
• SCM (25m)
• Prelims: 9:30 AM EST/Finals: 6:30 PM EST
• Start Lists/Results
• Live Stream ($)

MEN’S 4×50 FREESTYLE RELAY – PRELIMS

• 2014 World Champion – Russia, 1:22.60
• World Record – Russia, 1:22.60, 2014
• Championship Record – Russia, 1:22.60, 2014

Top 8:

1. USA, 1:25.01
2. RUS, 1:25.33
3. JPN, 1:25.51
4. NED 1:26.20
5. RSA, 1:26.20
6. BLR, 1:27.02
7. FRA, 1:27.43
8. CHN, 1:27.69

Speed was the name of the game in this race, as each nation’s squad of four fired off wave after wave of spinning arms in Windsor this morning, trying to claim solid lane placement for tonight’s final. Team USA claimed the top seed this morning in their time of 1:25.01, powered by teammates Dillon Virva, Michael Chadwick, Michael Andrew and Paul Powers. Chadwick in particular scorched the pool with another incredible split, throwing down a 20.81 leg to score one of only three sub-21-second outings of the entire field. Virva led off with 21.55, then Andrew registered a 21.51 with Powers finishing USA off with a super quick 21.14 anchor.

Russia will be right behind the Americans tonight, positioned as the 2nd seed in a time of 1:25.33. Final leg swimmer Aleksandr Popov was the another athlete in the field to check-in with a sub-21-second split, touching in 20.96 to boost his nation into medal contention. The 3rd swimmer delving into 20-point territory was Dutchman Jesse Puts, the Netherlands’ national record holder in the individual 50m freestyle event. This morning he clocked a 20.99 split in his 2nd leg, helping them secure the 3rd seed.

Of note, Japan also put together a successful prelim relay, as the squad of Kosuke Matsui (21.61), Kenta Ito (21.02), Shinri Shioura (21.49) and Junya Koga (21.39) shredded their nation’s record with their morning performance time of 1:25.51. The previous record stood at 1:27.98 from 2011 and even 2014 saw just a time of 1:28.45, with just two 21-high splits, which rendered Japan 6th in Doha. The fact they are in the mix for a medal here in Windsor, with all 4 men registering sub-22-second legs is a testament to how far Japanese sprinting has come.

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• 2014 World Champion – Etiene Medeiros (BRA), 24.67
• World Record – Etiene Medeiros (BRA), 24.67, 2014
• Championship Record – Etiene Medeiros (BRA), 24.67, 2014

Top 8 (of 16):

1. DeLoof (USA), 26.25
2. Seebohm (AUS), 26.43
3. Medeiros (BRA), 26.48
4. Masse (CAN), 26.57
5. Zevina (UKR), 26.63
6. Toussaint (NED), 26.63
7. Hosszu (HUN), 26.70
8. Davis (GBR), 26.74

Former Michigan Wolverine Ali DeLoof continues to exert her dominance in the sprint backstroke events here in Windsor. After scorching a new American Record of 26.12 as lead-off on Team USA’s world record-setting 4×50 medley relay earlier in the meet, DeLoof claimed the stop seed in this individual race, touching in 26.25. Even that mark checks in as a top-5 American performance of all time.

Ever-present Aussie Emily Seebohm can’t be counted out of any backstroke race, including this splash n’ dash where she scored the 2nd seed behind DeLoof. Seebohm fell just short of an individual medal in the 100m backstroke, so the double world champion will be hungry to land herself on the podium in this event.

A Canadian and a Dutch woman round out the top 8 in Kylie Masse and Kira Toussaint clocked times of 26.57 and 26.63, respectively. Both women improved upon their entry times and Masse especially will use the home crowd noise to her advantage to try to move on tonight. But, all eyes will be on Brazilian Etiene Medeiros, the current world record holder and defending short course world title holder. She’s comfortably into the semi-final with her 26.48 3rd seed, but look for her to take things up a notch during the next round.

MEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• 2014 World Champion – Chad Le Clos (RSA), 21.95
• World Record – Steffen Deibler (GER), 21.80, 2009
• Championship Record – Chad Le Clos (RSA), 21.95, 2014

Top 8 (of 16):

1. Santos (BRA), 22.53
2. Kawamoto (JPN), 22.62
3. Popkov (RUS), 22.68
4. Morgan (AUS), 22.69
5. Subirats (VEN), 22.75
6. Barrett (GBR), 22.76
7. Shields (USA), 22.79
8. Le Clos (RSA), 22.84

The WFCU Centre pool took a pounding from 13 heats of men blasting off two laps of butterfly, hoping to move on to the next round of the race tonight. Two older competitors made it within the top 8 of 16 semi-finalists, with 36-year-old Nicholas Santos of Brazil and 30-year-old Albert Subirats of Venezuela stopping the clock in times of 22.53 and 22.75, respectively to move on closer to a potential medal. Santos fired off a crazy 21.93 split in last night’s bronze medal-winning mixed medley relay for Brazil, which set the tone for this morning’s speedy swim.

Last night’s 100m butterfly conquerors Chad Le Clos and Tom Shields both made it easily into tonight’s semi-final for this shorter distance, sitting as the respective 7th and 8th seeds. Le Clos is the defending world title holder in this race, having earned a championship record back in 2014 with his monster 21.95.

Aussie bronze medalist in the 100m butterfly David Morgan is also ready to rock with a 4th seeded tie of 22.69. Sleeping in the 13th spot is Ukraine’s Andrii Govorov with a time of 23.07. He was 2014’s bronze medalist in this race with a solid 22.49.

Notable no-shows include France’s Mehdy Metella, Netherlands’ Jesse Puts, and Australia’s Tommaso D’Orsogna.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• 2014 World Champion – Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 3:55.76
• World Record – Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 3:54.52, 2013
• Championship Record – Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 3:55.76, 2014

Top 8:

1. Smith (USA), 4:00.47
2. Popova (RUS), 4:01.11
3. Igarishi (JPN), 4:02.23
4. Hosszu (HUN), 4:02.38
5. Titmus (AU), 4:03.54
6. Van Rouwendaal (NED), 4:04.07
7. Zhang (CHN), 4:04.49
8. Takano (JPN), 4:04.89

American Leah Smith led the pack this morning, establishing herself as the swimmer to beat with a time of 4:00.47. That mark is Smith’s 2nd fastest of her career, with her personal best resting at the 3:59.24 she threw down at last year’s Duel in the Pool. Smith’s partner-in-crime from last night’s 1-2 finish in the women’s 800m freestyle for the stars n’ stripes finished just out of tonight’s 400m final, however. Ashley Twichell touched in a time of 4:05.27, which wound up 9th and out of the final.

Japanese record holder Chihiro Igarishi is positioned for a possible medal, registering the 3rd fastest time of the morning in 4:02.23. She’s been as fast as 3:59.59 in this event, a mark which earned her a 4th place finish at the 2014 Short Course World Championships. Silver medalist in 2014’s race was Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands, the swimmer who won gold in Rio in open water. In 2014, van Rouwendaal garnered 2nd place in 3:57.76, so she’ll need to drop around 6+ seconds from her 4:04.07 prelims swim to get in that ballpark.

Possibly ready to make a move tonight is Russia’s Veronika Popova, the 25-year-old who just earned a new Russian national record in this race in November. Today, Popova was 4:01.11, good enough for the 2nd seed after earning a 4:00.65 at the Russian National Championships.

Of note, although listed on this morning’s heat sheets, defending gold medalist and world record holder Mireia Belmonte 0f Spain did not show up for this morning’s 400m freestyle prelim.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• 2014 World Champion – Alia Atkinson (JAM), 1:02.36
• World Record – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU)/Alia Atkinson (JAM), 1:02.36
• Championship Record – Alia Atkinson (JAM), 1:02.36, 2014

Top 8 (of 16):

1. King (USA), 1:04.05
2. Laukkanen (FIN), 1:04.76
3. Atkinson (JAM), 1:05.27
4. Renshaw (GBR), 1:05.44
5. Hannis (USA), 1:05.52
6. Teramura (JPN), 1:05.61
7. Kansakoski (FIN), 1:05.67
8. Tutton (GBR), 1:05.76

Lilly King struck first in the women’s 100m breaststroke, putting the field on notice with only 1 of 2 sub-1:05 times this morning. Her time of 1:04.05 was a solid outing, one that now checks in as the 4th fastest performance every by an American. The NCAA champion, American record holder and 2016 Olympic gold medalist is a favorite to win this race. The Indiana Hoosier has already won 3 golds at this meet.

She’ll be joined by teammate Molly Hannis, as there are also two British swimmers who made the top 8 of 16. Molly Renshaw and Chloe Tutton have proved a powerful 1-2 punch when it comes to breaststroking across the pond and Renshaw holds her nation’s record in this 100m breaststroke event in 1:05.22. She was only .22 of a second off of that mark already with potentially two more rounds of competition ahead.

Sitting as the 2nd seed is Finland’s Jenna Laukkanen, who is not to be ignored. The 21-year-old fired off a personal best of 1:04.56 at last year’s European Short Course Championships in Netanya, Israel. That time was swift enough to garner gold and score a new Finnish national record in the event.

All competitors will need to hold off Jamaican Alia Atkinson, who scored the 3rd seed this morning in 1:05.27. Although that’s off her personal best and current co-world record of 1:02.36, the performance looked smooth and controlled with easy speed securing her spot in the semi-final.

MEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – PRELIMS

• 2014 World Champion – Team USA, 6:51.68
• World Record – Russia, 6:49.04, 2010
• Championship Record – Russia, 6:49.04, 2010

Top 8:

1. USA, 6:53.91
2. AUS, 6:54.72
3. DEN, 6:54.88
4. JPN, 6:57.49
5. RUS, 6:57.74
6. CHN, 6:58.03
7. NED, 6:58.55
8. GBR, 7:01.03

The USA squad took the top seed this morning in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, with Blake Pieroni notching the entire field’s fastest opening 200m. He touched in 1:43.37, a time which would have rendered the Hoosier a 7th place finish in the individual event final. Fellow Olympian Jacob Pebley kept the Americans going with a 2nd leg time of 1:43.89, while Georgia’s Pace Clark held on with a mark of 1:44.05. 400m freestyle finalist here in Windsor, Zane Grothe, closed the stars n’ stripes out in a scorching 1:42.60, one of only four such sub-1:43-second splits of the entire field.

Australia’s mix of veterans and youngsters managed to finish with the 2nd fastest time of the morning, stopping the clock at 6:54.72, just .16 ahead of Denmark’s 6:54.88. Each squad also notched a 1:42-second split with Aussie comeback kid Dan Smith scoring 1:42.97 and Michigan alum Anders Nielsen earning a 1:42.64 for his efforts.

Belgium didn’t make it back (7:02.34, 9th), but 2016 Olympic silver medalist Pieter Timmers got his job done. The freestyle specialist earned a split of 1:42.51, the fastest of the entire field.