2018 SC Worlds: Day 6 Prelims Live Recap

2018 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, December 11th – Sunday, December 16th
• Hangzhou, China
• Tennis Centre, Hangzhou Olympic & International Expo Center
• SCM (25m)
• Prelims: 9:30 am local, 8:30 pm ET / Finals: 7:00 pm* local, 6:00* am ET
• *The final night of finals will be one hour earlier, starting at 6:00 pm local and 5:00 am ET
• Live Results (Omega)

With today being the final day of the 2018 FINA Short Course World Championships, we have a pretty light prelims schedule. The only two individual events will be the men’s 200 back and the women’s 20 breast, but there will be three relays: women’s 4×50 free, men’s 4×100 medley, and women’s 4×100 medley.

Check out the relay lineups here, and our prelims preview here, and refresh this page for live updates throughout the session.

Women’s 4×50 Free Relay – Prelims

• WR: 1:33,91, Netherlands, 2017
• CR: 1:34.24, Netherlands, 2014
• WJR: 1:40.59 (Best Time)

1. Netherlands, 1:36.33
2. USA, 1:36.65
3. Australia, 1:37.87
4. Russia, 1:38.26
5. Japan, 1:38.47
6. China, 1:38.73
7. Czech Republic, 1:39.04
8. Germany, 1:39.43

The Netherlands put up the fastest time of the morning while winning the second heat, with Femke Heemskerk‘s 23.93 leadoff leg, the fastest in the field, providing the decisive advantage over the USA. The Dutch women will undoubtedly get a boost tonight by the addition of Ranomi Kromowidjojo.

Olivia Smoliga (23.99) and Erika Brown (23.77) both gave the US women sub-24 relay splits, as the Americans finished just three-tenths behind, clocking in at 1:37.87. The Americans still have Mallory Comerford and Mallory Comerford, both of whom will be swimming in the final fo the 50 free, to add into the relay tonight, setting up a great battle between the Netherlands and the United States for gold.

Australia got a 23.97 leadoff by Holly Barrett, the only other sub-24 leg, from a flat start or a flying start in the field, as the Aussies were the only other team under 1:38.

Men’s 200 Back – Prelims

• WR: 1:45.63, Mitch Larkin (AUS), 2015
• CR: 1:46.68, Ryan Lochte (USA), 2010
• WJR: 1:48.02, Kilment Kolesnikov RUS), 2017

1. Ryan Murphy (USA), 1:49.26
2. Mitch Larkin (AUS), 1:49.55
3. Radoslaw Kawecki (POL), 1:50.05
4. Evgeny Rylov (RUS), 1:50.11
5. Christian Diener (GER), 1:50.31
6. Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:40.51
7. Xu Jiayu (CHN), 1:50.65
8. Jacob Pebley (USA), 1:50.80

Fans should be in for a treat tonight, as all of the big names made it through to tonight’s final.

Evgeny Rylov, who’s been having a great meet while demonstrating an outstanding range, had the fastest time in the first two heats with a 1:50.11.

Most of the biggest names were swimming in heat 3. Christian Diener was the early leader, with Ryosuke Irie and Xu Jiayu behind him. But 2016 Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy moved up on the 3rd 50, then pulled ahead winning the heat by over a second. All four of those men, plus Jacob Pebley, made it through to the final.

The final heat featured world record holder Mitch Larkin, who won the heat by a half second over Radoslaw Kawecki, who has won the last three titles in this event.

Women’s 200 Breast – Prelims

• WR: 2:14.57, Rebecca Soni (USA), 2009
• CR: 2:16.08, Rikkie Pedersen (DEN), 2012
• WJR: 2:18.90 (Best Time)

1. Annie Lazor (USA), 2:18.99
2. Fanny Lecluyse (BEL), 2:20.31
3. Mariia Temnikova (RUS), 2:20.38
4. Bethany Galat (USA), 2:20.58
5. Yu Jingyao (CHN), 2:20.66
6. Ye Shiwen (CHN), 2:20.73
7. Jessica Vall (ESP), 2:21.12
8. Marina Garcia (ESP), 2:21.22

The USA’s Annie Lazor threw down the fastest time of the morning by over a second while swimming the 2nd heat.

It was quite tight across the five finishers that followed Lazor, with only 0.41s separating 2nd from 6th. Leading that group was Fanny Lecluyse, who will be the only woman to return from the 2016 final.

The USA, China, and Spain will each have two women in the final.

Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay – Prelims

• WR: 3:19.16, Russia, 2009
• CR: 3:20.99, USA, 2010
• WJR: 3:28.05

1. United States, 3:23.22
2. Brazil, 3:23.86
3. Germany, 3:24.72
4. Belarus, 3:25.09
5. Russia, 3:25.17
6. Lithuania, 3:25.31
7. Japan, 3:25.34
8. Australia, 3:25.74

Germany out dueled Belarus in the first heat, with a 48.67 fly leg by Marius Kusch, the fastest of the morning, proving the difference after Belarus got a blistering 56.12 breast split by Ilya Shymanovich.

In the second heat it was the USA and Brazil pushing each other in lanes 6 and 7. Matt Grevers gave the US an early lead, but Diego Prado out split Michael Andrew 57.11 to 57.70. Jack Conger put the USA back in the lead on fly, and Blake Pieroni brought things home for a 3:23.22 time for USA, the best of the morning.

Russia finished 5th with at time of 3:25.17, but, like the USA and other teams, their lineup should look totally different tonight.

China drew a disqualification, apparently due to an early takeoff by Li Zhuhao on the butterfly leg.

Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay – Prelims

• WR: 3:45.20, USA, 2015
• CR: 3:47.89, USA, 2016
• WJR: 3:49.16 (Best Time)

1. USA, 3:50.73
2. China, 3:51.58
3. Australia, 3:53.09
4. Italy, 3:53.89
5. Japan, 3:55.08
6. Russia, 3:55.11
7. Germany, 3:57.30
8. Canada, 3:57.47

The USA quartet of Kathleen Baker, Melanie Margalis, Kendyl Stewart, and Lia Neal put down four splits that were either the fastest, or very close to it, in their respective strokes. Margalis, who is more of a 200 swimmer, and who was only swimming because of the sudden departure of Molly Hannis, had the only sub-1:05 split in the field. The Americans’ time of 3:50.73 would’ve finished 5th at the 2016 world championships, but they’ll bring in a whole new lineup for tonight.

China’s splits were almost identical to the USA’s, with the only major difference being Fu Yuanhi‘s 57.71 leadoff split putting China three-quarters of a second behind the USA early on. China may have a couple of swaps to make on the back half of the relay, but they may not offer a substantial improvement over what they had this morning.