Willmott Moves To 2nd In World, Guy Wins Two At Flanders Speedo Cup

2016 FLANDERS SPEEDO CUP – ANTWERP

• Dates: Saturday, January 23rd-Sunday, January 24th
• Prelims 8:30 am (2:30 am EST/11:30 pm PST); Finals – Saturday – 4:00 pm (10:00 am EST/7:00 am PST) – Sunday – 3:00 pm (9:00 am EST/6:00 am PST)
• Program
• Saturday Heat Sheet
• Live Results
• Event Page

The Flanders Speedo Cup today in Antwerp, Belgium saw big swims from international talent. The Brits saw huge success, including wins Holly Hibbott, Fran Halsall, Andrew Willis, Amelia Clines, Georgia Davies and Aimee Willmott, who posted the second-fastest time in the world this season in the 400 IM. Great Britain’s James Guy was the only double-event winner with golds in the 200 and 400 free.

Women 800 Free

Great Britain’s Holly Hibbott, this year’s bronze medalist in this event at FINA World Junior Championships, took a huge in the 800 free with 8:36.09, nearly nine seconds ahead of the field. Eleanor Faulkner, another British swimmer, came in second with 8:44.67, followed by Portugal’s Tamila Holub in 8:46.89.

Men 200 Free

Reigning world champion in this event James Guy of Great Britain took the win in the 200 free with 1:46.91. That swim was just .3 off his season-best, a 1:46.60 from the FINA World Cup in Dubai, the third-fastest time in the world this season.

Belgium’s 2012 Olympian Dieter Dekoninck posted a 1:48.90 for second, followed by Great Britain’s Nicholas Grainger, who finished in 1:49.50.

Women 50 Fly

British sprinter and two-time Olympian Francesca Halsall tied the third-fastest time in the world this season with 26.06 in the 50 fly. This swim brings her even with Dutch swimmer Inge Dekker, and only China’s Ying Lu and Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen stand ahead of her in the non-Olympic event.

Halsall’s British teammate Rachael Kelly also edges her way into the world rankings with her second-place swim; her 26.50 is makes her the 17th-fastest swimmer in the world this season. Kristel Vourna of Greece moves to 24th with a third-place 26.79.

Men 100 Fly

Lithuania’s Deividas Margevicius took the win in the 100 fly with 53.12. British duo Adam Barrett and Braxston Timm grabbed the silver and bronze with 53.47 and 53.87, respectively.

Women 200 Back

Great Britain’s Rosie Rudin, last season’s junior world champion in the 400 IM, won the 200 back by nearly two seconds with 2:12.91. Her British teammate Britanny Horton came in second with 2:14.73, followed by Anna Newlands, another British swimmer, in 2:15.58.

Men 200 Breast

The 200 breast was a close race between Commonwealth bronze medalist in this event Andrew Willis of Great Britain, European Games bronze-medalist in this event Luke Davies of Great Britain, European Small Nation Games gold-medalist Laurent Carnol of Luxembourg, and 50 breast junior world champion Andrius Sidlauskas of Lithuania. At the 100, Sidlausksas, true to his breaststroke sprinting roots, had the lead. But, the other three swimmers, led by Willis made huge comebacks on second half. Willis grabbed the gold with 2:14.13, followed by Carnol (2:14.51), Davies (2:14.74), and Sidlauskas (2:14.91).

Women 100 Breast

Great Britain’s Katie Matts, who finished third in the 50 breast at last year’s FINA World Junior Championships, took the win in the 100 breast, well ahead of the field in 1:08.88. Ana Rodrigues of Portugal came in second with 1:10.28, followed by Great Britain’s Imogen Clark, who swam the race in 1:10.96.

Men 200 IM

Belgian 2012 Olympian Emmanuel Vanluchene took the win in the men’s 200 IM in 2:02.13, after his fly and backstroke legs rocketed him ahead of the field. Tristan Slater of Great Britain tried to catch up in the second 100, but Vanluchene held him off, and Slater finished second in 2:03.47, followed by Aleksey Derlyugov of Uzbekistan (2:03.57).

Women 100 Free

Julie-Marie Meynen, Luxembourgish record-holder in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, and 200 IM, took the narrowest of victories over Halsall, clocking 55.18 to Halsall’s 55.19. Halsall’s British teammate Lauren Quigley took third with 55.89.

Men 400 Free

Guy took his second win of the night in the 400 free with 3:49.20. He is currently ranked second in the world in the event with a 3:46.76 from the FINA World Cup in Doha. The only swimmer ahead of him is Gabriele Detti, who posted a 3:46.46 at Italian nationals.

The event was dominated by British swimmers. Guy’s teammates Jay Lelliott and Max Litchfield came in second and third with 3:51.03 and 3:51.17.

Women 400 IM

Great Britain’s Aimee Wilmott had the swim of the day with a monstrous 4:34.82 in the 400 IM. That time is good for a second in the world this season ranking, just a second behind Katinka Hosszu.  This finish marks a big comeback for her; she finished 7th at World Championships last summer with a 4:38.75. After a swim like this in January, Wilmott will be a serious medal-contender in Rio.

Second place went to Uzbekistan’s Ranohom Amanova in 4:40.71, good for a 14th in the world ranking. Great Britain’s Georgia Coates came in third with 4:41.49.

Men 100 Back

Danas Rapsys, Lithuanian record-holder in the 200 back and 200 free, took a big win in the 100 back, posting a 54.31 to move up to 15th in the world rankings. Great Britain’s Liam Tancock came in well behind him with 55.95, followed by Israel’s Jonatan Kopelev in 56.01.

Women 200 Fly

The British women dominated the 200 fly, with Amelia Clynes taking the gold in 2:11.87. Hibbott had the lead at the 100 with a 1:03.86, but Clynes pulled out a speedy second 100 to take the win, while Hibbott fell back to second (2:11.93). Willmott pulled off a tough 400 IM/200 fly double, finishing third in 2:13.52.

Men 50 Free

Jasper Aerents of Belgium, this year’s 100 free champion at Scottish Short Course Nationals, took the win in the 50 free in 22.37. His countryman Glenn Surgeloose finished next, a fair bit behind in 22.98. Britain’s James Disney-May finished third in 23.04.

Women 50 Back

Previously-unranked Georgia Davies of Great Britain rocketed to 6th in the world rankings with a 28.07 in the 50 back.

Quigley took second with 28.53, followed by Ana Sofia Leite of Portugal, who finished in 29.56.

Men 50 Breast

Vladislav Mustafin of Uzbekistan clocked 27.83 to move up to 19th in the world rankings in the 50 breast. Lithuania’s Sidlauskas finished second with 28.35, followed by Charlie Attwood of Great Britain with 28.50.

Women 4 x 100 Free

Belgian club Brabo’s Jade Smits, Kimberly Buys, Wendy Van der Zanden, and Lotte Goris took the win in the 4 x 100 free relay with 3:49.64. Second went to Denmark in 3:51.22, followed by Portugal in 3:52.40.

Men 4 x 100 Medley

Portugal’s Gabriel Lopes, Nuno Quintanilha, Diogo Carvalho, and Alexandre Pereira took the win in the 4 x 100 medley, finishing in 3:46.41. Denmark finished second in 4:38.74, followed by Brabo in 3:53.28.