Sjoestroem Collects Three Wins On The First Night In Moscow

Women’s 100 breaststroke

Lithuanian superstar Ruta Meilutyte once again showed that she is the best 100 breaststroker to have ever hit the pool winning the women’s 100 breaststroke in a new world record time of 1:02.36 breaking American Rebecca Soni’s 2009 record of 1:02.70. In Barcelona Meilutyte set both the 50 and 100 breaststroke long course world records in the semi-final of each event.

Meilutyte – 29.56/32.80 – 1:02.36

Soni – 30.08/32.62 – 1:02.70

Meilutyte improved on her 2012 Short Course World Championships winning time of 1:03.52 by over a second. Her improvement in the event over the last three years has been astonishing.

• October 2011 – 1:08.32
• December 2012 – 1:03.52
• October 2013 – 1:02.70

This was one of the most anticipated races of the event which saw Meilutyte and Russian Yuliya Efimova continue their intense

Ruta Meilutyte (Photo Credit: Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)

rivalry. In this race though Efimova was not challenge to the Lithuanian teenager who jumped out to a lead of over half a second at the halfway point and never looked back.

Efimova finished second in a time of 1:03.53 followed by Alia Atkinson of Jamaica who finished third in a time of 1:04.64.

Women’s 800 freestyle

Unlike the incredible starts that we saw at the World Cup competitions in Eindhoven and Berlin earlier in the year, where swimmers were extended their preparation and performances after the World Championships in Barcelona, the event in Moscow started off with some very average swimming. Spanish world record holder Mireia Belmonte and Hungarian superstar Katinka Hosszu battled for the lead in the 800 freestyle up until the 700 meter mark where Belmonte finished the final 100 meters in a time of 1:00.24 compared to Hosszu who swam the same distance in a time of 1:02.16.

Belmonte won the event in a time of 8:19.55, 20.55 off her world record of 7:59.34. Hosszu finished second in a time of 8:22.17 followed by Sarah Kohler of Germany who touched in a time of 8:25.52.

Men’s 400 IM

Hungarian David Verraszto won the men’s 400 IM handily taking the event in a time of 4:06.92. He was followed by two Russians Dmitry Gorbunov who finished in a time of 4:10.28 and Alexander Tikhonov who posted a time of 4:10.49.

Men’s 100 freestyle

The men’s 100 freestyle played out the way that many have when Vlad Morozov is involved. The Russian jumped out to a earlier lead swimming the first 50 in a time of 21.84 more than half a second ahead of 2012 World Cup champion Kenneth To from Australia. Morozov continued to extend his lead in the final 50 meters winning the event in a time of 45.68 followed by To who posted a time of 46.87.

This is an extremely good start to the 2013 season for Morozov who was only 16 one-hundredths off his lifetime best that he recorded leading off the Russian relay at the World Short Course Championships in Istanbul. Today performance was only four one-hundredths of a second away from his winning time at the same meet.

Konrad Czerniak of Poland finished third in a time of 47.34.

Women’s 200 freestyle

The women’s 200 freestyle saw three World Championship medalists go head to head for the victory in the event. Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjoestroem, who won the 100 butterfly in Barcelona lead the race from start to finish posting a winning time of 1:53.76. Swimming her second event of the evening Katinka Hosszu had to come back from the fourth place position at the 100 meter mark to overtake Melanie Costa Schmid of Spain and Russian swimmer Veronika Popova in the final half of the race to finish second in a time of 1:54.76.

Costa Schmid who finished second in the 400 meter freestyle at the world championships finished third in a time of 1:54.28.

Men’s 50 Breaststroke

Roland Schoeman (Tim Binning)

In his first of two events of the evening South African Roland Schoeman dominated the men’s 50 breaststroke winning in a time of 25.83 over a second ahead of the rest of the field. In a very impressive early season swim Schoeman was only 18 one-hundredths of a second off his lifetime best of 25.65 which he posted at the World Cup in Berlin.

Croatian Sasa Gerbec finished second in a time of 27.09 followed by Russian Kirill Strelnikov who touched in a time of 27.20.

Women’s 100 butterfly

100 butterfly World Champion Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden won her second event of the evening taking the 100 butterfly in a time of 57.04. It was not an easy win for the Swede as she was pushed by Li Tao of Singapore who was within one one-hundredth of a second of Sjoestroem at the 50 meter mark.

Li faded in the second 50, but managed to hold off the fast charging Katinka Hosszu, who once again had to make up significant ground in the last half of a race after turning sixth at the 50 wall.

Li finished second in a time of 57.65 followed by Hosszu who finished third touching in a time of 57.67.

Men’s 100 backstroke

Australian Robert Hurley won the event in a time of 50.32 posting a time that is not far off his Australian national record of 50.01 which he set at the World Cup in Berlin in August. Hurley was joined on the medal podium by fellow Australian Ashley Delaney who finished second in a time of 51.13.

Radoslaw Kawecki of Poland finished third in a time of 51.28.

Women’s 50 backstroke

Ukrainian Daryna Zevina won the women’s 50 backstroke in a time of 27.12. Zevina defeated Katinka Hosszu, who try as she might has not reached the top of the medal podium in her first fourth event of the evening. Hosszu finished second in a time of 27.46 followed by Russian Alexandra Papusha who finished third posting a time of 27.63.

Men’s 200 butterfly

South African Chad le Clos added to his World Cup point lead by winning the men’s 200 butterfly in a time of 1:49.83. Earlier in the week Graham Hill, South Africa’s National Team Coach stated that he felt if le Clos was going to win the World Cup title that he would have to continue to break world records, even though the Olympic Champion missed his own record in the event he wasn’t too far off:

Moscow – 25.16/53.78 (28.62)/1:22.29 (28.51)/1:49.83 (27.54)

World Record (Berlin) – 24.88/53.45 (28.67)/1:21.31 (27.86)/1:49.04 (27.73)

American Tom Shields finished second in a time of 1:51.98 followed by Pawel Korzeniowski of Poland who recorded a time of 1:52.06.

Women’s 200 IM

The fifth time is a charm, at least it was for Katinka Hosszu this evening. After finishing second in the 800 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 50 backstroke as well as collecting a bronze in the 100 butterfly Hosszu finally stood on top of the medal podium winning

Katinka Hosszu (Photo: UAE Swimming)

gold in the women’s 200 IM recording a time of 2:06.86.

British swimmer Sophie Allen finished second in a time of 2:08.29 followed by Theresa Michalak of Germany who posted a time of 2:09.74.

Men’s 400 Freestyle

Myles Brown became the third South African man to take home a victory on the evening winning the men’s 400 freestyle in a time of 3:41.79. Australian Robert Hurley collected his second silver medal of the evening finishing in a time of 3:43.89 followed by Brazilian Lucas da Cruz Kanieski who touched in a time of 3:44.75.

Women’s 50 freestyle

Make it three for three for Sarah Sjoestrom of Sweden. Sjoestroem swam and won her third event of the evening taking the women’s 50 freestyle in a time of 24.20. Dorothea Brandt of Germany finished second in a time of 24.38 followed by Rozaliya Nasretdinova of Russian who finished third in a time of 24.42.

Men’s 200 breaststroke

Russian Viatcheslav Sinkevich won the men’s 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:05.61. Sinkevich finished third at the World Short Course Championships in Istanbul behind Michael Jamieson of Britain who the Russian was able to beat out for the win in Moscow. Jamieson the Olympic silver medalist in the event finished second in a time 0f 2:06.90 followed by Russian Oleg Kostin who touched in a time of 2:07.32.

Men’s 100 IM

Vlad Morozov and Kenneth To finished in the top two spots in the same event for the second time this evening. Earlier in the night Morozov beat out To to win the 100 freestyle and did the same to take the 100 IM in a time of 51.61. To was able to make this

Vlad Morozov (Photo Credit Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)

a much closer race finishing only 22 one-hundredths of a second behind the Russian touching in a time of 51.83.

George Bovell III of Trinidad and Tobago, who finished second to To in the 2012 World Cup standings, took third in a time of 52.88.

Women’s 200 backstroke

Ukrainian Daryna Zevina joined Sarah Sjoestroem and Vlad Morozov as the third athlete to earn multiple golds on the evening. Zevina did not just win the 200 backstroke, she dominated the event finishing two and a half seconds ahead of Japanese swimmer Sayaka Akase winning the event in a time of 2:02.95. Akase finished second who touching in a time of 2:05.69.

In her sixth event of the evening a fatigued Katinka Hosszu finished third posting a time of 2:07.21.

Men’s 50 butterfly

In the final individual event of the evening South African Roland Schoeman beat out his fellow countryman Chad le Clos for the win in the men’s 50 butterfly. Schoeman finished as the fourth athlete to win multiple events taking the 50 butterfly in a time of 22.36. le Clos, who was also looking for his second gold of the evening finished second in a time of 22.55.

German Steffen Deibler finished third in a time of 22.86.

Mixed 4 x 50 medley relay

This was the first time that the mixed 4 x 50 medley relay was swum at an international event since it has been approved for official global-standard status. The world record of 1:49.87 for the event was set by an American team in late September once the event gained its’ new status.

In the final in Moscow the top five teams were all under the world record. The Russian team comprised of Sergey Makov (23.98), Andrey Grechin (26.90), Daria Tcvetkova (25.97) and Ekaterina Borovikova (24.85) set a new world record winning the event in a time of 1:41.70.

A second Russian team was next finishing in a time of 1:43.16 followed by a team from Japan that finished third in a time of 1:43.36.

A full list of results can be found here