A quartet of Russian swimmers have crushed the Junior World Record in the 400 long course meter medley relay on Saturday at the 2015 European Games (which, for swimming, are the European Junior Championships).
The group of Filipp Shopin, Anton Chupkov, Daniil Pakhomov, and Vladislav Kozlov combined for a 3:36.38, which broke the record that was held by Russia already in 3:38.02 – a time done at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.
Chupkov and Shopin were both members of the old record-setting relay as well.
Splits:
- Shopin – 55.47
- Chupkov – 1:00.27
- Pakhomov – 51.55
- Kozlov – 49.09
The middle two splits of the relay are the true standouts. For Chupkov, this is his 2nd Junior World Record in the same day on Saturday – he also broke the individual 100 breaststroke standard earlier in the finals session.
Pakhomov is only 16 years old, and so will have the rest of this year and all of 2016 to chase the individual 100 fly Junior World Record of 51.91 – a time that he scared in the individual race earlier in the meet.
Chupkov and the anchor Kozlov are both 18 and thus in their final year as juniors; Shopin is just 17, but will be 18 at year’s end, meaning that he’s also at the end of this age bracket.
Li Zhuhao swam a 51.82 in the semi-final of the nationals this year. I think that’s the new junior record.
I forgot Makovich (400 IM), who also didnt really progress this year. In my opinion at the moment only Astashkina (200 breast), Ustinova (100/200 back) and Rylov (100/200 back) would be able to reach a final at olympic games/world championships. GB in my opinion has clearly less talents, but most of these talents (O’Connor: 100/200 free/100 fly/200 IM, Guy 200/400 free, Proud: 50 free, Quigley: 100 back, Peaty: 100/200 breast, Greenbank: 200 back, Taylor: 100 breast, Benson: 200 breast) are able to reach a final at olympic games/world championships.
Shopin was 0.5 faster at this meet already, i think with Shopin at his best and a good freestyler this record couldve been at least 1s faster. Pakhomov had a time of 52.7 in the 100 fly final only a couple of minutes earlier (and nearly lost the gold medal), therefore its pretty surprising that he had a time of 51.5 in the relay. Russia has great talents in pretty much every event except IM.
Mens 50/100 free: Sedov
Mens 1500 free: Maksumov (1998, 15.13.90)
Mens 100/200 breast: Chupkov (1997, 1.00.65, 2.10.85)
Mens 100/200 back: Rylov (1996, 53.17, 1.56.44)
Mens 100/200 fly: Pakhumov (1998, 52.13, 1.57.04)
Womens 50/100 free: Kameneva (1999, 25.01, 54.99)
Womens… Read more »
51.55 is crazy. And given the speed at which most swimmers improve in their mid-teens, could he be in with a shot at making Russia’s Olympic squad? Korotyshkin is getting on a bit now…
51.55 fly split for a 16 year old is bananas.