Efimova Takes Down Hardy’s 50 Breaststroke World Record

Russian Yulia Efimova had an incredible summer in Barcelona winning the 50 and 200 breaststroke at the World Championships and now she has made it a fantastic fall breaking Jessica Hardy’s 50 breaststroke World Record. Efimova was able to out swim Jamaican Alia Atkinson to win the event in a time of 28.71 beating the 28.80 that Hardy posted in 2009.

Coming into the 2013 season Efimova’s lifetime best in the event was a 29.99 and has steadily dropped that time over the last month:

• 29.27 – Moscow
• 29.27 – Dubai
• 29.22 – Doha
• 28.71 – Tokyo

Atkinson finished second in a time of 29.06 followed by Dorothea Brandt of Germany who finished third in a time of 30.16.

Men’s 1500 freestyle

After becoming the first Japanese swimmer at the Tokyo World Cup to collect a gold, winning the 100 IM on the first evening, crowd favourite Kousuke Hagino returned to the pool this evening to win his second event of the competition taking the 1500

Kosuke Hagino (Photo Credit Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)

freestyle in a time of 14:32.88.

Hagino set a new Japanese national record breaking Takeshi Matsuda‘s 2006 mark of 14:39.06.

Hagino led for the majority of the race being challenged by Hungarian Gergely Gyurta in the first 1200 meters, but separated Hagino separated himself from all his competitors in the final 300 meters of the race. Tunisian Ous Mellouli was able to catch Gyurta in the final 200 meters to finish second in a time of 14:38.09 while Gyurta finished third in a tiem of 14:39.06.

Women’s 400 IM

Hungarian Katinka Hosszu picked up her first gold of the evening in her first event winning the women’s 400 IM in a time of 4:25.97. Hosszu took control of the race from start to finish leading after the butterfly by almost two full seconds, winning the event in a time of 4:25.97.

Mireia Belmonte collected her second silver of the competition, after finishing second in the 800 freestyle in day one, touching in a time of 4:26.92 followed by Miyu Ohtsuka of Japan who finished third in a time of 4:29.53.

Women’s 100 freestyle

Last night in Tokyo the Aussies stool the show and Cate Campbell was a big part of that winning the 50 freestyle in a time of 23.47, a time that currently ranks second in the world to Ranomi Kromowidjojo‘s world record time. Tonight Campbell started

Cate Campbell (Photo Credit: Victor Puig)

off the night in much the same manner winning the women’s 100 freestyle in a time of 51.31, which is the second ranked time in the world just behind Kromowidjojo who put up a 51.28 earlier this year.

The time is a lifetime best for Campbell who put up a 51.67 in Singapore.

Fellow Australian Emma McKeon finished second posting a time of 51.69 followed by Sarah Sjostrom who finished third in a time of 52.25.

Men’s 200 freestyle

The Aussies continued to add to their medal haul with Thomas Fraser-Holmes winning his second gold of the competition taking the men’s 200 freestyle in a time of 1:42.56.

The race for second was a tight one with three men hitting the wall with only 31 one-hundredths of a second between them. Australian Robert Hurley finished second in a time of 1:43.12 followed by Pawel Korzeniowski of Poland who finished third in a time of 1:43.35.

While Myles Brown of South Africa finished just outside of the medals posting a time of 1:43.43.

Men’s 100 breaststroke 

World Champion Christian Sprenger of Australia collected gold in the men’s 100 breaststroke touching in a time of 57.14 which currently ranks third in the world.

The race for the silver was a great one as both Hungarian Daniel Gyurta and Yaushiro Koseki of Japan were able to overtake the fast starting Felipe Lima of Brazil by a very narrow margin. Gyurta finished second recording a 57.37 followed by Koseki who posted a 57.41 and Lima who touched in a time of 57.45.

Men’s 100 butterfly

South African Chad le Clos continued to add to his World Cup points standing lead by winning his fourth gold medal in Tokyo

Chad le Clos (photo credit: Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)

taking the men’s 100 butterfly in a time of 49.01. The time is a season’s best, but not quite fast enough beat the 48.80, the top time in the world, put up by American Tom Shields in Doha.

Shields finished second in a time of 49.49 while Kouhei Kawamoto of Japan finished third in a time of 50.03.

Women’s 100 backstroke

Daryna Zevina of the Ukraine took the women’s 100 backstroke in a season’s best time of 56.87, winning her second gold of the competition. She was followed by Australian Emily Seebohm who posted a time of 57.09 and Elizabeth Simmonds of Great Britain who touched in a time of 57.20.

Katinka Hosszu was kept off the medal podium finishing fourth in a time of 57.33.

Men’s 50 backstroke

American Eugene Godsoe was able to out do Australian Robert Hurley in a sprint backstroke event for the second evening in a row. Godsoe took the event in a time of 23.07 which is the second fastest time swum in the world this year next to Frenchman Jeremy Stravius who has posted a 22.99.

Hurley won his second silver medal of the evening touching in a time of 23.23 followed by Guilherme Guido of Brazil who recorded a 23.31.

Women’s 200 butterfly

The women’s 200 butterfly was an incredible race with the top four women being separated by 23 one-hundredths of a second at the 100 and less then a second between them at the conclusion of the race. After the halfway point Katinka Hosszu and Yai Watanabe of Japan separated themselves from German Franziska Hentke and Mireia Belmonte by a small margin, but it was Hosszu who had the strongest final 50 meters in the field winning her second gold of the evening touching in a time of 2:04.03.

Watanabe finished second in a time of 2:04.67 followed by Hentke who finished third recording a time of 2:04.97 and Belmonte who just missed winning her second medal of the evening touching fourth in a time of 2:05.01.

Men’s 200 IM

Kousuke Hagino not only won his second event of the evening, but he also set both a World Cup and Japanese National record taking the 200 IM in a time of 1:51.50. Hagino broke the World Cup record of 1:51.55 set by South African Darian Townsend in 2009 and the Japanese record of 1:52.48 set by Daiya Seto in 2012.

Chad le Clos suffered his first loss of the competition touching second in a time of 1:52.31 followed by Shun Wang of China who finished third in a time of 1:52.82.

Women’s 400 freestyle

Lauren Boyle of New Zealand won her second event of the competition, taking the 800 freestyle on the first evening and the 400

Lauren Boyle (Photo Credit: Victor Puig)

freestyle tonight. In a race between the top three ranked swimmers in the world Boyle took the gold in a time of 3:57.68, Melani Costa of Spain finished second in a time of 4:01.63 one one-hundredths of a second over her Spanish teammate and world record hold Mireia Belmonte who hit the wall in a time of 4:01.64.

Men’s 50 freestyle

Another sprint freestyle race, another win for Russian Vlad Morozov. Morozov took the men’s 50 freestyle in a time of 20.72 he was followed by American Anthony Ervin who touched second in a time of 21.10.

George Bovell III of Trinidad and Tobago finished third in a time of 21.10.

Women’s 200 breaststroke

Russian Yulia Efimova took her second event of the evening winning the 200 breaststroke in a lifetime best time of 2:17.37. Efimova posted her previous lifetime best of 2:18.33 in Singapore.

She was followed by two Japanese swimmers Mio Motegi who finished second in a time of 2:19.29 and Maya Hamano who finished third recording a 2:21.30.

Women’s 100 IM

Australian Alica Coutts and Katinka Hosszu both challenged Hosszu’s 100 IM world record. Coutts took the first 50 meters out just over half a second ahead of Hosszu who made up the difference in the second half of the race and when it was all said and done the two women tied posting times of 57.53 which is only eight one-hundredths of a second away from Hosszu’s world record of 57.45.

Coutts may not have gotten the world record, but she broke her own Commonwealth and Australian records of 57.71, which she recorded in August.

Alia Atkinson finished third in a time of 58.28.

Men’s 200 backstroke

Masaki Kaneko of Japan took the men’s 200 backstroke in a time of 1:49.76 just missing the Japanese national record of 1:49.69 set by Yuki Shirai in 2012. Kaneko trailed Australian Mitch Larkin by almost a second and a half at the halfway point, but was able to overtake Larkin in the final 50 meters.

Larkin finished second in a time of 1:49.89 followed by the Japanese national record holder Shirai who touched in a time of 1:50.32.

Women’s 50 butterfly

Sarah Sjostrom took the final individual event of the evening winning the 50 butterfly in a season’s best time of 24.91, just missing Jeanette Ottesen’s top ranked time of 24.87.

Yuka Katou of Japan finished second in a time of 25.34 breaking her own national record of 25.62 which she set in 2010.

Inge Dekker of the Netherlands finished third in a time of 25.43.

Mixed 4 x 50 freestyle relay

For the second time today an Australian quartet broke the world record in the mixed 4 x 50 freestyle relay.

Prelims

Tomaso D’Orsogna (21.62)/ Regan Leong (21.98)/ Bronte Campbell (24.03)/ Cate Campbell (23.50) – 1:31.13

Finals

Tomaso D’Orsogna (21.48)/ Travis Mahoney (21.59)/ Cate Campbell (23.10)/ Bronte Campbell (23.44) – 1:29.61

They were followed by the Brazilian team that also posted a time under the previous world record finishing second in a time of 1:30.41. A second Australian team finished third in a time of 1:33.25.