Blake Pieroni Narrowly Misses Ryan Lochte’s American Record in 200 Free on Last Night of FINA World Cup in Singapore

by Andy Ross

17 November 2018, 07:08am

Russia’s Vladimir Morozov and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom won the overall World Cup titles for 2018 as the FINA World Cup came to a close in Singapore on Saturday.

Men’s 400 IM

China’s Wang Shun started the day with a 3:59.99 to just dip under four minutes for a new Chinese Record in the event. Wang was not on the top 25 all-time list and he moved to 20th with that swim in Singapore.

Wang won comfortably ahead of Japan’s Hiromasa Fujimori (4:03.54) and Hungary’s David Verraszto (4:04.21).

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Women’s 800 Free

Femke Heemskerk won the 800 free in a weak field that did not include any of the previous World Cup winners in the event. Heemskerk swam an 8:33.00 to win ahead of Hong Kong’s Ho Nam Wai (8:35.38) and Cuba’s Elisbet Gamez (8:41.88).

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Women’s 100 Fly

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom won yet another World Cup title in the 100 fly with a 55.73 on the last stop in Singapore. Sjostrom has already indicated she is out of the World Short Course Championships in December, and with the cancellation of the Energy for Swim meet, will most likely not have another meet until 2019. Sjostrom was the overall World Cup winner for 2018.

South Africa’s Taylor Lovemore, also a former Florida State swimmer, finished second in 56.95, while China’s Lin Xintong (58.29) finished in third place.

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Men’s 50 Fly

Russia’s Vladimir Morozov, the overall World Cup winner in 2018, won the 50 fly on the last night of action from Singapore with a 22.17. That swim moved him up to seventh all-time in the 50 fly in a tie with France’s Fred Bousquet from 2009.

Michael Andrew broke the American Record in the 50 fly with his silver medal winning performance with a 22.32, moving him to 14th all-time in the event, just ahead of Spain’s Rafael Munoz and Russia’s Evgeny Korotyshkin (22.33). Andrew broke Tom Shields’s American Record of 22.38 from 2016.

Joseph Schooling won the bronze medal with a 22.40 in front of his home fans.

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Women’s 200 Back

Australia’s Emily Seebohm won the 200 back final on the last night of World Cup action in Singapore. Seebohm showed some consistency with a 2:01.60 in the 200 back final after a long World Cup series spanning two months. Seebohm was a little off her 1:59.49 best time but she will have a chance next month at the World Short Course Championships in December in China.

Seebohm finished ahead of Australian teammate Minna Atherton (2:02.20), while Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (2:03.43) muscled her way on to the podium for third place, out-touching Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands (2:03.59).

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Men’s 100 Back

China’s Xu Jiayu, fresh off a new world record in the 100 backstroke last week, narrowly broke it again with a 48.98 on the last day of action from the 2018 FINA World Cup in Singapore. Xu was a 48.88 last week in Tokyo as he was out under his own world record at the 50 again tonight. He could not hold on over the last 25, but he showed consistency with that sub-49 second swim again. Xu could have a chance to re-break the world record next month at the World Short Course Championships in his home country.

Xu got some pressure from Australia’s Mitch Larkin, who finished second in 49.38 while fellow Aussie Travis Mahoney was third in 51.17.

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Women’s 50 Breast

Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson won the 50 breast with a 28.93 on the last day in Singapore. Russia’s Yulia Efimova drew a disqualification in the race as she gave up a medal to Australia’s Emily Seebohm (30.25) and Russia’s Vitalina Simonova (31.11).

Atkinson is coming off a strong World Cup circuit where she broke the world record in Budapest in the 50 breast.

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Men’s 200 Breast

Russia’s Anton Chupkov and Kirill Prigoda had a good duel in the 200 breast final in Singapore with a 2:01.73 for Chupkov for the win. Chupkov ran down his countryman Prigoda in the last 50 as the latter finished second in 2:01.85.

Japan’s Hiromasa Fujimori (2:03.45) finished with the bronze just holding off Ilya Shymanovich of Belarus (2:03.49).

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Women’s 100 Free

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom won her second final of the night in Singapore with a 51.13 in the 100 free in front of a stacked field. Sjostrom held off the veteran Dutch duo of Ranomi Kromowidjojo (51.29) and Femke Heemskerk (51.56) as both swimmers were not far off their best times with Kromowidjojo coming in with a 50.95 from last year and Heemskerk coming in with a 51.29 from earlier this year.

Denmark’s Pernille Blume notably placed off the podium with a fourth place finish at 52.04.

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Men’s 200 Free

American Blake Pieroni won the 200 free final from start to finish as he came away with a 1:41.15 in Singapore. Pieroni narrowly missed Ryan Lochte’s American Record of 1:41.08 from the 2010 World Championships in Dubai, as Pieroni moved up to 12th all-time in the event, moving ahead of Conor Dwyer (1:41.30) and sitting behind legend Ian Thorpe (1:41.10).

Pieroni finished ahead of Australian Kyle Chalmers, who finished second in a strong 1:41.50. The time is a best time for Chalmers as he moved up to 15th all-time in the event, moving ahead of Russia’s Nikita Lobintsev (1:41.52, 2009).

Serbia’s Velimir Stjepanovic (1:43.32) finished with the bronze medal.

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Women’s 200 IM

Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu closed out her World Cup circuit with a win in the 200 IM with a 2:04.79. She won going away with Australia’s Emily Seebohm (2:06.95) and Britain’s Siobhan O’Connor (2:07.95) finishing second and third.

China’s 2012 Olympic Champion Ye Shiwen finished notably in fourth place with a 2:10.70.

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