The Week That Was: Minakov, Borodin Set World Junior Records in Kazan

Andrei Minakov; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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Three world junior records fell last week to Ilya Borodin and Andrei Minakov at the Russian Championships in Kazan as their non-ISL swimmers put on a nice show in long course. Swimming Australia’s CEO stepped down less than a year ahead of the Olympics and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the NCAA swim season in the US.

Read below the five biggest stories in The Week That Was sponsored by Suitmate.

The Week That Was #1: Minakov, Borodin Set World Junior Records in Kazan

chad-le-cos-andrei-minakov-100-fly-final-2019-world-championships

Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

By Liz Byrnes

Andrei Minakov sent an ominous warning and rattled the national record with victory in the 100m freestyle in 47.57 at the Russian Championships in Kazan. The 18-year-old had ensured the final session of the competition – which also serves as a qualifier for the Olympics in Tokyo next July – started with a performance that will reverberate across poolsides around the world.

Not only was it Minakov who lit up the Aquatics Palace. Evgenia Chikunova won the 200m breaststroke in 2:21.87 and Alexander Kudashev stopped the clock at 1:55.60 in the 200 fly, and Ilya Borodin broke the WJR in the 400 IM at 4:11.50.

#2: Swimming Australia CEO Leigh Russell Steps Down

Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia

By Dan D’Addona

Swimming Australia today confirmed that CEO Leigh Russell has advised the board she will be stepping down as CEO at the end of November this year.

Swimming Australia deputy board chairperson, Tracy Stockwell, said that Leigh had been a strong leader for the organisation and for the sport over the past three years.

“As Australia’s number one Olympic sport, we are well placed going into a disrupted but highly anticipated Tokyo Olympics and the Paralympics in 2021 and then on to the 2024 Games.“Under Leigh’s leadership, we have built a strong executive and a high-performance team. There is also a clear strategy and vision,” Stockwell said.

“The Board and Leigh agreed that the revised timing of the Tokyo Games means that now is the right time to find a new CEO with the passion and drive to lead the sport into the future.

“Leigh’s leadership and commitment to high-performance and integrity has driven major changes in the organisation and has set Swimming Australia up for success both in the pool and out of it.

“As one of the few female sports leaders in the country, Leigh has championed inclusion and a culture of high-performance, support, mentorship and leadership that is underpinned by strong values.

“We wish Leigh all the very best and thank her for her significant contribution to our sport.”

The Week That Was #3: University Athletic Association Cancels Winter Season

Photo Courtesy: Emory Athletics

By Dan D’Addona

The University Athletic Association (UAA) Presidents Council has unanimously approved a resolution to cancel all formal UAA winter sport competition for the 2020-21 season.

The schools in the UAA include, Emory, Chicago, WashU, Rochester, NYU, Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon and Brandes.

From the University Athletic Association:

Over the last several months several UAA committees comprising athletic administrators, vice presidents and deans, faculty athletics representatives, athletic trainers, and others have met on a regular basis to consider how winter sport competition might take place as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect UAA campuses, their communities, and the nation. In the course of those discussions, it became clear that a substantial number of issues related to the implementation of recommended NCAA testing protocols for winter sports; current institutional travel limitations; local and state travel quarantine guidelines; local restrictions on the size of group gatherings; event management; and contingency planning to provide care for individuals who may test positive or become symptomatic while traveling present challenges that cannot be resolved in a manner that would facilitate an acceptable level of risk mitigation for student-athletes, coaches, officials, staff and others involved in the conduct of UAA winter sport competition.

#4: Kentucky Women Take Down Tennessee For First Time in 21 Years

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Andy Ross

The No. 14 University of Kentucky women’s swimming and diving team upset No. 7 Tennessee, the defending Southeastern Conference Champions, in a 152-148 finish that came down to the last race on Thursday evening inside the Lancaster Aquatic Center. It marked the first time the Wildcats have defeated the Volunteers in a dual meet since November 13, 1999 (124-121).

The triumph comes just one year after the Kentucky women’s swimming and diving team defeated Indiana, another powerhouse program, in a dual meet for the first time since 2007.

The Week That Was #5: Sarah Sjostrom to Miss ISL Match Six

Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis/ISL

By Andy Ross

Reigning ISL season MVP Sarah Sjostrom of Energy Standard will sit out the team’s next match tomorrow and Monday as she has been “dealing with some slight back issues for the last few days” and will be “following medical advice to rest” in her own words. Energy Standard raced in the opening match, suffering their first loss in franchise history to the Cali Condors, and will return tomorrow against the Aqua Centurions, New York Breakers and Toronto Titans.

Energy Standard has one of the top rosters in the league, and could still win tomorrow’s meet without Sjostrom in the line-up, although she will leave some big shoes to fill. Racing in six individual events in the first match, she currently ranks first in the 100 free and 100 IM, second in the 100 fly and 50 free, and fifth in the 200 free and 50 fly in the ISL through five meets.

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