2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Swimmer Of The Meet: Ryan Murphy, USA
American famous person Ryan Murphy went on an absolute tear on the Quick Course World Championships in Melbourne, profitable 5 gold medals and one silver to earn Male Swimmer of the Meet honors.
Murphy grew to become the primary swimmer to comb the lads’s backstroke occasions on the championship for the reason that 50-meter occasion was launched in 1999, roaring to victories within the 50 again (22.64), 100 again (48.50) and 200 again (1:47.41), setting a brand new Championship Report within the 100 as he got here inside 17 one-hundredths of the world file.
His victory within the 50 again didn’t come with out controversy, as the ultimate needed to be re-swum after a technical error resulted in three swimmers pulling up and never finishing the preliminary occasion. Murphy had been overwhelmed head-to-head by Australian Isaac Cooper within the first race, however topped him by 9 one-hundredths of a second within the re-swim.
Murphy additionally led off in a blistering 22.37 to assist propel the American squad to a brand new world file within the combined 200 medley relay (1:35.15), a 50 again time that’s effectively below his American Report of twenty-two.53 (although it received’t be an official file because it was accomplished in a combined occasion).
The 27-year-old completed the meet off by main the U.S. to a joint gold and world file efficiency within the males’s 400 medley relay, because the People and Aussies completed in a useless warmth for first in 3:18.98.
Murphy added a sixth medal on the lads’s 200 medley relay, beating Cooper head-to-head after the 50 again controversy (22.61 to 22.66) because the U.S. staff completed second behind the Italians and set a brand new American Report of 1:30.37.
Honorable Mentions:
- Nic Fink (USA) – Fink efficiently defended his world title within the males’s 50 breast, setting a brand new Championship and American Report of 25.38, and he additionally received the 100 breast crown for the primary time over an elite discipline in a time of 55.88. He received silver within the 200 breast, setting a brand new American Report of two:01.60, and added two gold medals and world data on the lads’s 400 medley relay and the combined 200 medley relay, throwing down a few of the quickest breaststroke splits in historical past (54.88 within the 400 medley, 24.96 within the combined 200 medley). Within the males’s 200 medley relay, Fink added a sixth medal, claiming silver with the U.S. staff.
- Daiya Seto (JPN) – Seto made historical past by turning into the primary swimmer in historical past to win the identical occasion at six consecutive world championships, topping the lads’s 400 IM discipline in a time of three:55.75 to come back inside a second of his world file. Seto additionally neared the world file within the 200 breast, profitable gold with the second-fastest swim ever of two:00.35, and he added a 3rd particular person medal with a silver within the 200 fly (1:49.22). The 28-year-old additionally completed fifth within the 200 IM (1:51.39), lower than four-tenths shy of a medal.
- Chad Le Clos (RSA) – Le Clos had the best FINA point-scoring swim among the many males together with his African Report of 1:48.27 within the males’s 200 fly, extremely resetting his private finest time for the primary time in 4 years on the age of 30. Le Clos accomplished the 100/200 fly double for the third time in his profession in Melbourne, including a victory within the 100 fly in 48.59 for the Eleventh-fastest swim in historical past. The South African added a fifth-place end within the 50 fly (22.09).
Swim Of The Meet: Hwang Suwnoo (KOR), 200 Freestyle
South Korean sensation Hwang Sunwoo grew to become the primary swimmer in a decade to interrupt 1:40 within the males’s 200 freestyle on Sunday in Melbourne, placing an actual scare into Paul Biedermann‘s vaunted world file with a time of 1:39.72.
Hwang Sunwoo courtesy World Aquatics
Hwang got here inside 35 one-hundredths of Biedermann’s super-suited world file of 1:39.37, and have become simply the third man sub-1:40 in historical past, becoming a member of Biedermann and Frenchman Yannick Agnel, who clocked a time of 1:39.70 in 2012.
Not solely did Hwang drop the third-fastest swim of all-time, however he additionally overcame an extremely proficient discipline to say the gold medal, and did so whereas dealing with a broken finger.
This previous summer time, David Popovici grew to become the primary swimmer since 2009 to go sub-1:43 within the LCM 200 free. Hwang’s swim had the same really feel in lots of respects, and did so whereas outduelling Popovici himself, because the Romanian truly led the sphere by the primary 50, 200 free Olympic gold medalist Tom Dean grabbed the lead on the midway mark, after which Hwang took off, someway holding all eight of his 25-meter splits below 13 seconds.
Hwang, 19, had set a brand new Asian Report of 1:40.99 main off South Korea’s 800 free relay, so he introduced that mark down by effectively over a second, and added a brand new Championship Report as effectively, reducing Danas Rapsys‘ 1:40.95 from 2018.
Popovici couldn’t match Hwang’s explosion of velocity on the third 50 and settled for second in 1:40.79, narrowly out-touching the third-place Dean (1:40.86).
Honorable Mentions:
- Nicholas Santos (BRA), 50 butterfly – The legendary 42-year-old Santos made it clear this was his retirement swim, and he got here by by almost matching the world file and profitable his fourth profession SC world title within the 50 fly and third in a row. Regardless of the sphere that includes former champion Chad Le Clos and co-world file holder Szebasztian Szabo, Santos received in definitive vogue by almost two-tenths of a second, touching in 21.78. The Brazilian shares the world file of 21.75 with Szabo.
- Daiya Seto (JPN), 200 breaststroke – No particular person world data fell on the lads’s facet in Melbourne, however Seto got here extremely shut within the 200 breaststroke—an occasion he’s not typically recognized for on the worldwide stage—as he challenged Kirill Prigoda‘s all-time mark of two:00.16 with a blistering 2:00.35 efficiency. Seto’s swim makes him the second-fastest man ever, as he shattered the Asian Report beforehand held by Qin Haiyang (2:01.15), his personal Japanese Report from 2017 (2:01.30), and beat runner-up Fink (2:01.60) by over a second.
- USA, 800 freestyle relay – It was a near-flawless efficiency for the American males within the 800 free relay, because the U.S. shattered the world file by over two and a half seconds of 6:44.12. Kieran Smith (1:41.04), Carson Foster (1:40.48), Trenton Julian (1:41.44) and Drew Kibler (1:41.16) rolled to a dominant gold medal victory over Australia (6:46.54), which additionally went below the previous world file and had the quickest relay break up of all-time come from Kyle Chalmers (1:40.35).
Race of the Meet: 400 Medley Relay
World file? Test. Epic three-team battle? Test. Oh, and tie for gold, so two groups and eight swimmers share the world file? Test!
It was a becoming conclusion to 6 action-packed days in Melbourne, as the highest three groups on the competitors—USA, Australia, and Italy—locked horns within the ultimate occasion of the meet: the lads’s 400 medley relay.
The race had a little bit of every thing, together with yet one more duel between Ryan Murphy and Isaac Cooper after the 50 again controversy, and it was Murphy placing the U.S. within the lead early with a gap leg of 48.96.
Cooper, to his credit score, had his quickest 100 again efficiency of the meet (and his profession) in 49.46 to maintain Australia inside half a second, whereas Lorenzo Mora was 49.48 for the Italians.
Nic Fink continued his scorching streak with a blistering 54.88 breaststroke break up to place the U.S. within the driver’s seat, up by greater than a second on Italy and greater than two on Australia on the midway mark.
Matt Temple (48.34) and Matteo Rivolta (48.50) produced monster fly legs to make up floor on Trenton Julian (49.19), however the U.S. nonetheless held a skinny lead on Italy going into the anchor leg, with Australia again by 1.32 seconds.
The U.S. gave anchor duties to Kieran Smith, who was in search of some redemption after lacking the 200 free ultimate by one-tenth of a second earlier within the day. The Italians had Alessandro Miressi, the 2021 SC world champion within the 100 free, and the Aussies had, after all, Kyle Chalmers, the world file holder, newly-minted SC world champion and one of the vital clutch relay performers of this period.
It seemed as if it could come right down to Smith and Miressi, however Chalmers slowly however certainly closed the hole, and coming down the ultimate 10 meters it was anybody’s race.
After a chaotic end, the clock confirmed that it was a tie: 3:18.98 for the US, 3:18.98 for Australia, each below the world file of three:19.16 set by Russia manner again in 2009. The Italians have been additionally below the 13-year-old world file in 3:19.06, however settled for bronze.
After the 400 medley relay chaos. Courtesy World Aquatics
Chalmers recorded a 44.63 break up on the tip (in comparison with Smith’s 45.95 and Miressi’s 45.56), which was the quickest in historical past. Fink’s breaststroke break up stands #2 all-time behind Adam Peaty (54.84), and Temple’s fly leg ranks seventh.
Breakout Performer Of The Meet: Jordan Crooks, Cayman Islands
Jordan Crooks crashed down the NCAA door within the latter half of final yr and went on to have a sensational freshman marketing campaign on the College of Tennessee, turning into the quickest first-year swimmer ever within the 50-yard freestyle.
Jordan Crooks courtesy World Aquatics
That momentum has solely picked up steam for the reason that starting of the 2022-23 collegiate season, however Crooks, a local of the Cayman Islands, had but to actually make his presence recognized exterior of school swimming circles coming into these World Championships.
He completed 78th within the males’s 100 free and 59th within the 200 free on the 2019 LC Worlds in Gwangju, and on the 2022 version this summer time in Budapest, he confirmed marked enchancment, putting nineteenth within the 50 free and twenty first within the 100 free.
However his clear pure expertise for brief course, plus the talents he’s honed over the past 15 months in Knoxville, have been placed on show final week in Melbourne and elevated him from near-semi-finalist at LC Worlds to gold medal favourite.
The 20-year-old wasted no time in establishing himself as a frontrunner within the dash free occasions, taking the highest seed out of the prelims of the men’s 100 free with a blistering time and new national record of 45.61.
He adopted up by claiming the highest seed out of the semis (45.55), after which went on to steer the ultimate by 75 meters earlier than falling down right into a tie for sixth (45.77) in an ultra-competitive warmth.
Crooks didn’t let that end result shake his confidence, holding nothing again by the three rounds of the 50 free, taking the highest seed within the heats (20.36) and semis (20.31), with the latter swim tying him for fourth all-time as he certified 45 one-hundredths away from second-place Ben Proud.
Proud, the defending champion, posed a substantial menace to Crooks within the ultimate, however he didn’t flinch. Crooks put all of it on the road and emerged with the gold medal in a time of 20.46, simply .03 forward of Proud (20.49).
Crooks’ victory was the first gold medal for the Cayman Islands at the World Championships, a monumental feat, and establishes him as somebody to observe within the sprints at each worldwide competitors transferring ahead.
Honorable Mentions:
- Isaac Cooper, Australia – Cooper bounced again from a difficult summer to have a breakout exhibiting in entrance of the house crowd in Melbourne, because the Australian received a pair of particular person medals and added three extra on relays, together with setting a brand new World Junior Report within the males’s 50 again semi-finals (22.52). Cooper’s time from the semis was quicker than what Murphy would find yourself claiming gold with within the ultimate, which additionally got here after Cooper beat Murphy head-to-head prior to the event having to be re-swum. Cooper additionally received bronze individually within the 100 again (49.52), after which went even quicker on the lead-off leg of Australia’s 400 medley relay (49.46) that in the end tied with the U.S. for gold and set a brand new world file. The 18-year-old added a second gold medal after main off the Australian males’s 200 free relay in 21.25, exhibiting he’s not only a backstroker, and stored the Aussies on the entrance of the race within the 200 medley relay with a 50 again lead-off of twenty-two.66 as they in the end received bronze.
- Ilya Kharun, Canada – Kharun has lengthy been a highly-regarded swimmer within the U.S. membership system, however since his sporting citizenship changed over to Canada earlier this year, he’s actually taken the subsequent step and develop into a global participant. After breaking quite a few Canadian Data within the males’s butterfly occasions on the FINA World Cup circuit, the 17-year-old continued to take action in Melbourne. He broke each the Canadian and World Junior Report within the 50 fly prelims (22.32) and semis (22.28), after which matched that semi time in a swim-off loss to Estonian Daniel Zaitsev. Kharun then reset the Canadian Report thrice within the 100 fly, culminating with a World Junior Report and silver medal efficiency within the ultimate the place he extremely turned eighth on the 75 earlier than rallying to the touch second in 49.03. He added a Canadian Report within the 200 fly prelims (1:50.86) earlier than taking eighth within the ultimate, and likewise received bronze on the Canadian combined 200 medley relay. Total, the Sandpipers of Nevada product contested 16 races in simply six days.
18-and-Below Swimmer of the Meet: Isaac Cooper, Australia
There have been three swimmers in rivalry for this award, nevertheless it was in the end unimaginable to disclaim Cooper, who made his manner onto the rostrum twice individually and three extra instances on relays.
Isaac Cooper courtesy World Aquatics
Cooper knocked 1 / 4 of a second off Kliment Kolesnikov‘s World Junior Report together with his semi-final swim of twenty-two.52 within the 50 backstroke, and had it not been for a technical error, he would possibly’ve walked away with the gold medal within the occasion.
Total, Cooper went sub-23 within the 50 again 5 instances on the meet, not together with the preliminary ultimate that needed to be re-swum, went 49-mid twice within the 100 again, and likewise confirmed he can compete with the most effective within the 50 free, main off the Aussie gold medal-winning 200 free relay.
Cooper has battled by a number of adversity this yr, and regardless of every thing not going his manner in Melbourne, he didn’t let it have an effect on his efficiency as he stepped up time and time once more for Australia and proved he’ll be a drive to be reckoned with within the years to come back.
Honorable Mentions:
- Ilya Kharun, Canada – At 17, Kharun’s time of 49.03 within the 100 fly took a half-second off the earlier WJR held by Li Zhuhao, an unbelievable efficiency for a lot of causes. Not solely did he rally from eighth to say silver behind Chad Le Clos, however Kharun pulled that off on the tail-end of an extremely busy competitors the place he raced 16 instances in six days. He continued to rewrite the Canadian Report books in all three fly occasions, added one other WJR within the 50 fly, and was very dependable for the Canadian relays, exhibiting off his versatility in freestyle.
- David Popovici, Romania – Popovici overtly stated throughout the meet that he nonetheless “hates short course,” however he nonetheless carried out effectively, though the hole between him and the remainder of the world that exists in lengthy course is negated on this format. The 18-year-old Romanian broke the World Junior Report within the 100 free (45.64), however discovered himself off the rostrum in fourth. He stepped issues up with a monstrous exhibiting within the 200 free, clocking 1:40.79 to close the WJR, however fell to pleasant rival Hwang Sunwoo who dropped one of many quickest swims ever for gold (1:39.72). Popovici could not have come wherever close to the impossibly excessive bar he set this summer time within the Olympic-sized pool, however his performances in Melbourne have been nonetheless noteworthy, particularly for somebody who continues to be 18.
