FINA World Cup Doha: Emma McKeon, Daiya Seto Each Win Two Events on Day Three
The third day of the FINA World Cup stop in Doha saw the world’s most prolific female swimmer in 2021, Australia’s Emma McKeon, pick up two more victories in two of her best events, while rebounding Japanese star Daiya Seto also got to the wall first twice. Many of the fields in Doha were slim, but the stars still put up solid performances as the short course meters season rolls on.
First, McKeon won the women’s 100 fly in 55.83, more than a second ahead of Switzerland’s Maria Ugolkova, who came in second at 56.94. McKeon’s fellow Aussie Holly Barratt was third in 57.78. Later in the session, McKeon dominated the 100 free in 51.15, finishing eight tenths ahead of fellow Australian Olympic gold medalist Madison Wilson (51.95), with Sweden’s Michelle Coleman just behind in third (52.17) and the Netherlands’ Ranomi Kromowidjojo fourth (52.22).
McKeon was a half-second off her incredible 50.58 from the last World Cup stop in Budapest that equaled the second-fastest time in history. McKeon will have more chances to make a run at Cate Campbell’s 2017 world record of 50.25 later on this season.
Meanwhile, Seto swam a 4:01.97 in the men’s 400 IM, well off his world record of 3:54.81 and his World Cup record of 3:57.25 but plenty to beat the field of just four swimmers. But when he returned to the pool for the 200 breast, he had significant and decorated competition: Olympic silver medalist Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands and long course world-record holder Anton Chupkov of Russia. Kamminga led almost the entire length, but Seto ran him down on the final 50 meters and touched the wall in 2:01.65, four tenths ahead of the Dutchman in 2:02.05. Chupkov was third in 2:03.08.
One of the best races of the day saw two teenage stars go head-to-head in the men’s 200 free for the first time. That included South Africa’s Matt Sates, who had won the previous two World Cup stops (setting a world junior record of 1:40.65 along the way), and South Korea’s Hwang Sun-woo, the long course world-junior-record holder who led the field in the Olympic final for most of the race before fading at the end. In this showdown, Sates pushed the pace and opened up a four-tenth lead with 50 meters to go, but Hwang fought back with a 25.53 final split to claim the win.
Hwang won in 1:41.17, less than two tenths ahead of Sates (1:41.33) in what is sure to be the first of many races between these two 18-year-olds. Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys finished third in 1:42.26, well ahead of Brazilian Olympic bronze medalist Fernando Scheffer (1:43.50).
One day after he came up just a tenth short of a long-standing world record in the 100 free, Australia’s Kyle Chalmers eschewed another World Cup showdown with 18-year-old Sates in the 200 free. Instead, he entered a tightly-bunched 50 butterfly and ended up second. Tom Shields of the United States won for the third straight World Cup stop in 22.22, two hundredths ahead of Chalmers in 22.24. Hungary’s Sebasztian Szabo was just 0.03 behind Chalmers to take third in 22.27.
Italy’s Simona Quadarella, the reigning world champion in the 1500 free and the Olympic bronze medalist in the 800 free, put up a 8:21.41 to win the 800-meter race in Doha, while Koreans Han Dakyung (8:24.06) and Ryu Jiwon (8:24.80).
The Netherlands’ Kira Toussaint, better known for her sprint backstroke skills, has posted some quality 200-meter efforts as of late, and in Doha, she jumped up into the all-time top-25 in the 200 back with her 2:02.12. Toussaint beat a field of only two other swimmers: Coleman (2:06.43) and Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Jakobos (2:10.14).
South Africa’s Peter Coetze took first in the men’s 100 back in 50.86, adding to his win in the 50 back a day earlier. Shields finished second (51.12), and Israel’s Yakov Toumarkin placed third (51.54).
Russian veteran Yuliya Efimova grabbed the win in the women’s 50 breast with her 30.11, ahead of Belgium’s Fanny Lecluyse (30.48) and South Korea’s Back Suyeon (31.01). The meet’s final event, the women’s 200 IM, went to Ugolkova in 2:07.21, with Jakobos (2:09.37) and Slovenia’s Katja Fain (2:10.58) placing second and third, respectively.
