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France and Japan both had qualifying meets for their international teams for the summer, with each country seeing new national records come out of their qualifying meets. Check out what records fell and catch up on the biggest stories of the week below in the week that was!
The Week That Was #5 – Ariana Kukors File Civil Suit Against Sean Hutchison
Photo Courtesy: Peter H.Bick
Back in February, Olympian and former world record holder Ariana Kukors came forward with sexual abuse allegations against her former coach, Sean Hutchison. Kukors alleges that Hutchison abused her over several years and began grooming her for abuse at a young age. Now, Kukors has filed a civil suit against not only Hutchison, but also USA Swimming, Mark Schubert, and Aquatic Management Group Inc. The complaint for damages includes sexual abuse of a minor, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress while also alleging that USA Swimming knew about the relationship between Hutchison and Kukors when the swimmer was just sixteen. The suit also claims that Schubert and others did not properly report knowledge of the issue. Schubert himself has acknowledged he would have handled the situation differently knowing what he knows now.
The Week That Was #4 – Katinka Hosszu Announces Split From Husband, Coach
Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto / Deepbluemedia
Olympic gold medalist Katinka Hosszu announced on Facebook this week that she will be splitting from her coach and husband, Shane Tusup, after 5 years of marriage. In the post Hosszu explains the two have not been able to resolve certain personal and professional differences. The two filed for divorce back in February but appeared to be working to mend their relationship. Tusup was Hosszu’s coach from 2012 through the 2017 World Championships, where she had a meteoric rise in international competitions and set numerous national and world records. The couple’s relationship attracted a lot of attention, mainly due to Tusup’s intense training methods and his emotional outbursts at competitions.
The Week That Was #3 – Hosszu Returns To Competition At Speedo Grand Challenge
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The same week as announcing her split from her coach and husband, Katinka Hosszu also made a long-awaited return to competition this week along with many of the U.S. National Team at the 2018 Speedo Grand Challenge. Hosszu won two events in her first competition since the 2017 Euro Short Course Championships, taking the 200 IM (2:10.87) and the 400 IM (4:39.51) and was second in the 100 back (1:01.46). Other notable performers included Kathleen Baker, who won the 100 (1:00.20) and 200 (2:10.32) backstrokes, Ryan Murphy also sweeping the 100 (53.29) and 200 (1:55.70) backstrokes, and Andrew Seliskar’s win in the 200 free (1:49.24).
The Week That Was #2 – Japan Finalizes Pan Pacs Roster at 2018 Japan Open
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Japan offered swimmers a second chance to qualify for this summer’s Pan Pacific Championships this week at the 2018 Japan Open in Tokyo. Teenage sensation Rikako Ikee added to the number of records she has broken this year, setting a new national record in the 50 butterfly (25.25) to open the meet and also grabbing wins in the 50 free (24.46), 100 free (53.26), 200 free (1:57.25). Yui Ohashi also continued her IM dominance in the 200 IM (2:09.17) and 400 IM (4:35.03), off her #1 ranked times from April but still good enough for the wins here. Also notable was Daiya Seto’s win in the 400 IM (4:08.98) and Ippei Watanabe’s win in the 200 breast (2:08.30). You can see recaps of all days of the 2018 Japan Open by clicking here.
The Week That Was #1 – Charlotte Bonnet Lights Up French Nationals
Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
The French Swimming Federation had their qualifying meet for this summer’s European Championship team this weekend, holding the 2018 French National Championships in Saint-Raphael. In a unique qualifying criteria, swimmers will have to hit qualifying marks for the European Championships in the prelims of an event and then finish within the top-4 in finals in order to be named to the Euro Games roster. Charlotte Bonnet was a clear highlight of the meet, setting a new national record in the 100 free (52.74) to become the first French woman under 53-seconds in the event break her old record by half a second. She also won the 50 free (24.78) and 200 free (1:55.53) over the course of the meet. You can see all the highlights from the meet (including who should be named to the French roster) by clicking here.
