World Cup Singapore, Day 2: Kate Douglass Adds Another Triple Crown
On the first day of the World Aquatics World Cup Singapore stop Thursday, Kate Douglass finished off a 3-for-3 run through the 100 individual medley and 200 breaststroke.
Friday, she added a sweep of the 50 butterfly to cap an outstanding run through the fall short-course tour.
Douglass’s win made her one of six swimmers to clinch a triple crown, after six such instances on Thursday where the Singapore winner matched those in Incheon and Shanghai. The finals session also included world records for Leon Marchand in the men’s 200 individual medley and Regan Smith lowering her 100 back world mark. Douglass was .04 seconds away from joining that crowd.
Women’s 400 individual medley
The arrival of Katie Grimes for the third and final World Cup stop denied Mary-Sophie Harvey a sweep. Harvey went 4:25.33, but she was chasing the young American from the outset, finishing more than a second back. That margin stretched to nearly seven seconds at one point, though the Canadian made headway late.
Grimes won her World Cup debut in 4:24.19. No one else finished inside 4:30, third place going to Waka Kobori of Japan.
Men’s 1,500 freestyle
American Charlie Clark, the winner in Shanghai, finished third Friday behind a Japanese duo. Kazushi Imafuku won the race in 14:36.12, well ahead of countryman Kaito Tsujimori’s time of 14:43.14. Clark was third in 14:43.45. He had gone 14:40.57 to win in Shanghai, and the Incheon stop didn’t include a 1,500 free.
Fourth was American Luke Ellis in 14:49.47.
Men’s 50 backstroke
In the rubber match between them, Isaac Cooper bested Pieter Coetze by .14 seconds. Cooper put a scare into his World Cup record set in Shanghai, going 22.61 to buzz within .03 seconds. That bested Coetze, who went 22.75 and had outdueled Cooper in Incheon.
Kacper Stokowski was third in 23.05, .03 up on Marius Kusch. Dylan Carter was fifth with American Jack Dolan seventh.
Women’s 200 freestyle
Siobhan Haughey completed the triple crown in the 200 free, her time of 1:51.80 edging out China’s Yang Junxuan by barely a quarter second. Haughey led from the 75-meter wall on, but Yang gave her a push, stopping the clock at 1:52.07.
Brittany Castelluzzo of Australia continued her fine form, following up second place in Incheon with third in Singapore in 1:53.70. American Claire Weinstein, making her World Cup debut, was fourth in 1:54.31.
Men’s 200 individual medley
Another day, another record for Leon Marchand. In this case, it’s the world record of 1:48.88, blowing away the long-standing mark of Ryan Lochte. The American had gone 1:49.63 in 2012 in Istanbul, but that record was summarily dismissed after its decade reign. Marchand had set the World Cup and European records in Shanghai at 1:50.30 two weeks ago.
The win is Marchand’s third of the tour, matching a triple crown in the 100 IM.
Duncan Scott was second for the third straight meet, going 1:51.14. The British swimmer has been remarkably consistent, going 1:51.08 in Shanghai and 1:51.25 in Incheon.
Third place went to Alberto Razzetti in 1:52.99, just .02 ahead of American Kieran Smith.
Women’s 100 backstroke
Make it back-to-back world records, in events and for Regan Smith. The American went 54.27 to improve her time from just last week in Incheon of 54.27. It also gives Smith a Triple Crown on the tour.
The field was no match for her. Beata Nelson was the runner-up in a distant 55.72, her second silver behind Smith on the tour. Ingrid Wilm, third in Shanghai and second in Incheon, was third this time in 56.01, edging Aussie Iona Anderson by just .05. Grimes returned to finish seventh.
Men’s 50 breaststroke
Qin Haiyang clinched a triple crown with a time of 25.47 in the 50 free, outdueling Ilya Shymanovich for the third race running. The Belarussian, swimming as a Neutral Independent Athlete, was ahead at the midpoint by .11, but Qin rallied to get him by .06 at the wall. Shymanovich went 25.53.
Caspar Corbeau finished third in 26.16. Nicolo Martinenghi surged coming home to finish fourth in 26.41.
Women’s 50 butterfly
Kate Douglass is a triple crown winner in the 50 fly, to go with the 100 IM and 200 breast sealed Thursday. She went 24.42 to dominate the field. In the process, she nearly took down the world record set in 2008 by Therese Alshammar at 24.38 in Singapore.
Yu Yiting of China finished second in 25.05. Japan’s Mizuki Hirai and Sara Junevik of Sweden tied for third in 25.15, Junevik edging countrywoman Louise Hansson by .13 seconds.
Men’s 100 freestyle
For all his success over longer distances, long-course 100 free world record holder Pan Zhanle hadn’t won that event at either of the previous two World Cup stops, including before home fans and a fourth in Incheon.
He rectified that Friday with a time of 46.09 to get to the wall first. He edged Shanghai champion Thomas Ceccon by .16 seconds, the Italian second in 46.25. Dylan Carter was third in 46.60, ahead of Matthew Temple. American Jack Dolan finished seventh.
Women’s 100 breaststroke
It’s another Chinese breaststroke 1-2, thanks to Tang Qianting. She left no doubt, winning the 100 breast by more than a second for her third win on the trot. She got to the wall in 1:03.10.
That leaves Alina Zmushka as the runner-up for a third consecutive meet, her time 1:04.11 to edge Benedetta Pilato of Italy (1:04.56) and Sophie Angus of Canada (1:05.10).
Men’s 200 butterfly
After a pair of second-place finishes, Chad le Clos turned back the clock to win the 200 fly in 1:50.42. It’s not quite the World Cup record he set in this pool in 2013 (1:48.56), but it was enough to deny American Trenton Julian a triple crown. Julian finished second in 1:51.68, three tenths up on Alberto Razzetti.
Kregor Zirk of Estonia finished fourth. Singapore’s Brandon Yap found his way into a final, finishing eighth.
