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≡ SWIMMING WORLD CUP ≡
The third and final World Aquatics World Cup in Toronto (CAN) got off to a hot start on Thursday evening, with two world records:
● Men/200 m Backstroke: Hungary’s Olympic champion, Hubert Kos, came in having won the first two legs of the series and finished with the “Triple Crown” and a world record of 1:45.12. That bettered the 1:45.63 by Australian star Mitch Larkin in 2015 and Kos won by more than two seconds over Italian star Thomas Ceccon (1:47.49), who set a national record and is now no. 9 all-time.
● Men/100 m Butterfly: Swiss Noe Ponti, the 2024 World Short-Course champ, came in trying for a Triple Crown in Toronto, but Canadian Josh Liendo – the Paris 2024 silver man – got to the touch first in a world record time of 47.68. That improved on Ponti’s 47.71 from 2024; he finished third in 48.48 with Ilya Kharun (CAN: 48.35) in second.
Ponti was the only “Triple Crown” that didn’t happen on Thursday as the other seven were completed (eight of nine in all):
● Men/100 m Medley: Shaine Casas (USA: 50.28)
● Women/50 m Free: Kasia Wasick (POL: 23.21)
● Women/400 m Free: Lani Pallister (AUS: 3:51.87)
● Women/50 m Back: Kaylee McKeown (AUS: 25.35)
● Women/200 m Breast: Kate Douglass (USA: 2:13.45)
● Women/200 m Fly: Regan Smith (USA: 2:00.34)
● Women/100 m Medley: Gretchen Walsh (USA: 55.99)
Each of the Triple Crown winners received a $10,000 bonus; Liendo got a $2,500 bonus for being a “Crown buster,” Both world-record setters earned $10,000 bonuses. McKeown touched ahead of U.S. star Walsh in the 50 m Back, 25.35 to 25.40.
The other event winners included Liendo, who got a second victory in the men’s 50 m Free, beating American sprint star Jack Alexy, 20.31 to 20.70. Caspar Corbeau (NED: 55.55) won the men’s 100 m Breast over Olympic star Adam Peaty (GBR: 56.59), and the men’s 400 m Free was a U.S. 1-2 for Carson Foster (3:36.52) and Kieran Smith (3:37.28).
The World Cup continues on Friday and Saturday; the U.S. broadcast is on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
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