After a break of three years the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup is back in Germany and Berlin. The German capital will host Tuesday and Wednesday this week the second leg of the first cluster. After the opening of the 2016 series last week on Friday and Saturday in Paris-Chartres in France the top athletes moved to Berlin.
About134 competitors made more than 500 entries for the 34 single and two mixed relay events (see start list here) from 28 FINA member federations have been entered.
As one of the top athletes the current leader Katinka Hosszu (HUN) and Vladimir Morosov (RUS) have entered. The South Africans Cameron van der Burgh as title holder and World Cup winner in 2008, 2009 and 2015 and Chad Le Clos 2011, 2012 and 2013 winners. In the women competition Katinka Hosszu took the 100.000 US-Dollar winner cheque since 2012, four times in a row.
“It is in my plan to take part in all nine legs of the 2016 issue”, Katinka Hosszu said atthe opening press conference. “And I'm enjoying to compete on short course”, the three time Olympic Champion from Rio added. As usual he entered for all 17 women events. But also as usual, she will cancel a few of them. “I love races and so I try to compete as often I can”, she said.
After winning no Olympic medal in three Olympic Games prior Rio the 27 year old Hungarian was absolutely happy about her success this year which includes also a silver medal in the 100m backstroke. After her medals she already was focusing on the next four-year term as a world class competitor.
“I feel a great motivation to continue with my carrier till the next Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo. The preparation already started with the take-off of the Swimming World Cup and the first leg in Paris-Chartres. And then there is a short term goal with the next year FINA World Championships in Budapest and my home country Hungary”, Katinka Hosszu said.
Also Chad Le Clos already is focusing on the next Olympics.
“My motivation is still strong”, he said the day before the first competition in Berlin, where he has entered for all butterfly events and in addition the 200m freestyle. “17 events at one leg is too hard for me”, he stated, when he was looking on Katinka Hosszu at the press conference. “Perhaps 17 in the complete series”, Chad Le Clos added with a smile, as he has planed also to start at all nine legs.
As Chartres saw one world record by Vladimir Morosov with 50.60 seconds in 100m individual medley and one tied world record by Alia Atkinson (JAM) with 1:02.36 minutes in the 100m breaststroke, the Berlin organizers hope, that also at the second leg of the Swimming World Cup 2016 will bring world records. Especially as the pool in Berlin has the image of a “fast pool”. So in the current list of Swimming World Cup best times of 36 single and two relay events 16 have been established in the Berlin pool.
Further the German Swimming Federation DSV can celebrate with the Berlin leg a “silver jubilee”. With the return to Germany the DSV can organize the 25th Swimming World Cup since the official inauguration of the tour in 1989. No other national federation was so often the host if the series.
Germany started in 1989 with the city of Bonn as their capital at that time and following the unofficial series, which started ten years earlier in 1979. Also with Bonn as one of the hosts. For four times Bonn saw till 1992 many well known world class swimmers as well as many short course world records. In 1993 the Swimming World Cup in Germany moved to the city of Gelsenkirchen, which was the host for six times till 1995 and again from 1997 till 1999.
In 2000 the Swimming World Cup in Germany moved again. Now to the city of Berlin as the new capital and with 14 stops till 2013 Back in 2016 the DSV can look on 25 well organized Swimming World Cups.
All finals will be live streamed on FINA TV starting at 5pm CET on both days.
The competition's schedule unfolds as follows:
Tuesday 30/08/2016 – Day 1 Wednesday 31/08/2016 – Day 2
Heats 10.00 h – Finals 17.30 h Heats 10.00 h – Finals 17.30 h
100m Freestyle Men 100m Freestyle Women
200m Freestyle Women 200m Freestyle Men
50m Breaststroke Men 50m Breaststroke Women
100m Breaststroke Women 100m Breaststroke Men
100m Butterfly Women 100m Butterfly Men
Award Ceremonies Award Ceremonies
100m Backstroke Men 100m Backstroke Women
50m Backstroke Women 50m Backstroke Men
200m Butterfly Men 200m Butterfly Women
200m Individual Medley Women 200m Individual Medley Men
Award Ceremonies Award Ceremonies
400m Freestyle Men 400m Freestyle Women
50m Freestyle Women 50m Freestyle Men
200m Breaststroke Men 200m Breaststroke Women
100m Individual Medley Men 100m Individual Medley Women
Award Ceremonies Award Ceremonies
200m Backstroke Women 200m Backstroke Men
50m Butterfly Men 50m Butterfly Women
Award Ceremonies Award Ceremonies
4x50m Medley Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Mixed
800m Freestyle Women 1500m Freestyle Men
400m Individual Medley Men 400m Individual Medley Women
Award Ceremonies Award Ceremonies
FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 – Calendar
Cluster 1
Paris-Chartres (FRA) .- August 26-27
Berlin (GER) – August 30-31
Moscow (RUS) – September 3-4
Cluster 2
Beijing (CHN) – September 30-October 1
Dubai (UAE) – October 4-5
Doha (QAT) – October 8-9
Cluster 3
Singapore (SIN) – October 21-22
Tokyo (JPN) – October 25-26
Hong Kong (HKG) – October 29-30