After the opening with two world records by the Swedish Sarah Sjostrom in 50m freestyle in 23.10 seconds and the 100m freestyle in 50.77 seconds in the Russian capital Moscow the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup stops in Berlin for the second leg of the first cluster. The final leg of the first cluster will be next weekend in Eindhoven (August 10-11). Altogether competitors from 37 FINA member federations have entered for the event. Including for example the Cook-Islands as one of the exotic countries in swimming.
The meeting in the German capital will represent nine World Champions from Budapest. In addition to Sarah Sjostrom the five-time overall World Cup winner in a row Katinka Hosszu (Hungary), Federica Pellegrini (Italy), Mireia Belmonte (Spain), Emily Seebohm (Australia), three-time World-Cup winner Chad Le Clos (South Africa), Gabrielle Detti (Italy) and Alexander Chupkov (Russia) will be completed by the Dutch Ferry Weertman as the World Champion from Balatonfüred in Open Water Swimming in the 10 km event. All in all, 41 World Championship medals from Budapest will be represented in the Berlin event.
“The pool here in Berlin is known as a very fast pool and I have for a long time not competed in good shape in the 50m butterfly on short course”, is Sarah Sjostrom looking forward for another world record. It is the last best time in her four main disciplines (50m and 100m freestyle, 50m and 100m butterfly) on long and short course in which she is not the current world record holder. There still her countrymate Therese Alshammer with 24,38 seconds is on the top. At her world record events, she was coached by Johan Walberg – and he is now coaching Sarah Sjostrom.
In the current world record list for of 36 single and two relay events for short course 14 of them have been established in Berlin, which was for 16 times a World Cup host. No other city is with more world records and more hosts on the swimming map.
“Yes, I’m in really good shape and it seems, that we can expect more records here in Berlin”, Sarah Sjostrom stated and who was surprised about her world records in Moscow. The 23-year-old outstanding Swedish swim star has all eight FINA/airwave Swimming World Cup events on her schedule. “That will be a new experience”, she is looking forward to the next legs. After her performances in Moscow she is leading the overall ranking. Followed by Katinka Hosszu, who has now after her three successes in Moscow altogether 228 World Cup victories in her successes.
In the men events Chad Le Clos is leading after Moscow. “My goal is to be fast here”, knows he the Berlin pool very well, as he is for the seventh time competing in the Berlin World Cup. “It is a really fast pool”, he said. “And I’m liking short course events. But it is for me now a long season with six weeks of competition”, he hopes to keep his performance and can add his meanwhile 119 World Cup victories a few more.
Also for the local hero Franziska Hentke from Germany as the Budapest-runner-up in the 200m butterfly the World Championships have been not her final event for the season. “I will compete in the first World Cup cluster and in the third one. In the second on I will be in high altitude training and cannot participate”, she stated.
The competition's schedule unfolds as follows:
Sunday 06/08/2017 – Day 1 Monday 07/08/2017 – Day 2
Heats 10.00 h – Finals 17.30 h Heats 10.00 h – Finals 17.30 h
100m Breaststroke Men 100m Individual Medley Women
50m Butterfly Women 200m Butterfly Men
100m Freestyle Men 200m Backstroke Women
400m Individual Medley Women 50m Breaststroke Men
200m Backstroke Men 50m Freestyle Women
50m Backstroke Women 200m Freestyle Men
200m Freestyle Women 100m Butterfly Women
1500m Freestyle Men 400m Freestyle Women
200m Breaststroke Women 400m Individual Medley Men
200m Individual Medley Men 100m Breaststroke Women
4x50m Medley Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Mixed
FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2017 – Calendar
Cluster 1
Moscow (RUS) – August 2-3
Berlin (GER) – August 6-7
Eindhoven (NED) – August 11-12
Cluster 2
Hong Kong (HKG) – September 30-October 1
Doha (QAT) – October 4-5
Cluster 3
Beijing (CHN) – November 10-11
Tokyo (JPN) – November 14-15
Singapore (SGP) – November 18-19