SWIMMING WORLD CUP SWC 2012, Stockholm day 2 – Hosszu collects 24 medals after three meets

Katinka

Pedro Adrega, Head of FINA Communications Department

RENANG INDONESIA, October 14, 2012 STOCKHOLM - In Hungarian, “Hosszu” means “long” and that is a perfect adjective for Katinka’s effort in the 2012 edition of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup: a long and successful effort, that allowed her to collect eight more medals at the third meet of the Series, held in Stockholm from October 13-14. In the Swedish capital, the Magyar champion was first in the 200m, 400m and 800m free, 100m, 200m and 400m IM, and got the silver in the 200m backstroke and 200m butterfly – being also the fastest performer among women, with her 400m IM win (4:28.01). An impressive harvest considering the versatility needed to swim so many events in only two days! In the first legs of the 2012 edition of this World Cup – Dubai and Doha – Katinka Hosszu earned seven gold medals at each of the events, plus two bronze (for a total 24 podium appearances ahead of Moscow, the upcoming World Cup meet). Moreover, after three legs, Hosszu has swum 10,200m if we consider the number of heats and finals contested!

In the final session of the Swedish meet, Hosszu’s main and successful rival was compatriot Zsuzsanna Jakabos, who managed to beat her in the 200m fly. It was probably the most interesting race of the day, with Hosszu swimming in lane 4 and Jakabos in lane 8. Turning her head to the left side to breathe, Jakabos could perfectly control Hosszu’s effort, while Katinka had notorious problems in matching her challenger’s pace. In the end, Jakabos touched first in 2:06.90 and Hosszu got the silver in 2:07.18. Throughout the competition in Stockholm, Jakabos trailed her teammate, being second in the 200m free and 400m IM, third in the 800m free, 200m back and 200m IM and fifth in the 400m free. The triumph in the 200m butterfly was therefore a rewarding consolation for Jakabos. On day 1, only Melissa Ingram (NZL) beat Hosszu, in the 200m backstroke.

In 50m pool, the career highlights for the two Magyar stars include a 400m IM gold medal for Hosszu in 2009 at the FINA World Championships and five titles at European level, while Jakabos climbed to the European podium on five occasions.

The second and final day in the Swedish capital was also marked by the victory of 2008 Olympic champion Britta Steffen (GER) in the 100m free, in a time of 52.46 – corresponding to the second best female performance of the meet, with 919 points. On day 1, Steffen was also the best in the shortest race of the programme. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), Olympic gold medallist, also won the double - 50m and 100m breaststroke – as did among men Glenn Snyders from New Zealand. Rachel Goh from Australia was the “queen” of the backstroke events, getting the gold in the 50m and 100m.

After being second in the 100m free and 100m IM, Kenneth To (AUS) got his only victory in Sweden in the 100m butterfly in a time of 50.19. Also in good shape, Darian Townsend (RSA) earned two gold medals in the 200m IM (1:53.66) and 200m free (1:43.45).

In front of her fans, Therese Alshammar collected her 92nd gold medal at World Cup meets (and 136th medal), thanks to her win in the 50m butterfly in 25.64. Moreover, the 35-year-old champion was the third best performer in Stockholm after her 100m fly triumph in 56.68.

On the men’s side, George Bovell (TRI) got the best result of the meet on day 1, with his 100m IM victory in 51.56 (954 points), but was also fast while winning on day 2 the 50m free in 20.82.

The competition in Stockholm was prolific in good results and many winning times were improved when compared with the performances in Dubai and Doha: this happened in 14 races out of 17 among women and three in the men's field. In the lead-up to the fourth leg of the World Cup in Moscow (RUS, October 17-18), Kenneth To (AUS) sits atop the overall ranking with 70 points, while Hosszu is the overall leader of the women’s standings.

The best three performers in Stockholm were:

MEN
1. George Bovell (TRI), 100m IM, 51.56 – 954 points
2. Kenneth To (AUS), 100m IM, 51.75 – 943 points
3. Daiya Seto (JPN), 400m IM, 4:00.85 – 934 points

WOMEN
1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 400m IM, 4:28.01 – 923 points
2. Britta Steffen (GER), 100m free, 52.46 – 919 points
3. Therese Alshammar (SWE), 100m butterfly, 56.68 – 916 points

(fina)