Sjostroem shines at home, Le Clos reinforces overall lead

FINA/ARENA SWIMMING WORLD, Stockhome, Swedia. After getting the fastest performance of the second meet of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup in Stockholm (SWE), by winning the women’s 200m free on Day 1, Sarah Sjostroem (SWE) was again in evidence in the second finals’ session, getting the gold in the 100m free, in a time of 52.44. In the 400m free, she got the silver in 4:03.60, narrowly losing the race to Australia’s Angie Bainbridge (4:03.02).

Other local successes in this second and last day in Stockholm included the triumph of Jennie Johansson in the women’s 50m breaststroke (30.05), the gold of Stefan Nystrand in the men’s 50m free (21.70), and the inevitable Therese Alshammar in the women’s 50m butterfly (25.23).

After getting the gold in the men’s 400m free on Day 1, Paul Biedermann (GER), world record holder (1:39.37, since 2009) also in the 200m free won the shorter event in 1:43.44. In the longest race of the programme, Pal Joensen (FAR) comfortably won in 14:52.00. Alexander Dale Oen (NOR), one of the heroes in the last FINA World Championships in Shanghai (CHN), got the title in the men’s 100m breaststroke (58.30), while Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) registered one of the best performances of the day (907 points), getting the gold in the women’s 400m individual medley, in a time of 4:29.65.

Rachel Goh (AUS) made the double 50m-100m backstroke, winning in the longest distance in 57.55, and Jie Gong (CHN) got the best female performance (926 points) of Day 2 in Sweden, by being the fastest in the 200m butterfly (2:03.91). In an interesting duel, Daiya Seto (JPN) beat favourite Chad Le Clos (RSA) in the men’s 200m individual medley: Seto touched home in 1:54.65, while the South African earned the silver in 1:54.93. Le Clos got his only win of the day shortly after, beating the rest of the field in the 200m backstroke, in a slow time of 1:54.33.

Almost in the end of the finals’ session, Therese Michalak (GER) won a close race in the women’s 100m individual medley, touching first in 59.30 (923 points), leaving the silver medal to Canada’s Erica Morningstar (59.39), who had triumphed in the 200m IM on Day 1.

After the first two legs in Dubai (UAE) and Stockholm, the overall ranking is led by Chad Le Clos (41 points – best performer in the United Arab Emirates and third best in Sweden) among men, and by Sarah Sjostroem and Daryna Zevina (UKR), both with 25 points, in the women’s field. The third meet of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup will take place in Moscow (RUS), on October 18-19

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