George Bovell (TRI) and Kenneth To (AUS) continued their interesting duel in the 100m individual medley, with Bovell triumphing in 51.80 (he was faster when he also won in Berlin, clocking 51.20). It was Bovell’s third victory this year, while To (second in Tokyo, in 51.83) accumulates four wins in this World Cup.
In the 200m breaststroke, Akihiro Yamaguchi (JPN) got his first success of the series, earning gold in 2:04.64 - this year, only Sean Mahoney (USA) was better, with a 2:04.55 win in Berlin -, while Michael Klueh (USA) also got his first triumph in the 400m free, with the fastest winning time of the series (3:40.23). Klueh has been the 1500m free gold medallist in Beijing (CHN), at the previous leg of the series.
In the women’s field, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), the great dominator of the season got three more gold medals, this time in the 200m IM, 200m free and 800m free. In the medley event, she established the best female performance of the day, clocking 2:07.51 (933 points). The Magyar champion got her fifth victory in this event, which had in Shiwen Ye (CHN) the fastest winner so far, with a 2:06.10 finish in the “Water Cube”. It was also the fifth gold medal for Hosszu in the 200m free and 800m free.
The other highlights of the day include the triumph of Britta Steffen (GER) in the 50m free, with the fastest time of the 2012 series – 24.01. It was the fourth victory so far for the German star, 2008 Olympic champion in the 50m and 100m free. Jessica Hardy (USA) was the fastest in the 100m breaststroke (1:04.86), getting her second win in this World Cup (in Berlin, she earned gold in the best time so far, 1:04.58).