Ruta Meilutyte scares the 50m Breaststroke world record; Sates, Haughey lead overall Swimming World Cup standings

Meilutyte’s time is closer to Alia Atkinson’s 28.56 world record from 2018 than anyone has been before, as Meilutyte lowers her own best time from 28.81 from when she was 17 in 2014.

Meilutyte notably retired from swimming in 2019 but returned in 2021 and has picked up where she left off, winning the FINA World Championship title in the 50m breaststroke this past summer in 2022.

“I’m just super grateful to be able to do it, to enjoy swimming fast,” Meilutyte said. “Swimming is great, but swimming fast - it’s something really special and I don’t take it for granted. I’m really enjoying the experience.”

Meilutyte is currently in fourth place in the women’s overall World Cup standings based on her performances this weekend in Berlin as she also won the 100 breaststroke on Saturday.

Sweden’s Louise Hansson also had a very impressive swim Sunday in the 100m butterfly with a 55.33. Although it was off her best of 55.10, it was enough for her first win of the weekend in her first race of the competition season.

“I’m really happy to start out the season with a 55.3,” Hansson said. “Honestly, I was not expecting to be this quick, three-to-four weeks in. But I’ll take it.

“This gives a lot of confidence. I’ve only been in the water for three weeks so I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to perform. So far, it’s been pretty solid: nothing amazing, but a solid starting point. Yeah, I’m just going with the rhythm. I’m excited to see what the season holds.”

Currently, the men’s overall World Cup standings are being led by 19-year-old South African Matthew Sates, who won the 200m freestyle (1:40.88) and 400 IM (4:02.95). His time in the 200 freestyle was the 15th fastest time in history, as he out-dueled Kyle Chalmers of Australia, with the 2016 Olympic champion taking second in 1:41.09. It’s not a best time for either one of them, but it was reminiscent of their battle last year in this same pool in Berlin where Sates broke the world junior record that is still the standard a full year later.

Those two should chase the world record of Paul Biedermann’s at 1:39.37 over the next couple weeks, as that record is one of two individual men’s world record in short course meters still standing from the pre-2010 super-suit era.

“I was keeping my stroke pretty long,” Sates said. “I know my strength is at the finish. I felt really in control in all the races and I thought I’d have the chance to catch (Chalmers).”

Sates also won the 400m IM but was off his best time. He is currently leading the overall men’s points standings with 58.3 points over Trinidad & Tobago’s Dylan Carter (57.3 points) and American Nic Fink (57 points).

“That was tough – five races and ten swims here in three days,” Sates said. “I had to focus on the recover real hard. In Toronto, I’ll try and pick the performance up a bit. And in Indianapolis, the same.

“I’m happy, but the job’s not done. We’re one-third of the way done, and there’s more to come.”

Carter had a successful weekend with three victories, including a 50m butterfly win on Sunday with a 22.13. It’s not a best time, but it gave him a confidence boost after the summer.

“I wrote a goal down on my board in my room after having a tough summer,” Carter said. “I missed out on three major medals. I was fourth at long course worlds. I finished fourth twice at the Commonwealth.

“I came out of what with a lot of fire. I wrote it down. I knew I wanted to come and be really, really good here. I did what I wanted to do.

Fink won the 200m breaststroke with an impressive display of pacing, coming from sixth at the 100 and fifth at the 150 to run down former world record holder and home favorite Marco Koch win the event at 2:05.74 to Koch’s 2:05.75.

“It’s the kind of the strategy that I felt I wanted going into it,” Fink said. “I was planning on doing this; but in the end, you never really know. That was a lot, getting Marco at the end. You know, I was just happy getting my hand on the wall first.”

It’s a strategy that Fink has been known for late in his career as he is now age 29.

“I have done I think one million 200m breaststrokes,” Fink said. “Knowing where you are, where your training’s been, it gives you more confidence if you’re going into the back 100 in sixth place.”

The women’s overall standings are currently led by Siobhan Haughey (58.5 points) over Beata Nelson (57.3 points). Haughey won the 100m freestyle with a 51.59 for her third win on the weekend, adding on to her victories in the 200m and 400m freestyle. Haughey is making her season debut after sitting out the World Championships in June to nurse an injury and she has shown no signs of slowing down as she was within a second of her lifetime best.

Nelson was able to get into second place overall on the points standings thanks to her wins in the 200m backstroke (2:02.59) and 200m IM (2:06.80) in one of the most impressive doubles anyone can do. Nelson won both races from lane 2 as she has proved to be in good form to potentially win the overall World Cup title over the three weeks.

“I’m just trying to be as competitive as I can against some of the best swimmers in the world,” Nelson said. “It’s an honour and a privilege.”

Next, the World Cup will head to Toronto and then to Indianapolis, where swimmers like Nelson and Canada’s Kylie Masse have raced numerous times in a familiar environment.

“I love Indianapolis; it’s a great place to race,” Nelson said. “It’s exciting to see this city getting into the Swimming World Cup circuit. The city gets around swimming. The community is really into it. We’ll pack that place out pretty good.”

USA’s Shaine Casas also took a win in the 100m backstroke (49.54) while Germany’s Isabel Gose put on a good show for the Berlin crowd with an 8:14.88 to win the 800m freestyle.

FINA Swimming World Cup Overall | Who's leading the series

Female rankings 

Siobhan HAUGHEY leads the overall rankings at the end of the first meet in Berlin!

Unbeatable in the Freestyle events with 3 wins (100,200,400m)

Check out the full rankings 

Male rankings

Matthew Sates restarts the World Cup season from where he left last year...WINNING ALL!

With 58.3 points is the rankings leader of the Berlin meet claiming 4 victories: 200/400 Free & 200/400 Medley

Check out the full rankings