MEN’S 400M IM (FASTEST HEATS)

Brendon Smith - AUS 

That was definitely my fastest in season 400 IM ever.  It always hurts so much more when you are not rested. But I'm definitely happy with that result.

Matt Sates has such a huge breastroke leg and that was something I still need to overcome.

I didn't want to give up as much as I did in the breaststroke.

With 25 to go I pretty much had given up,  but with 7m left I put my head down and  decided to go for it.

Since Tokyo I am making strides. I have moved to a new coach and adjusting to a new program has not been without challenges for me. 

I know that Leon Marchand has been going from strength to strength.  I’m expecting him to be going best times and I will just see what I can do

I will swim it the same way I approach every race, I’ll get in the water and give it my all.

 

WOMEN’S 800M FREESTYLE (FASTEST HEATS)

Lani Pallister - AUS

I'm really stoked  coming into this. I didn't expect a personal best by any means.

I had only a week off after the world championships and I eased back into training really slowly.

But it shows that the work that I am doing on the back of world championships has paid off.

That's the fastest that I have swam since the world championships trials in 2022.

I am really pleased with my progress and can't wait to take this to the rest of the world cups and into training after we get back home.

 

WOMEN’S 100M BUTTERFLY

Zhang Yufei - CHN

I feel a little tired.  The 100 fly is a much better event for me. Swimming on the third day I still feel sleepy and my body is tired, but it was a good result for me.

 

MEN’S 50M BUTTERFLY

Ben Armbruster - AUS

I’m great, even better now with that win.  I am going to keep using the 50 as a platform.  I think that the 50 is a great indicator of skills, speed and all the hard work that I have put in.  I am going to use this to build up to a stronger 100.  The faster I get out the easier I can go out in the 100.
My coach gave me some simple advice before the race, “get to the wall first” and I am happy to tell him that I took his advice.”

 

WOMEN’S 200M BACKSTROKE

Kaylee McKeown - AUS 

I was happy with the outcome.  I would have liked the time to have been a little faster and snuck under 2.6. It's a matter of putting the race together considering the training I have been doing.

 

MEN’S 100M BACKSTROKE

Thomas Ceccon - ITA

My time 52.2 was almost the same time as at Worlds this summer.  It’s fast. I made some mistakes, but they are always fixable.  The first leg of the three is over and I swam almost my personal best in each race, so I am pretty happy.  We will see how I do at the next two stops.  

 

WOMEN’S 50M BREASTSTROKE 

Ruta Meilutyte - LTU

I felt good and pleased with the world cup record.  I am grateful to be back swimming again (after a break) and it’s really special to be able to return to these events and swim times that I am pleased with, especially with the training that we are doing.  It’s a bit of a battle for me at times, swimming so many meets, but once I get through it, I am happy to have done it, and usually happy with my times. 

 

MEN’S 200M BREASTSTROKE

Qin Haiyang - CHN

Tonight I am 100% happy with the race. Actually doing the three days of racing makes me feel so very tired. I am a little bit surprised that I won.  After the race, I felt relieved.  I am already focused on the next races in Athens.  My coach told me to just try my best. 

WOMEN’S 100M FREESTYLE

Siobhan Haughey - HKG  

I really didn’t know what I was expecting.  It wasn’t a personal best time for me in the 100 free so this was a good surprise. My goal is to get faster at every stop, who knows, maybe by the end of the series I will swim a 51.

It's been really fun.  It's a very competitive meet, but the pressure is low and not like world champs. It's also a great training meet for all of us. The fact that there isn't a lot of pressure means that everyone can focus and enjoy the meet and not be stressed about their performance.  

 

MEN’S 200M FREESTYLE

Danas Rapsys - LTU

The time and the result was really good today and this win puts me into third place overall.  It’s always motivating to be in the overall series race. On the first day I thought I could go really fast, maybe a 44, but a 45 for this time of the season is really good.  I expect to swim faster along the series.

 

WOMEN’S 200M INDIVIDUAL IM

Kaylee McKeown - AUS

I wasn’t expecting to get a win in that.  I am really happy with that. Hopefully I can keep it up for the next few weeks as well.  This prepares me for the next few meets.  I may not like the fact that I have to double on a night like tonight, but if my coach believes it, then I know that I can do it.

I just did what I needed to do to make it to the finals.  Everyone has a strength and a weakness. When you are at the top, people are always chasing you.  I am just pleased that I can be in a sport that rewards training hard. As an athlete if you are not learning you are not growing. That’s my motto.

OVERALL | TOP POINT SCORERS AT THE SWIMMING WORLD CUP - BERLIN 2023  

Qin Haiyang - CHN

I am very grateful for the opportunity to race in Berlin. I felt that I might be able to win the three events and perhaps I will be able to swim fast in the next two weeks.

Kaylee McKeown - AUS

My coach whispered in my ear that I might be in contention, but I really hadn’t thought about it. It's not about the money or coming first or second. 

If I did this for the money, I would not be in the sport of swimming but maybe tennis. 

 

 

Contributing: Greggory Eggert, World Aquatics Correspondent