Stat of the Night |Kaylee the Backstroke Queen

Ben Makes Team GBR Proud, Rips a 21.77 in the Men's 50m Free 

Ben Proud makes his Swimming World Cup 2023 debut a winning one. Makes sense, as the two-time World Champ took the Men's Fastest Swimmer Belt here in 2022 in Duna Arena. He's coming off a bronze at the Worlds in Fukuoka.   

Ben Didn't Want to Miss Out: "I was watching the races the past two weeks and saw some really fast times thrown down in October. I wanted to come join in."

Results

1. Ben Proud (GBR) - 21.77
2. Michael Andrew (USA) - 21.85
3. Isaac Cooper (AUS) - 21.92

When the Stars All Line Up, Sjostrom Shines Brightest

The Swedish superstar takes the women's 50m frees in style, going sub-24 with Haughey and the Campbell sisters chasing.

Sjostrom's putting this one away in her memory bank: "I am going to remember this race."

Results

• Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) - 23.97
• Siobhan Haughey (HKG) - 24.30
• Bronte Campbell (AUS) - 24.42
• Cate Campbell (AUS) - 24.42

 

Qin's "Triple-Triple" Still in Play, Swims Sub-58 in Men's 100m Breaststroke 

Qin Says: "I have good feeling, winning this event.  This win makes me feel more confident in the next two races."

The Men's Swimming World Cup Overall Leader Qin has the 50m and 200m breaststrokes to go in his quest for an undefeated World Cup season. 

Tonight's effort can't hurt in the final drive for the World Aquatics Male Swimmer of the Year Award, right? Who you got? Three worthy competitors:

Results

1. Qin Haiyang (CHN) - 57.82
2. Arno Kamminga (NED) - 58.68
3. Nic Fink (USA) - 59.21

Women's 200m Breaststroke | Tes "Triple Crown Winner" Schouten

The Dutch Olympian outswam Australia's Jenna Strauch and fended off a challenge from European rival Kristyna Horska to win in Budapest and thus claim the crown of three consecutive wins in the 200m breaststroke.

Says Schouten: "It was a PB and I didn't expect it."

Results

1. Tes Schouten (NED) - 2:21.52 World Cup Record
2. Jenna Strauch (AUS) - 2:22.83
3. Kristyna Horska (CZE) - 2:24.62

 

Swiss, Take Two! Noe Ponti wins fierce men's 100m butterfly final

Noe Ponti, 2.0? "I wanted to start off the season with a win; this year we are going to stop losing. Budapest is always amazing, the fans here are always so amazing."

Tonight's win is Ponti's first-ever on the Swimming World Cup circuit. He adds this to his European Junior Championship title from 2019, his Olympic bronze from the Tokyo Olympics, and three World Championship medals in the short-course 25m pool.  

Results

• Noe Ponti (SUI) - 51.38
• Matt Sates (RSA) - 51.66
• Jesse Jack Coleman (AUS) - 51.88 

Zhang Yufei swims a breathless 200m butterfly final, posts World Cup Record time, takes the event Crown

Zhang Zinger: "I was nervous because I had won the two previous races and now I had to prepare myself to do the same tonight." 

Results

1. Zhang Yufei (CHN) - 2:05.65 World Cup Record
2. Lana Pudar (BIH) - 2:08.19
3. Boglarka Kapas (HUN) - 2:10.27

Men's 200m Backstroke | Switzerland's Mityukov out-touches Italy's Ceccon #FTW

The last time we saw Thomas Ceccon racing the 200m backstroke in Duna Arena, he was setting the event's World Record. This time, Switzerland's Roman Mityukov won by the closest of margins - .001 of a second - to take the win and end Ceccon's triple crown bid in the event.

Roman's Remarks: "Of course, it hurts! It's a 200 back, especially when you are at the beginning of the season when you are not tapered."

Results

1. Roman Mityukov (SUI) 1:56.96
2. Thomas Ceccon (ITA) 1:56.97
3. Apostolos Christou (GRE) 1:58.62 

Kaylee takes the Crown...and the World Record!

"I just wanted to get out fast night and see what I can do." - Kaylee McKeown 

The 22-year-old Aussie showed she had the speed in Athens, when she was 4/100ths of a second off the women's 50m backstroke. In the super speedy Duna Arena competition pool, McKeown earned the first World Record of the Swimming World Cup 2023 season as China's Liu Xiang's 26.98 falls. 

In the race for second, Canadians Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm tie in 27.68. 

Results

• Kaylee McKeown (AUS) 26.86 WORLD RECORD!
• Ingrid Wilm (CAN) 27.68
• Kylie Masse (CAN) 27.68

 

Men's 400m Free | Aussie Sam Short ends Danas Rapsys' Triple Crown Bid 

The Fukuoka men's 400m freestyle World Champion Sam Short might have made his Swimming World Cup debut in Budapest, but he didn't wait long to earn his first podium with the win in 3:44.51.

USA's Kieran Smith came back on Lithuania's Danas Rapsys to take silver. Rapsys still has a chance to earn a Crown - and the USD 10,000 bonus that comes with it - in the men's 200m freestyle. 

Says Sam: "I'm coming off a huge training block so I never expected to swim as good as this in October.  To be able to race with these boys it really important."

Results

• Sam Short (AUS) 3:44.51
• Kieran Smith (USA) 3:46.80
• Danas Rapsys (LTU) 3:47.00

Women's 400m Free | First Race, First Crown!

New Zealand's Erika Fairweather wasted no time winning the first Triple Crown of the 2023 World Cup season, outlasting her Oceania rival Lani Pallister once again over the women's 400m freestyle, winning in 4:02.35 -- just off the World Cup Record (4:01.09) she set in the opening leg of this year's Swimming World Cup tour in Berlin.

Results

1. Erika Fairweather (NZL) 4:02.35
2. Lani Pallister (AUS) 4:03.43
3. Barbara Seemanova (HUN) 4:06.09

Activating & Soaring

Final warm-ups, instructions and moments before the final Friday night session of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023 series gets underway in Duna Arena.

Watch It Live | A Friday Night Filled With Finals From Budapest 

Into the Light | Inspiring NextGen

 

How It Started In Budapest