Coming into the final weekend of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cups, 13 swimmers across 23 events were still in the running to win a World Cup Crown by winning the same race at each tour stop. Heading into the final night of racing in the Hungarian capital, here's the status for each quest for the Crown.
Can Kaylee McKeown Complete Her Backstroke "Triple-Triple Crown" Bid?
How It's Going
- Women's 50m Backstroke - Wins the Crown with a World Record (26.86)
- Women's 100m Backstroke - Wins the Crown with a World Record (57.33)
What's to Come on Sunday Night
- Women's 200m Backstroke
What We Wrote Coming Into Budapest
She’s the top seed in all three events. Challengers in the 50m back include two Canadians Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm and perhaps also Maaike de Waard (NED) and Hungary’s Lora Fanni Komoroczy; each will race the 100 as well. In the 100 back expect to also see a third Canadian attempting to get her hand on the wall first, Taylor Ruck. Anastasiya Shkurdai (NIA), Masse (CAN) and Hungarian Eszter Szabo-Feltothy are expected to challenge McKeown in the 200 back.
Qin Haiyang on his "Triple-Triple" Quest Across the 50m, 100m & 200m Breaststroke Events
How It's Going
- 50m Breaststroke - Won the Crown (26.30)
- 100m Breaststroke - Won the Crown (57.82)
What's to Come Sunday
200m Breaststroke
What We Wrote About Qin in the 200m Breaststroke Coming Into Budapest
In the 200 breaststroke, World Record-holder Qin has beaten his Chinese teammate Dong Zhihao and Nic Fink (USA) and Dutch teammates Arno Kamminga (NED) and Caspar Corbeau (NED) but each has hopes to reach the medals podium.
Why Qin Can Do It
He swept these same events in Fukuoka, the first swimmer to win all three events at a single World Championships. He set a new World Record in the 200m breast at this summer’s World Aquatics Championships in Japan.
Lithuania's Danas Rapsys Still Has A Shot for the 200m Free Crown
Rapsys Recap
Rapsys came into Budapest with two potential Swimming World Cup Crowns in play. However, a fresh Sam Short ended the Lithuanian's bid for the crown in the 400m freestyle. Sunday's penultimate race will see if Rapsys can avoid a second spoiler to head home with a Crown - and the USD 10,000 bonus.
How It's Going
- Budapest 400 Free: 3:47.00 Bronze - Spoiler: & Winner Sam Short - AUS 3:44.51
What's to Come Sunday
- 400m Freestyle
Why Danas Can Do It
He’s a two-time Olympian (2016-2020) who finished 8th in the 200 in Tokyo. He holds 40 World Cup medals including three silvers from Indianapolis in the 200m and 400m free and also in the 200 IM, as well as bronze in the 400m last year in Toronto.
Matthew "Mission Accomplished" Sates| South African Claims Two Crowns in Budapest
How It's Going
South Africa's Matthew Sates came into the final leg of the Swimming World Cup with two Crown bids intact, in the 200m IM and 200m Butterfly. Saturday night was the Big One for Sates, who had to double back from the 200m IM win with the ever-difficult 200m butterfly. Racing out of Lane 1, Sates turned it on over the second half of the fly to earn the win and complete the double Crown quest.
- 200m IM - Wins the Crown (1:57.72)
- 200m Butterfly - Wins the Crown (1:55.825)
What's to Come Sunday
Still in the mix for a top placing in the Swimming World Cup overall rankings, Sates will race the 400m IM on Sunday night. Sates took the silver in the longer-distance IM in both the Berlin and Athens Swimming World Cup meets.
Thomas Ceccon Won One Crown on Saturday; Can He Make it Two on Sunday?
How it's Going
The Italian lost out in his first race in Budapest by the slimmest of margins - .01 seconds - in the 200m backstroke on Friday night, but he wasn't in the running for a Crown in this competition.
On Saturday, Ceccon came back and won the 100m freestyle to claim his first Crown of the 2023 Swimming World Cup Season.
- 100m Freestyle - Wins the Crown (48.41)
What Did Ceccon Have to Say About the 100m Freestyle Final?
“That was the worst one I think; I swam well this morning,” Ceccon said. “Three for three, so it’s not bad. Not good, but not bad because I won. But nothing exciting.
"Racing Allesandro (Miressi) and Dylan and these top guys pushed me. I saw that Dylan was ahead at the 50 and I said, ‘Man, this guy is fast’, and I made sure that finished hard in the final 10m for the crown.”
What's to Come Sunday
- 100m Backstroke
Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom Completes Two Crown Bid
What We Said About Sarah Before Budapest
She’s seeded first in both of these events (50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly). Cate Campbell (AUS), Marrit Steenbergen (NED) and Swedish teammate Michelle Coleman are her main rivals in the 50 free. In the 50 fly, she will likely face Zhang (CHN) and Maaike de Waard (NED) in the finals.
How it's Going
- 50m Freestyle - Wins the Crown (23.97)
- 50m Butterfly - Wins the Crown (25.21) - just over Zhang Yufei (25.23)
What's to Come Sunday for Sarah
A scratch for tonight's 100m Butterfly, Sjostrom will race the 100m Freestyle. She's in a big battle in the women's overall Swimming World Cup rankings.
While Australia's Kaylee McKeown is out front with 157.8 points, Sjoestrom currently sits in second with 148.4 points. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) currently is in third with 146.8 points, with Zhang Yufei in fourth with 146.6 points.
While Sjostrom can't win another Crown, she could play a spoiler to Haughey's 100m freestyle crown bid in the final.
Siobhan Haughey | Wins 200m Free Crown, Goes for perfect 100m Triple on Sunday
What We Said About Siobhan Before Budapest
Haughey is the second seed in the 100m freestyle behind Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom and is expected to face a test from Marrit Steenbergen (NED), and a second sprinter from Sweden. Olympic bronze medallist Cate Campbell (AUS) and Olympic bronze medallist (4x100 free relay) Taylor Ruck (CAN) could also spoil Haughey’s pursuit of the crown in this event.
Haughey is the top seed in the 200m free ahead of Erika Fairweather (NZL) and Steenbergen (NED) in this event. Australia’s Lani Pallister is best known for her distance pedigree but was a heats swimmer in the Australian 4x200 relay in Fukuoka.
How it's Going
- 200m Freestyle - Wins the Crown (1:54.08 - World Cup Record)
What's Coming on Sunday for Siobhan
- 100m Freestyle
Why Siobhan Can Do It
She set World Cup Records in the 100m freestyle in both Berlin and Athens. The two-time Olympian was second in the 100m and 200m freestyle events at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Zhang Yufei | 100m & 200m Butterfly
What We Said About Zhang Before Budapest
The Chinese Olympian is the top seed in the 100 fly ahead of rivals Louise Hansson (SWE) and Lana Pudar (BIH). Pounder is the top seed and likely challenger in the 200 fly. Two swimmers from Hungary, Boglarka Kapas and Dalma Sebestyen will enjoy significant support from the home spectators in the 200m butterfly.
How it's Going
- 200m Butterfly - Wins the Crown (2:05.65 - World Cup Record)
What's Coming on Sunday
- 100m Butterfly
Why Zhang Can Do It
After just losing out to Sarah Sjostrom in Saturday night's 50m butterfly, she won't have to battle the Swede here as Sjostrom scratched from this event to focus on the 100m freestyle. She also just set the World Cup Record in the 200m butterfly.
Tes Schouten Gets It Done in the 200m Breaststroke
What We Said About Tes's Crown Bid Before Budapest
The Dutch Olympian must outswim European rivals Lisa Mamie (SUI) and Jenna Strauch (AUS) and fend off a challenge from Lydia Jacoby (USA), the Olympic gold medalist in the 100m breast to claim the crown of three consecutive wins in the 200m breaststroke.
How it's Going
- 200m Breaststroke - Wins the Crown (2:21.52 - World Cup Record)
What's Coming on Sunday
Can play the spoiler role as Ruta Meilutyte goes for the 50m breaststroke Crown.
Erika Fairweather Claims the 400m Freestyle Crown
What We Said About Erika's Crown Bid Before Budapest
If the New Zealand swimmer is to claim three consecutive titles and the coveted crown she will have to beat her Oceania rival Lani Pallister (AUS), and fend off challenges from Siobahn Haughey (HKG) and Hungarian swimmers Ajna Kesely and Nikolett Padar racing before enthusiastic home audiences
How it's Going
- 400m Freestyle - Wins the Crown (4:02.35)
What's Coming on Sunday
Women's 800m Freestyle, where she can play a spoiler role in Pallister's Crown bid.
Lani Pallister Goes for the 800m/1500m Freestyle Crown
What We Said About Lani's Crown Bid Before Budapest
The Australian swimmer will face a strong challenge from top-seeded Erika Fairweather (NZL), with Hungary’s trio of Ajna Kesely, Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas and Vivien Jackl entertaining the home crowd in the women's freestyle distance events.
What's Coming on Sunday
- Women's 800m Freestyle
Why Lani Can Do It
Pallister beat Fairweather by 4.41 seconds in Berlin and set a new world cup record in the 800m freestyle which is the event they will race in Budapest. She finished behind Fairweather in Berlin earning a silver in the 400 and behind Haughey and Fairweather in the 200m for a bronze medal.
She won the 1500m in Athens setting a new world cup record and beating the runner-up, Katie Grimes (USA) by more than 12 seconds. and finished second to Fairweather in the 400m free in Athens. She earned a bronze medal in the 1500m free behind world record holder Katie Ledecky (USA) and Grimes (USA).
In December 2022 at the short course Worlds in Melbourne, Pallister won the 400, 800 and 1500m races and earned a fourth gold medal in Australia’s 4x200m free relay. At the 2019 World Junior Championships, she won the 400, 800 and freestyle events.
Michael Andrew Cashes in, Claims 50m Backstroke Crown
What We Said About Andrew's Crown Bid Before Budapest
The American will need to repel challenges from top seed Apostolos Christou (GRE), Isaac Cooper (AUS) and Thomas Ceccon (ITA) in order to capture the crown in Budapest.
How it Went
- 50m Backstroke - Wins the Crown (24.64)
What Andrew Had to Say About It
“That was very fun,” Andrew said. “It's always fun to win. I wanted to be under 24.4. Maybe I could have been if we didn't have to drop down and reset the start. We will never know. It felt like a good race. It was clean. I had to shut my brain off and try as fast I could knowing that.”
What Andrew's Sunday Night Looks Like
Andrew is in the thick of it right now for a top placing in the overall Swimming World Cup series. With three events scoring at each of the three World Cup meets, Andrew needs one more top result from Budapest to achieve a top place. He has one more chance to make that happen, in the 50m butterfly.
Ruta Meilutyte Withdraws from 50m Breaststroke Crown
Get your health back, Ruta!
Contributing: Torin Koos and Gregory Eggert