Anna Elendt, Barbora Seemanova Score Double Victories at Mare Nostrum Canet; Dan Wiffen Dominates 1500 Freestyle
The three-meet Mare Nostrum series wrapped up Sunday in Canet with another signature breaststroke performance from Germany’s Anna Elendt. Following her dominant performance in the 100 breast Saturday, Elendt won both the 50 and 200-meter distances in this session while the Czech Republic’s Barbora Seemanova followed up her win over Siobhan Haughey in the 200 free with two further triumphs.
Elendt edged out Great Britain’s Imogen Clark in the 50, 30.63 to 30.81, with Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko third (30.84) and Russian veteran Yuliya Efimova fourth (30.96). In the 200, she finished in 2:23.73 to take down Belarus’ Alina Zmushka (2:24.25) and Ireland’s Ellie McCartney (2:24.55).
In the 400 free, Seemanova won in 4:08.71 over Portugal’s Francisca Soares Martins (4:09.74) and Belgium’s Sarah Dumont (4:11.80). Seemanova was also the winner of the 100 free, beating out France’s Beryl Gastadello (53.88) and Sweden’s Louise Hansson (55.14).
No one was stopping Dan Wiffen in the 1500 freestyle. The Irish swimmer who won Olympic gold in the 800 free and bronze in this 1500-meter event swam a time of 14:54.81, which was about 12 seconds off his season-best of 14:42.71 that ranks No. 4 globally. Romania’s Andrei-Theodor Proca took second (15:01.66) while Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi placed third (15:02.53).
Belarussian swimmer Ilya Shymaovich currently owns the top time in the world in the 50 breaststroke at 26.37, and he backed that up with a dominant performance Sunday. He clocked 26.59 to finish a full second ahead of Russia’s Kirill Prigoda (27.60), with Japan’s Shin Ohashi third (27.63).
Ohashi returned later on to swim a time of 2:08.89 in the 200 breast, a tenth ahead of Prigoda’s 2:08.99. The teenager ranks No. 7 globally in the event but fourth among Japanese swimmers, with Yamato Fukasawa, Ippei Watanabe and Yu Hanaguruma blocking his path to the international level. In Canet, Hong Kong’s Adam Chillingworth placed a distant third (2:13.16).
In a barnburner 100 freestyle final, Frenchman Maxime Grousset edged out Italy’s Manuel Frigo by one hundredth, 48.88 to 48.89, with Spain’s Sergio De Celis Montalban third (49.24). France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard followed up his upset win in the 50 back as he cruised to victory in the 100, clocking 53.38. Countrymen Jules Andre (54.78) and Mewen Tomac (54.79).
The men’s 50 butterfly went to Russia’s Oleg Kostin in 23.06, followed by Kazakhstan’s Adilbek Mussin (23.43) and the Netherlands’ Thomas Verhoeven (23.45). Italy’s Alberto Razzetti dominated the 200 fly in 1:56.05, beating out Hungary’s Richard Marton (1:57.80) and Italy’s Federico Burdisso (1:57.84). New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt got the better of Razzetti in the 200 IM, 1:59.31 to 1:59.97. Algeria’s Jaouad Syoud took third (2:01.89).
France topped the table in the women’s 100 back as Pauline Mahieu edged Canada’s Ingrid Wilm, 59.70 to 59.79. Gorbenko placed top-three again as she touched in 59.97, just ahead of France’s Mary-Ambre Moluh (1:00.04). The Netherlands’ Tessa Giele touched out French veteran Melanie Henique and in a competitive women’s 50 fly final. Giele went 25.98 to the 26.03 of Henique, with Sweden’s Sara Juvevik claiming third (26.16).
Dumont won the women’s 200 fly in 2:10.40, with the top-three also including Thailand’s Kamonchanok Kwanmuang (2:11.46) and Italy’s Antonella Crispino (2:11.70). To conclude the session, Italy’s Sara Francheschi finished ahead of Spain’s Emma Carrasco Cadens in the 400 IM, 4:40.28 to 4:40.93, while France’s Camille Tissandie placed third (4:46.48).
