Monday, September 5, 2022

8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2022 Junior swimmers shine in final night of Championships


 

Nikolett Padar of Hungary became the most decorated female athlete of the 8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships by claiming five Gold Medals. David Popovici won the 100m Freestyle title, capping an exceedingly successful summer that saw him win World, European, and Juniors championship titles in both the 100m and 200m freestyle. South Africa's Pieter Coetze sets Championships Record in the 200m Backstroke, as he was able to flip the finals script with Ksawery Masiuk of Poland who had taken the 50m and 100m backstroke events. In his "last dance" in a junior event, Masiuk leaves Lima as the the most decorated male athlete, pocketing four gold and two bronze at the championships.

Masiuk contributed 4 golds and two bronze medals to his Polish team’s medal count.  He led off the men’s 4x100m Medley Relay that captured the gold medal.  Poland’s twin engines, Krzysztof and Michal Chmielewski, claimed the top two medals in the 200m butterfly, with Krsztof taking the gold in 1:55.78.  Krzysztof will leave Peru with three gold medals, two in relays, and a bronze in the 400m freestyle. In addition to his individual silver, Michal swam the butterfly leg on the winning medley relay.

Japan topped the medal table with 19 medals, of which 7 were golds, 8 were silver and 4 bronze.  Poland and Hungary also matched Japan's gold medal mark of seven, as both other countries tallied 14 medals. Italy’s wealth could be measured by their 20 medals, but they were lacking in the mining of Inca gold, as their tally in Peru was only two of the shiny medals.

 

MEN'S 100m FREESTYLE

David Popovici, the world’s newest world record holder in the 100m freestyle set in Rome in August, dropped another 47-point time, winning the same event in Lima. His 47.13 in the final is just 6/100ths off the Championship Record mark he swam earlier in the week as the Romanian won his signature event by more than two seconds.  The Romanian’s three golds and three silvers are even more impressive considering the three championship records he set earlier in the week.

 

WOMEN'S 200m BREASTSTROKE

Spain's Emma Carrasco Cadens won her first gold medal in the 200m breaststroke in 2:26.93 having led the entire race, to go with the bronze earned in the 200 IM

 

MEN'S 200m BACKSTROKE

South Africa’s Pieter Coetze set three championship records in Lima, each erased by the speed and energy of Ksawery Masiuk of Poland in the 50m and 100m backstroke events.  Coetze raced to a new championship record, winning the 200m backstroke event in 1:56.05 .  In his final race of the championships, Coetze led off the 4x100m freestyle real, with the South African quartet earning silver.

“I was nervous because it’s the last day, and it was my last race, and my body is more than a bit fatigued,” Coetze said. “I’m very happy to have won this event on the last day of the meet. I was not expecting to swim that fast so it's an amazing way to finish.  I am so happy that I got this win.” 

Added Coetze on his budding – and friendly – rivalry with Poland’s Ksawery Masiuk: “I have been following Ksawery Masiuk’s swimming results for more than a year and I know that he’s very fast.  I think we motivated each other to swim faster and I am sure that we will race each other many times in the future. 

“I hope to do big things in swimming in the future.”

 

WOMEN'S 100m BUTTERFLY

Japan’s Mizuki Hirai was fastest in the 100m butterfly, adding another gold medal to the medals table for her country.  The Japanese women won 13 medals in Lima, including the final 4x100m Medley Relay. The relay included Hirai and was anchored by triple gold medalist Mio Narita, who also won the 200m and 400m individual medley.

“This is my first medal in an international competition, and I am really happy with the victory,” Hirai said.

 

MEN'S 1500m FREESTYLE

Spain’s Carlos Garach Benito swept the two longest distance events winning his second gold medal in the 1500m freestyle event in 15:08.14.

“I am happy to have won the race as this has been a long year,” Benito said. “Now I have time to relax and to get ready for bigger races in the future.  I will not be racing open water in Seychelles (for the FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships) but I am sure to be back in open water races in November because I know the experience can only come from racing many times.”

 

WOMEN'S 50m FREESTYLE

Romania’s first and only individual female medal was by Bianca-Andreea Costea who won the 50m freestyle tonight.  As a member of the 4x100m Mixed Freestyle Relay, Costea also earned a silver medal earlier in the week.  Romania concluded the championships with eight total medals, identical to Turkey’s medal count of four gold, two silver, two bronze.

“I really have no words. I can’t believe it.  I wanted this so much,” Costea said. “I am extremely happy. I gave me best tonight. I know that I can improve on my start and also my underwater, but I was comfortable with my rhythm. My goal is to swim as fast as some of the best swimmers in the world.  I have learned a lot from my teammate David Popovici including how to control my emotions and to have trust in myself.”

 

MEN'S 200m BUTTERFLY

Twin brothers Krzysztof and Michal Chmielewski of Poland went one-two in this event, with Krysztof earning the top step on the podium in 1:55.78. Ei Kamikawabata of Japan secured bronze.

“We do everything together, the same school, the same class, and the same friends and of course training,” Krzsztof said. “It’s fantastic to win this race and for our family to see my brother earn a silver medal as well.  I was thinking only about my time and also about doing everything in a perfect way.”

Added Michal: “I was thinking about all I could do to finish strong in the last 50m.”

 

MEN'S 50m BREASTSTROKE

Uros Zivanovic of Serbia won the 50m Breaststroke final in 27.7, followed by Alex Sabattani (28.21) in silver and Luka Mladenovic (28.32) of Austria securing bronze.

“This race was amazing; these guys are so fast; I am excited to be here,” Zivanovic said. “It’s a great honour, I expected it to be a good race and I knew it would be tough to win this race.  It has been a long season but this is the best way to end the season.  I’m excited about the future.  I want to thank my teammates, my coach, my physio and of course my family.”

 

WOMEN'S 200m FREESTYLE

Hungary’s Nikolett Padar won her fifth gold medal of the championships in the 200m freestyle, her winning time was 1:58.19.  The Golden Girl of the 8th FINA World Championships won both the 50m and the 100m freestyle events and three relays for Hungary.

"It's an amazing experience for me in Lima," Padar remarked. "My hardest race was the 200m freestyle, and it was also the most rewarding race for me.  I didn’t think I could win, so it’s a happy moment.  I have a small break, but also school so I will continue to be very busy."

 

MEN'S 4X100m MEDLEY RELAY

Poland claimed their seventh gold of these championships in the Men's Medley Relay in 3:40.17, followed by South Africa in 3:42.95 for silver and France in 3:43.68 for bronze. The winning Polish quartet was enthused about the race - and week and the crowds in Lima:

Ksawery Masiuk (53.46) – “We believed as a team that we are the best.  It was out last race so it was exciting and I gave it 100 percent.” 

Filip Urbanski (1:02.40) – “Although this season just ended another season is just starting, so there’s no time off for me.”

Michal Chmielewski (53.87) – “We went after this medal.”

Krzysztof Matuszewski (50.44) – “The best thing about Lima was the crowd and we felt their support.  It was an amazing relay but it was a tough race.”

 

WOMEN'S 4X100m MEDLEY RELAY

For the last event of the Championships, it's Japan kept pace and clinched the gold medal pulling away just enough to win in 4:06.44 over Italy in 4:06.91. Poland completed the podium at 4:08.22.

In unison, the Japanese members of the relay said: “We are so happy!”

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