The day however started with the women’s 200m back, where Katinka Hosszu (HUN) got the first title of the session, in 2:09.95. In Shenzhen, she had been second in 2:12.12, while Liu Yaxin had won in 2:10.34. In Beijing, the Chinese star had to content with silver, finishing slower in 2:11.46. Shortly after, in the 100m fly, the Hungarian great appeared tired and could not do better than fourth (1:00.20, against 1:02.32 four days ago), in a race won by Italy’s Elena Di Liddo – 58.09, again better than her winning time in the first leg (58.37).

Not competing in the initial meet of the Series, Japan’s Daiya Seto earned the first victory in the men’s category, touching home in 1:52.53 in the 200m fly. Tamas Kenderesi (HUN), who had triumphed in Shenzhen (1:55.17), was this time second in 1:55.87. In the end of the session, Seto was again the strongest of the field in the 200m IM, earning gold in 1:55.55. Wang Shun (CHN), the best on January 14, was second in 1:56.81. Seto’s teammate Ryosuke Irie also made his first appearance in Beijing and this somehow also changed things in the men’s 100m back. While in Shenzhen, China’s Xi Jiayu had no problems in touching first in 53.01, this time he had to share the gold with the Japanese, in a time of 52.97.

In the men’s 100m free, it was again an interesting duel between Russia’s Vladimir Morozov and Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev, but as in Shenzhen, the gold went to the 2019 FINA Swimming World Cup winner – 21.55 for Morozov, 21.86 for Gkolomeev (they had clocked respectively 21.70 and 22.03 four days ago).

In the women’s 200m breaststroke, Yu Jingyao, from China, also kept her Shenzhen title, swimming this time also a bit faster – 2:24.52, against 2:24.64 in the first leg. A quicker victory was also experienced by Siobhan Haughey (HKG) in the women’s 100m free – today, she swam for gold in 53.33, while four days ago, she was first in 53.57. It didn’t happen the same with Hungary’s Ajna Kesely, also winner in the Chinese capital of the women’s 400m free, but in a slightly slower time (4:09.10, against 4:09.05 on January 14). Liu Xiang (CHN) was also not so fast in the 50m backstroke, despite replicating the victory in Beijing (27.58 this afternoon, 27.36 in Shenzhen).

Nicholas Santos, from Brazil, continues to impress at almost 40, repeating Shenzhen’s success, in a better time in the men’s 50m fly – win in 22.95 (in Shenzhen, he clocked 23.28). In the women’s 50m breast, Martina Carraro, from Italy, couldn’t shine as in Shenzhen, losing this time to US Molly Hannis, winner in 30.34. A change also occurred in the men’s 100m breaststroke – after beating his opponents in Shenzhen, Arno Kamminga (NED) could not overcome an inspired Yan Zibei (CHN), who touched home in 58.83 (the Dutch was faster in the first leg, in 58.61).

The session concluded with the victory of the Team Andrew in the 4x100m free mixed relay – time of 3:29.72, for a quartet formed by Michael Andrew (USA), Andrei Minakov (RUS), Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) and Wang Jianjiahe (CHN).

QUOTES*

Elena Di Liddo (ITA), gold, women’s 100m fly:

“It was easier this time because we don’t have jet lag anymore. I like the venue and audience. I am having a great time. I hope I can compete here next year”.

Vladimir Morozov (RUS), gold, men’s 50m free:

“The time is almost ideal. It’s always good to swim faster while my rivals remain very strong. Now I look forward to the 100m freestyle as it will be a good race to watch”.

Nicholas Santos (BRA), gold, men’s 50m fly:

“I enjoy the drums’ dance show very much. It is amazing. This is my second time here in Beijing. My first time was at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 50m freestyle. But now I changed to butterfly. It is an amazing busy city and pool. I am happy that there are many people here watching us and we are trying to give it back. Considering Brazil has a 11-hour difference with China, and I overcame the jet lag, it is really good result”.

Daiya Seto (JPN), gold, men’s 200m fly: 

“I am surprised with my 200m fly: I broke the Japanese national record! I was not in my best form but the time boosts my confidence. I swam a good result in 400IM in a world record time. But after that, I took a vacation and the Beijing leg is my first competition of the year. It is a great start for me. I will try to take care of myself and realise my dream to become the Olympic champion, in 200m fly and IM”.

Sun Yang (CHN), gold, men’s 200m free:

“A good swim, thanks to the supportive audience and my arch-rival and friend Danas Rapsys. It will be a tough battle in the Tokyo Olympic Games since all the finalists will have the chance to win. I still need to improve my start and turns”.

Xu Jiayu (CHN), gold, men’s 100m back:

“Ryosuke Irie is my idol. It is a great honour to tie for the gold with him. It is very rare that you can tie the first place with your idol. I feel a little bit tired. It is like a competition in the Asian Games. I am a little bit faster than I did in Shenzhen. It is a just a test of my winter training.

Yan Zibei (CHN), gold, men’s 100m breast:

“I swam better than in Shenzhen and I felt more relaxed in the race. It is exciting to compete with the best swimmers in the world in front of the local fans”.

Liu Xiang (CHN), gold, women’s 50m back:

“Second win after Shenzhen. I had a cold and I did not feel good, but the time was OK”.

*Quotes collected by Zhou Xin, FINA Media Committee Member

Kromowidjojo was a member of the winning mixed freestyle relay team, after earning a silver medal in the women’s 100m free and bronze in the 100m butterfly.

Comparing today’s results with the performances in the first leg in Shenzhen on January 14-15, the Dutchwoman swam faster in Beijing in both individual events, 53.52 to 54.15, and 59.17 to 59.99 in 100m butterfly.

“I feel really good here at the Ying Dong Swimming Natatorium, the venue for the Water Polo tournaments at the 2008 Olympics. It is nice to be back in Beijing after the Olympics which bring me great memories. I like the venue, the audience and the show, except the cold weather. I don’t like cold. I prefer summer, but it’s fine”.

“I did three very good races tonight. The 50m fly was a good time. And then the 100m free was good too. And then I was in the winning mixed free relay team. I finished a one-two-three. Was it the day for me?” Kromowidjojo laughed.

Kromowidjojo, who collected a gold medal in the women’s 4x100m free relay in her Olympic debut in Beijing, now looks forward to her fourth Olympics in Tokyo.

“I’m really motivated for my fourth Olympic Games in Tokyo. That keeps me motivated to train hard. We had one week break off for the Christmas, and then we came back to training. I train together with Femke Heemskerk in the same pool.”

During the first Olympic qualification in the Netherlands, held in last December, the 29-year-old qualified for the 50m and 100m free and 4X100m free relay.

“I got qualified and I can concentrate on my preparation for the Olympic Games. But my rivals are very fast. I hope to do my best races and then we’ll see”.

“I was definitely very excited to race here in China. I have been travelling for two weeks. I swam faster throughout the two legs. I am also happy that I visited the Forbidden City, one day before the Beijing leg started on January 18”.

“I think the Chinese culture is unique in its traditions. I like it very much and I’m very lucky to be here and visit such places. It is just outstanding and amazing. I always wanted to visit China and especially Beijing. And I got this opportunity to visit it in winter time. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to visit the Summer Palace this time, but hopefully I will do in the future. It is not my first time in China. I’ve been to China last year in April when I competed in the Champions Series in Guangzhou”.

Minakov competed in the Champions Series in Guangzhou last April and later he took a silver medal in the 100m fly behind Caleb Dressel (USA) and a bronze medal in medley relay together with Evgeny Rylov, Kirill Prigoda and Vladimir Morozov at the Gwangju Worlds last year.

He swept six gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018. At the World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August 2019, he collected two gold in 100m free and 100m butterfly, plus four silver medals.

In Shenzhen, Minakov won the 100m free in 48.94, upsetting teammate and two-time World Cup overall winner Vladimir Morozov (49.02). In Beijing, it was Morozov who topped the field with a time of 48.32, ahead of Minakov (48.78).

“I won in Shenzhen, but I am faster in Beijing. It is always unpredictable to swim with him.  I will need to qualify in the top two at the national selection in April in Kazan and make the team. I can’t wait to race him again. I will focus on 100m fly and 100m free as well as the relay”.

As an Bio Engineering freshman in Stanford, Minakov says he selected the Bio Engineering as his major. “Our academics start after the Olympics in September. I’ll have a short vacation after the Olympics, and then I’ll move to the United States”.

The 25-year-old Daiya Seto broke a Japanese national record in the 200m fly (1:52.53) and later snatched the gold in the 200IM, in a time of 1:55.55.

“I am surprised with my 200m fly, where I broke the Japanese national record. I was not in my best form since it is the beginning of the year. But the time boosts my confidence. I had a 400m IM world record time last December and then I took a short vacation. The Beijing leg is my first and only international competition before the Olympic Games as I take the competition as training. It is the best beginning and good sign for me”.

“I will take good care of myself, and avoid injuries and illness in the training. My goal for the Olympic Games it to be the champion, in 200m fly and 200m IM. I still need to swim the 200m IM one second faster”, Seto said.

Ryosuke Irie skipped the Shenzhen leg but made his first appearance in Beijing. He tied for gold with local favourite Xu Jiayu in the 100m back (53.98) and won the 200m back in 1:55.55, the same time as Seto in the 200m IM.

“I am surprised that I entered the 54-second barrier in the 100 back since I did not do that during last year. I broke my bones last year and did have good time in Gwangju, but now I am fully recovered. I will try my best in the Japanese qualification in April and try to win both backstroke events”.

Irie admitted that, as the host athletes, they have more pressure than ever before. “But we are more excited to face the challenges. My rivals are very strong, having world and Olympic titles. I will do some altitude training and then prepare for the Olympic Games”, said the 30-year-old.

For former world record holder Ippei Watanabe, he was also happy with the sweet taste of victory in the 200m breast (2:08.40). “I very much liked the atmosphere, since it is the only international meet I have before the Olympic Games. I feel excited to race and happy with the time. I train very hard and I will try to achieve a good result at our national qualification. I want to leave the pressure to my rivals. My Olympic dream? To be the champion and better with a new world record of my own!” confessed the 22-year-old breaststroker.

Superstar Sun Yang did not disappoint his fans in the 200m and 400m free, with Xu Jiayu (100m back), and Yan Zibei (100m breast) completing the set of Chinese victories in the men’s category. From the Japanese side, Ryosuke Irie (100m and 200m back), Ippei Watanabe (200m breast), and Daiya Seto (200m fly and 200m IM) were also the athletes to beat in their respective events.

Sill among men, 2019 FINA Swimming World Cup winner Vladimir Morozov (RUS) was the fastest in the 50m and 100m free, Brazilians Joao Gomes Jr (50m breast) and Nicholas Santos (50m fly) were also consistent, and Matthew Temple gave the sole gold of the entire Series for Australia, in the 100m fly.

In the women’s field, China’s Liu Xiang imposed her class in the 50m free and 50m back, while teammates Yu Jingyao (100m and 200m breast) and Yang Junxuan (200m free) completed China’s harvest.

Hungary earned three titles, with Ajna Kesely (400m free), Katinka Hosszu (200m back) and Liliana Szilagyi (200m fly) shining for the Magyar side. The Netherlands had also good reasons to celebrate in Beijing, with Kira Toussaint (100m back) and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (50m fly) appearing in excellent shape.

The remaining titles among women went to Siobhan Haughey (HKG) in the 100m free, to Molly Hannis (USA) in the 50m breast, to Elena Di Liddo (ITA) in the 100m fly, and to Sydney Pickrem (CAN) in the 200m IM.

Athletes from 21 nations earned podium positions in Beijing, with 11 of them getting at least one gold medal: China (9), Japan (5), Hungary (3), Netherlands, Russia, USA and Brazil (all with two gold each), Italy, Hong Kong (China), Canada and Australia (with one title apiece).

At the conclusion of the successful 2020 Champions Swim Series in Beijing, FINA invited participating athletes and coaches for a meeting, where they could provide their feedback and give suggestions for the subsequent editions of the event.

A total of 70 athletes from 26 National Federations were invited to take part in this year’s edition of the competition. Together, they had earned a total of 59 Olympic and 163 World Championships’ medals.

Winners in Beijing (CHN):

50m free – Men: Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 21.55; Women: Liu Xiang (CHN), 24.03

100m free – Men: Vladimir Morozov (RUS), 48.32; Women: Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 53.33

200m free – Men: Sun Yang (CHN), 1:45.55; Women: Yang Junxuan (CHN), 1:54.98

400m free – Men: Sun Yang (CHN), 3:44.98; Women: Ajna Kesely (HUN), 4:09.10

50m back – Men: Michael Andrew (USA), 24.92; Women: Liu Xiang (CHN), 27.58

100m back – Men: Xu Jiayu (CHN) & Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 52.97; Women: Kira Toussaint (NED), 59.64

200m back – Men: Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:55.55; Women: Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2:09.95

50m breast – Men: Joao Gomes Jr (BRA), 27.08; Women: Molly Hannis (USA), 30.34

100m breast – Men: Yan Zibei (CHN), 58.83; Women: Yu Jingyao (CHN)), 1:07.18

200m breast – Men: Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2:08.40; Women: Yu Jingyao (CHN), 2:24.52

50m fly – Men: Nicholas Santos (BRA), 22.95; Women: Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED), 25.91

100m fly – Men: Matthew Temple (AUS), 51.71; Women: Elena Di Liddo (ITA), 58.09

200m fly – Men: Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:52.53; Women: Liliana Szilagyi (HUN), 2:08.37

200m IM – Men: Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:55.55; Women: Sydney Pickrem (CAN), 2:09.26

4x100m free mixed: Team Andrew – Michael Andrew (USA), Andrei Minakov (RUS), Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED), Wang Jianjiahe (CHN), 3:29.72

4x100m medley mixed: Team Liu – Liu Yaxin (CHN, W), Yan Zibei (CHN, M), Andrei Minakov (RUS, M), Wang Jianjiahe (CHN, W), 3:49.19

Today’s afternoon started in the best possible way for Japan, with Irie comfortably triumphing in the men’s 200m back in 1:55.55. Not present in Shenzhen, the Japanese ace significantly improved the winning time of Markus Thormeyer (CAN, 1:59.02) from Shenzhen. Irie was already the best in the 100m back in the Chinese capital, sharing the title with China’s Xi Jiayu on Day 1.

Japan continued its saga in the men’s 200m breast, with Ippei Watanabe, former WR holder in the distance and also not present in the initial leg, confirming his credentials and largely dominating the race. He earned gold in 2:08.40, having turned at the halfway race under the World Record – the best global mark belongs to Anton Chupkov (RUS), in 2:06.12. Arno Kamminga (NED), winner (2:09.00) on January 15, slightly improved his time (2:08.95) in Beijing, but that was only enough for silver. In the end of the Beijing meet, Japan earned five gold and two bronze medals.

In the women’s 200m fly, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) could not replicate her Shenzhen success, losing the race in Beijing in the last 50m, in favour of her teammate Liliana Szilagyi. The Magyar touched home in 2:08.37, slower than Hosszu’s performance (2:07.68) in the first leg of the Series. In the Ying Dong Natatorium, the silver was won in 2:08.56. In the 100m back, Kira Toussaint (NED) won the second 2020 gold in this event, touching the wall in 59.64, slightly worse than her Shenzhen result (59.52). Hosszu finished fourth, in 1:01.24. In her third final of the session, Hosszu also “lost” her Shenzhen gold in the 200m IM, after being defeated by an inspired Sydney Pickrem (CAN) in the Chinese capital. The gold was won in 2:09.26, while Hosszu improved her time (2:09.93, against 2:10.42 four days ago) for the silver.

In the men’s 100m fly, Michael Andrew (USA) started very strong, but couldn’t keep the pace in the second half of the race, when Matthew Temple (AUS) and Andrei Minakov (RUS, winner in Shenzhen, in 51.73) fought hard for the title. In the end, the Australian touched home for gold (first for his country in the Series) in 51.71, while the Russian had this time to content with silver (51.81). Minakov’s fate was also less successful in the 100m free. After narrowly losing in Shenzhen, Vladimir Morozov (RUS) was this time quite solid in Beijing, winning the two-lap race in 48.32, a much faster time than the winning performance (48.94) from Minakov on January 15. The Russian was silver medallist today, in 48.78.

In the women’s 50m free, Liu Xiang gave the first gold for China in this second day, by confirming her Shenzhen win – this time, the 23-year-old clocked 24.03 (new Asian record), improving by 0.01 her performance from January 15. Ranomi Kromowidjojo, from the Netherlands, also slightly improved her result (24.38, against 24.42), but again left the pool with the silver. In the men’s 400m free, Sun Yang had this time no problems in imposing his supremacy in this event, easily touching for gold in 3:44.98, slower than his winning time in Shenzhen (3:44.07). On January 15, his strongest opponent had been Danas Rapsys (second in 3:46.62), but the Lithuanian appeared to be tired in Beijing, concluding third (3:49.62), behind the second Chinese of the final, Ji Xinjie (silver in 3:47.04).

Yu Jingyao gave the third gold for China with a thrilling victory in the women’s 100m breast. In the end, the 20-year-old clocked 1:07.18, while the winner in Shenzhen, Italy’s Martina Carraro had to content this time with the silver (1:07.25). Shortly after, Yang Junxuan had to fight in order to revalidate her Shenzhen title in the women’s 200m free, winning faster this time, in 1:54.98 (against 1:55.52 on January 15). Siobhan Haughey (HKG) was not far, earning silver in 1:55.21. In a training mode, Hosszu was fourth, in 2:06.89.

The only US title of the day went to Michael Andrew in the men’s 50m back, in a winning time of 24.92. Xu Jiayu, from China, victorious in Shenzhen (in 24.63), was much worse this time, touching for the bronze in 25.05, still behind Robert Glinta, from Romania (second in 24.99).

In the men’s 50m breast, the situation also changed from Shenzhen, with Joao Gones Jr from Brazil beating the other three swimmers of the final and getting the title in 27.08. Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) winner of the first leg, was second in 27.22, slightly better than his previous time in the Series (27.28).

A thrilling duel between Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) and Jeanette Ottesen (DEN) dictated the second win in this event for the Dutch ace, in 25.91 – she had clocked 25.78 in Shenzhen. Ottesen finished second in 25.92, while Elena Di Liddo (ITA) was a “distant” third in 26.69.

Finally, in relay action, Team Liu won the 4x100m medley mixed race, in a time of 3:49.19 – the quartet included Liu Yaxin (CHN, W), Yan Zibei (CHN, M), Andrei Minakov (RUS, M) and Wang Jianjiahe (CHN, W).