The fourth and final leg of the FINA 2021 World Cup series gets under way in Kazan, Russia on Thursday with more than 290 swimmers from 37 nations competing over three days.
Among those appearing on the opening day of finals are Emma McKeon, Kira Toussaint and Madi Wilson with the trio occupying the top three slots on the women’s leaderboard.
Kyle Chalmers, Arno Kamminga, Tom Shields and Matthew Sates are among the men featuring at the Aquatics Palace.
Women’s 400 Free
Madi Wilson has been on superb form throughout this World Cup series and she won the 400 on the last outing in Doha.
She qualified fastest from the heats and went stroke for stroke with fellow Australian Leah Neale through the opening stages with the latter 0.40 ahead at halfway, a lead she extended to 0.88 with 100 to go.
She was 1.48 ahead at 300 and although Wilson came back on the final 25 it was Neale who got the touch in 4:01.73 to 4:02.05 with Aleksandra Bykova third in 4:05.12.
Men’s 400 Free
Matthew Sates has made a startling entrance on to the senior international stage during the World Cup series.
He has tussled with Danys Rapsys throughout with the Lithuanian winning the 400 free at the opening leg in Berlin.
Sates not only turned the tables next time out in Budapest but he did so in a WJR of 3:37.92 before claiming victory once more in Doha.
The pair lined up alongside each other in lanes three and four with Daniil Shatalov in five.
Rapsys led through the opening 200, reaching the halfway point 0.29 ahead of Shatalov before the Russian went ahead as Sates moved into third.
Shatalov was first at 300 but Sates made his move to reduce the deficit to only 0.02 with 50 to go when the South African accelerated with a two-length blast of 25.78 to take victory in 3:38.28.
Rapsys moved past Shatalov to take second in 3:38.81 with the Russian third in 3:39.54.
Women’s 50 Backstroke
Kira Toussaint has been in a league of her own over two lengths with victory in each of the three previous rounds.
The Netherlands swimmer set a World Cup record of 25.81 in the opening leg in Berlin and made her intentions clear in the morning heats in Kazan when she went 25.89, almost a second clear of Holly Barratt who qualified second.
Again it was Toussaint who got her hand to the wall first in 25.87 ahead of Barratt (26.25) and Daria Vaskina (27.09).
Men’s 200 Backstroke
There was a new winner in the event with Aleksei Tkachev moving from third to first with a final 50 of 27.59 to touch in 1:51.34.
Yakov Toumarkin had held the lead at 150 and went stroke for stroke with the Russian but finished second in 1:51.55 with Grigory Tarasevich next home in 1:51.93.
Women’s 200 Fly
Anastasiya Markova led at the 50 and was ahead by 0.22 from Zsuzsanna Jakabos at halfway.
Come the 150 mark and the Russian swimmer led by 0.31 only for the Hungarian to draw on to her shoulder and take the touch by 0.09 in 2:05.88 to 2:05.97.
Maria Ugolkova has been a regular on the podium during the series and she claimed another medal in 2:07.46.
Men’s 100 Fly
Tom Shields has completely dominated this event with three wins in as many races.
Out in 22.52 and back in 26.68, the American was never threatened as he stopped the clock at 49.20.
Szebasztian Szabo was second in 50.07 with Pavel Samusenko next home in 50.33.
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Yulia Efimova won the event last time out in Doha but it was Vitalina Simonova who led the way in the heats in 2:19.80.
Simonova led at halfway in the final and come the 150 mark, the 29-year-old was 0.96 ahead of Efimova who had moved into second.
She continued to extend her lead and touched in 2:19.22 with Efimova second in 2:20.49 and her fellow Tokyo Olympian Maria Temnikova third in 2:21.12.