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Russian Short Course Championship: Vitaly Melnikov shows world's best time in men's 100m backstroke

17.11.2013 14:52 — Sport

Eight gold medals were contested on Day 2 of the Russian Short Course Swimming Championship in Kazan. Vitaly Melnikov topped the list of best swimmers of the competition, gaining 945 FINA points for the result showcased in the men's 100m backstroke event. He equaled the world record - 49.87, which was shown by the US athlete Eugene Godsoe at the Japanese stage of the World Cup.

Silver in the same event went to the Volgograd athlete Nikita Konovalov (50.90), with bronze being grabbed by the St. Petersburg athlete Andrey Shabasov (51.25). All winners finished under the qualifying standard time for the European Championship.

"This is my best result, I improved my time by almost half a second. We have not been gearing up specifically for these competitions, I did not shave before the tournament and I was quite relaxed," said Vitaly Melnikov. "We spent five weeks at the training camp in Tenerife, purposefully preparing for the European Championships. I left Andrea di Nino's club to train under the Brazilian coach Arilson Silva, who had worked last season in the ADN Swimming Project. With him, I plan to gear up for the 2016 Olympic Games."

The winner of the European Championship, medallist of the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, Semyon Makovich of Samara won the men's 400m individual medley with the national junior record - 4 minutes 6.02 seconds. Moscow's Aleksandr Tikhonov placed second, finishing just 0.52 seconds behind the winner. The bronze medal went to the representative of the Penza Oblast, Dmitry Gorbunov (4.06.66). All three athletes qualified for the European Short Course Championships.

"I am very pleased with the result - I achieved my personal record. Judging from the training sessions, I was not supposed to put up a good swim time. Therefore, in order to meet the qualifying standard, before the final swim I psyched myself up to show my best result and to perform to my maximum," said Semyon Makovich after the race. "The struggle was very tough. I have never seen such high competition at national championships. I liked it very much and it helped me showcase such a good result."

Four-time European champion Valentina Artemieva of Novosibirsk won the 50m breaststroke event (30.76), Ekaterina Baklakova of the Perm Krai (31.01) ended up second, with bronze going to Anna Belousova from the Sverdlovsk Oblast (31.16).

"I'm glad that I was able to win gold, but the result I have shown is not very good - I was a little over the qualifying time standard, and it is quite far from my best result," admitted Valentina Artemieva. "I blame on my health. The night before last I arrived here from the United States, where I had been training for two months under the Spanish coach Sergio Lopez, the bronze medallist in the men's 200m breaststroke at the 1988 Olympic Games. I have not had time to adapt and now I'm very sleepy. I feel good in the water though. I feel like I'm swimming better than the result I see on the scoreboard. Now I will try to qualify in the 100m event."

In his second final heat - in the men's 100m butterfly, Nikita Konovalov touched the wall first, finishing 0.66 seconds ahead of Nikolay Skvortsov. Plus, both athletes swam under the standard time to qualify for the national team at the continental championship.

"I've been trying to improve my result in the 100m event and I am glad that I was able to do it," admitted Nikita Konovalov. "Because of my injuries, I have already missed two short course championships. And finally everything fit well. For today's finals, I did not shave completely, I only shaved my legs to facilitate the emergence. I will do my best to show good results at the European Championships, but I will not make premature plans. I already had a bad experience when I promised, but it did not work out. I do not want to reassure the supporters at first and later disappoint them."

Two athletes exceeded the qualifying standard in the men's 100m breaststroke - they are the winner of the race Oleg Kostin (57.72) and the runner-up of the race Vyacheslav Sinkevich (57.88).

"I am pleased with the result. I worked hard, trained a lot, and it paid off - I met the qualifying standard for the European Championship," said Oleg Kostin. "Tomorrow I will try to show a good result in the 200m event as well."

The first two spots on the podium in the women's 100m backstroke were claimed by athletes of the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Polina Lapshina (58.32) and Daria Ustinova (58.65), who set the national junior record. Bronze went to Aleksandra Papusha (59.19).

"I've participated in the Russian Cup and the Universiade in Kazan, and only at this tournament I was able to showcase good results. Although, there is no fundamental difference for me - I have done equally well in long and short course competitions," said Polina Lapshina in her interview.

Elizaveta Gorshkova, a representive of Moscow, topped the podium in the 800m freestyle event (8.28.91). The silver medal went to Anastasia Ivanenko of the Republic of Komi (8.33.18), with Anastasia Krapivina who competes under the colours of Moscow and Lipetsk Oblast settling for bronze (8.36.44).

"I started training a month ago, however I was able to show one of my best results today and I want to thank my opponents for this. I hope that I can improve it at the Salnikov Cup," said the winner of the race, Elizaveta Gorshkova. "I major in the open water swimming that's why I had no high expectations about getting into the national team for the European Short Course Championships. Next year I plan to compete at the Russian Championship in the 50-metre pool and in open water to qualify for the European Championship, which will take place in Berlin. I have no intention to participate in the World Cup stages."

The final event of the competition programme - the men's 4x200m freestyle relay - was reigned by the Moscow team including Dmitry Ermakov, Aleksandr Selin, Mikhail Polishchuk and Artyom Lobuzov, who finished with the time of 7 minutes 1.13 seconds.

Eight national junior records were achieved on Day 2 of the championship. With exception of records set by Daria Ustinova and Semyon Makovich, all other records were improved twice - in the preliminary heats and semifinals - by Evgeny Sedov in the men's 50m freestyle and by Daria Kartashova in the women's 100 m individual medley. Rozalia Nasretdinova managed to set records in the semifinals at two distances - 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly.

Russian Short Course Swimming Championship. Kazan. November 16, 2013. (All results)

Men

4x200m freestyle relay
1. Moscow (Dmitry Ermakov, Aleksandr Selin, Mikhail Polishchuk, Artyom Lobuzov) - 7.01.13
2. St. Petersburg (Aleksandr Popkov, Evgeny Aizetullov, Aleksandr Fyodorov, Vyacheslav Andrusenko) - 7.06.,33
3. Volgograd Oblast (Mikhail Ukrainsky, Anton Evsikov, Andrey Ushakov, Dmitry Bokankhel) - 7.10.03

100m backstroke
1. Vitaly Melnikov (Moscow) - 49.87
2 . Nikita Konovalov (Volgograd Oblast) - 50.90
3 . Andrey Schabasov (St. Petersburg) - 51.25

100m breaststroke
1. Oleg Kostin (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) - 57.72
2. Vyacheslav Sinkevich (Volgograd Oblast) - 57.88
3. Vsevolod Zanko (Moscow) - 58.73

100m butterfly
1. Nikita Konovalov (Volgograd Oblast) - 50.05
2. Nikolay Skvortsov (Kaluga Oblast) - 50.71
3. Vladislav Sery (St. Petersburg) - 51.36

400m individual medley
1. Semyon Makovich (Volgograd Oblast) - 4.06.,02 (national junior record)
2. Aleksandr Tikhonov (Moscow) - 4.06.54
3. Dmitry Gorbunov (Penza Oblast) - 4.06.66

Women

800m freestyle
1. Elizaveta Gorshkova (Moscow) - 8.28.91
2. Anastasia Ivanenko (Republic of Komi) - 8.33.18
3. Anastasia Krapivina (Moscow Oblast - Lipetsk Oblast) - 8.36.44

100m backstroke
1. Polina Lapshina (Sverdlovsk Oblast) - 58.32
2. Daria Ustinova (Sverdlovsk Oblast) - 58.65 (national junior record)
3. Aleksandra Papusha (Moscow) - 59.19

50m breaststroke

1. Valentina Artemieva (Novosibirsk Oblast) - 30.76
2. Ekaterina Baklakova (Perm Krai) - 31.01
3. Anna Belousova (Sverdlovsk Oblast) - 31.16

National junior records set on Day 2 of the 2013 Russian Championship:

Evgeny Sedov (Volgograd Oblast) - 50m freestyle - preliminary heat - 21.71
Evgeny Sedov (Volgograd Oblast) - 50m freestyle - semifinal - 21.33
Daria Kartashova (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) - 100 m individual medley - preliminary heat - 1.01.31
Daria Kartashova (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) - 100 m individual medley - semifinal - 1.01.25
Rozalia Nasretdinova (Moscow) - 100m freestyle - semifinal - 53.88
Rozalia Nasretdinova (Moscow) - 50m butterfly - semifinal - 26.20
Semyon Makovich (Samara Oblast) - 400m individual medley - final - 4.06.02
Daria Ustinova (Sverdlovsk Oblast) - 100m backstroke - final - 58.65

PR Department of Russian Swimming Federation