The 2008/2009 FINA short-course World Cup got underway in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, today, with Olympic champion César Cielo taking the 100m freestyle in 47.18sec ahead of Stefan Nystrand of Sweden, on 47.70. "No idea how I managed that time," said the 50m Olympic champ and winner of a shared bronze in the 100m in Beijing. "It was almost my best time. It's hard to train and race right now. It was a good swim."
Cielo also took third in the 50m 'fly, in 23.29, the race going to one of six Brazilians to win races at the first round of the cup, Nicholas Santos, on 23s06, ahead of Russian Evgeny Korotyshkin, on 23.08.
There will be no repeat of American Randall Bal's unbeaten record of last year's cup: the 100m backstroke went to Stanislav Donets, of Russia, in 50.92, 0.49sec ahead of the American.
Olympic 1,500m champion Oussama Mellouli (TUN) was defeated in the 400m freestyle, by Brazil's Armando Negreiros, 3:45.78 to 3:45.89. Mellouli won the 400m medley in 4:17.68.
There were two wins for Christian Sprenger: the Australian took the 50m breaststroke in 26.89 and then the 200m in 2:07.58. Two golds too for South African Katheryn Meaklim, on 8:49. in the 800m free and 2:12.50 in the 200m medley.
The 50m freestyle saw Brooke Bishop (USA), on 24.66, and Marieke Guehrer (AUS), on 24.73, get the better of the women's world cup winner of last season, Theresse Alshammar (SWE), on 24.96.
As expected, many of the world's leading swimmers did not make the trip to Brazil for the first round of the cup in this post-Olympic season.
Results at a glance, in race order:
- Men: 100m free: César Cielo (BRA) 47.18; Stefan Nystrand (SWE) 47.70; Kyle Richardson (AUS) 48.24. 50m breaststroke: Christian Sprenger (AUS) 26.89; Felipe Silva (BRA) 27.17; Felipe Lima (BRA) 27.32. 400m medley: Oussama Mellouli (TUN) 4:17.68; Henrique Rodrigues (BRA) 4:18.02; Mauricio Torres (BRA) 4:24.25; 100m backstroke: Stanislav Donets (RUS) 50.92; Randall Bal (USA) 51.41; Leonardo Guedes (BRA) 53.57. 200m butterfly: Kaio Almeida (BRA) 1:56.74; Sebastien Rousseau (RSA) 1.57.36. 400m free: Armando Negreiros (BRA) 3.45.78; Oussama Mellouli (TUN) 3.45.89. 200m breaststroke: Christian Sprenger (AUS) 2:07.58; Thiago Parravicini (BRA) 2:12.01. 100m medley: Thiago Pereira (BRA) 53.75. 50m 'fly: Nicholas Santos (BRA) 23.06; Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS) 23.08; César Cielo (BRA) 23.29.
- Women: 800m free: Katheryn Meaklim (RSA) 8:49.76. 200m free: Josefin Lillhage (SWE) 1:57.05; Kira Volodina (RUS) 1:58.58; Tatiana Lemos-Barbosa (BRA) 1:59.58. 100m breast: Tara Kirk (USA) 1:06.71; Rebecca Ejdervik (SWE) 1:07.98. 100m 'fly: Marieke Guehrer (AUS) 57.51. 50m backstroke: Fabiola Molina (BRA) 27.60; Sophie Edington (AUS) 27.79. 200m medley: Katheryn Meaklim (RSA) 2:12.50; Joanna Maranhao-Melo (BRA) 2:12.78. 50m free: Brooke Bishop (USA) 24.66; Marieke Guehrer (AUS) 24.73; Theresse Alshammar (SWE) 24.96. 200m backstroke: Carolina Henao (COL) 2:09.12.
