Singapore mixed relay team pip China to silver at Fina Swimming World Cup
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team snared a silver medal on the second day of the Fina Swimming World Cup Singapore at OCBC Aquatic Centre on Friday (16 August).
The team comprising Darren Chua, Pang Sheng Jun, Cherlyn Yeoh and Quah Ting Wen clocked 3min 31.53sec to pip China (3:32.64) to second place, finishing behind winners Australia (3:26.45).
Yeoh was credited with gaining two places for the team during her leg, racing from fourth to second place.
“I just went in and tried to swim really, really fast. I wasn’t focusing on who was beside me, but I was like, I need to get to the wall super-fast for Ting to make sure we have a lead,” she said.
Schooling 4th in unfamiliar race
Singapore’s Olympic champion Joseph Schooling took part in an unfamiliar race – the 200m individual medley, an event he has not raced in since the 2015 SEA Games.
He clocked 2:00.23 to finish fourth, just shy of his personal best of 1:59.99 and behind medal winners Mitchell Larkin of Australia (1:57.43), Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys (1:59.14) and Australia’s Thomas Fraser-Holmes (1:59.98).
Schooling has said that he is doing middle-distance races to build up his stamina and power in preparation of defending his Olympic 100m butterfly gold next year.
He said after the race, “I finished a lot better than I thought I would, so it gives me something to work on going back into training. It has put me in the right head space too – I didn’t necessarily know where I was this morning but overall, two solid swims.”
Morozov breaks two World Cup records
Men’s series leader Vladimir Morozov extended his dominance, breaking two World Cup records en route to gold medals on Friday.
In the 50m backstroke, he timed 24.40sec, beating his own previous World Cup record by 0.03. Then, he powered to a 47.88 timing in clinching the men’s 100m freestyle gold, also breaking his own record of 47.99 set earlier this year.
Australians swimmers also continued their strong showing from Day One, by winning another six golds – in the men’s 1,500m freestyle (Ben Roberts), 200m individual medley (Larkin), 200m butterfly (Grant Irvine), women’s 100m backstroke (Emily Seebohm), 50m butterfly (Holly Barratt) and the mixed 4x100m free relay.
The World Cup series will end on Saturday. Tickets ($30) are on sale here.
Related story:
Quah Jing Wen smashes national 200m fly record by more than 1 second at Fina World Cup
