Overall champions Russia’s Vladimir Morozov and Australia’s Cate Campbell celebrate with Khalil Al Jaber, President of Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) and FINA Bureau Member, and Ali Al Jaber, during the presentation ceremony on the final day of the FINA
Doha: Russia’s Vladimir Morozov and Australia’s Cate Campbell were crowned overall champions as the FINA Swimming World Cup Doha 2019 concluded at the Hamad Aquatic Centre yesterday.
Besides winning $150,000 each for their overall victories, both the top swimmers also sealed cluster 3 wins with 69 and 114 points respectively.
Morozov (333 points) was sure to collect the men’s overall trophy after completing his haul of three gold medals the second day of three-day meet.
But, Campbell (357 points) had to win the 100m freestyle final yesterday to overcome Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu in the title race. The Iron Lady finished second with 312 points while Swede Michelle Coleman finished overall third with 174 points.
Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys (234) and Dutchman Arno Kamminga (195) completed the top three overall rankings in men’s field.
Meanwhile, Campbell clocked 52.61 in the 100m freestyle final to win her second gold in Doha. She became the second woman to deny Hosszu the overall World Cup title since 2012, as Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom topped the circuit both in 2017 and 2018.
“I really pushed myself hard this year and I couldn’t ask for a better World Cup campaign. Most importantly, I am happy with my time. I want to thank all the people who helped me made this possible,” said Campbell.
Needing something spectacular to deny Campbell the crown, Hosszu clinched two more gold medals on the last night but fell short in the points tally.
The Iron Lady was victorious in 100m butterfly and 200m IM to complete a tally of five gold medals in Doha. She clocked 58.19 in the fly and 2:09.89 in the IM finals.
“This is my second best time (100m butterfly), and I am very happy about it. Winning is always special,” said Hosszu.
Rapsys also grabbed the spotlight yesterday after completing a clean sweep of titles in men’s 200m freestyle, clocking 1:45.50 for the victory.
America’s Michael Andrew was another star, storming to victories in two finals. He clinched the men’s 50 butterfly in 22.94 – his second fastest time.
“My second sub 23, I am super happy. It’s a very nice way the tour. I will get back to training,” said Andrew.
15 minutes after winning his first gold medal, Andrew returned to the pool to capture the 100m backstroke victory - his second of the night.
In a thrilling men’s 200m breaststroke final, Chupkov edged Kamminga to win gold in 2:08.37. Kamminga touched the wall in 2:08.39 for second position.
Emily Seebohm (AUS) scooped women’s 200m backstroke after a closely-fought race with her team-mate Kaylee Mckeown. Seebohm clocked 2:08.54, while Grabowski was just behind, finishing the race in 2:11.31.
Seebohm also secured a bronze medal in 50m breaststroke, with Brazil’s Jhennifer Conceicao claiming the title in 30.93.
In men’s 400m IM, Hungary’s Balazs Hollo edged compatriot David Verraszto to bag the title in 4:15.17.
The women’s 800m freestyle title was captured by Tjasa Oder (SLO) in 8:34.65.
Team Australia clinched victory in mixed 4x100m medley relay followed by Chinese Taipei and Poland.
Qatari swimmers wrap up home event with commendable times
Meanwhile, Qatari swimmers were also seen in action in yesterday morning’s heats as they wrapped up the home event with impressive times.
GCC champion Abdulaziz Al Obaidly once again showed commendable performance as he clocked 2:24.18 in star-studded heats of 200m breaststroke.
Mohamed Abdelrahman finished the same event in 2:38.16 while Kareem Salama Salah (2:49.06) and Abdulla Al Khaldi (2:53.22) also competed.
In the men’s 50 butterfly heats, Qatar’s Nour Eddine Kheddache took 30.60 to complete the race while his team-mate M. Al Khanji touched the wall in 31.55.
M Hussain was the quickest Qatari swimmer in 200m freestyle completing the job in 2:05.71.
Omar Ashraf Abouelela was also impressive in the men’s 400m IM slowest heats, reaching the finish line in 5:00.33.
Over 200 swimmers from 44 countries took part in the event, which Doha hosted for the eighth consecutive year.
