October 29-30, 2016 will see the end of the 2016 circuit of the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 at Hong Kong, with the Day 2 of the second last event at Tokyo leg currently underway.
In a press release detailing the season, FINA has rated the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup as an event which feature top elite sporting performances providing a unique opportunity to the best racers of the world to compete in a high-profile environment, at attractive locations and top-level facilities.
The World Cup has seen an incredible show over a three-month period (August to October), this season.
Featured Show this season:
In the Men’s edition, Russian Vladimir Morozov was the leader before the Tokyo leg as he accumulated 514 points, thanks to his World Record at the inaugural leg in Paris-Chartres, which he bettered as the event moved forward to Berlin the following week in the 100m IM (50.30). Morozov has since then consistently won all 100m IM races of the season.
Morozov is followed by Le Clos and German Philip Heintz on point system who trail behind him with 429 and 253 points respectively. Next to Heintz on the rankings is Japanese Daiya Seto; one of the fiercest competitors of the 2016 Series by winning the 200/400m IM consistently in Dubai, Doha and Singapore as well as the 200m fly in the past two legs (also won the 200m IM & 200m fly races in Tokyo on Day 1).
In the Women’s edition, Olympic and World Champion Katinka Hosszu leads the rankings with a whopping 921 points, way ahead of any other competitors denying any chance of change in the standings by assuring her the Cluster #3 victory too; fifth consecutive overall win of the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup and thus becomes the most successful female swimmer of all time in this event.
Right behind her are Ottesen (354) and Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson (343, featured photo) who are trying their level best to take the second and third rank. The Jamaican who established a new World Record in the 50m breast in 28.64 in Tokyo, has clinched gold in most of the 50/100m breast since the first leg, equaling her own World Record in Paris-Chartes and edging it in Singapore again, while Ottesen remained unbeaten in the 50/100m free, except in Beijing where national swimmer Zhu Menghui took the gold .