Qin, Mckeown Claim Overall Champions Of Swimming World Cup

World Aquatics Swimming World Cup:  The curtains drew to a close on a thrilling finale at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup here, with China's Qin Haiyang and Australia's Kaylee McKeown clinching the men's and women's overall series titles, respectively.

In the men's category, Qin secured the top spot, closely followed by Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon and South Africa's Matthew Sates, reports Xinhua.

Qin clinched his golden triple crown by setting a new World Cup record in the men's 200m breaststroke, showcasing remarkable consistency. Ceccon dazzled in the 100m backstroke, while Sates grabbed gold in the 400m medley.

Post-race, Qin expressed his satisfaction, saying, "Yesterday I had some regrets that I did not set a World Cup Record, so today I was motivated for a winning time that was also a World Cup record. This gives me greater confidence. I am pleased with the time."

On Saturday, Qin narrowly missed out on breaking his own World Cup record in the men's 50m breaststroke, securing first place with a time of 26.30 seconds.

In the preceding men's 50m breaststroke final of the World Cup in Berlin, Qin set a new World Cup record with a time of 26.29 seconds.

Having participated in a slew of international events such as the World Championships, the Universiade, the Asian Games, and the three legs of the World Cup, Qin told Xinhua that he "gained significant experience," and is now setting his sights on Paris.

"The next goal is to move towards next year's Paris Olympics and achieve the ultimate goal," he said.

He also mentioned that during the competition, he focused "on the present" and aimed to swim his best, regardless of his opponents. "No matter how they swim, I just am myself."

Meanwhile, in the women's division, McKeown reigned supreme, with Siobhan Bernadette Haughey from Hong Kong, China, and Zhang Yufei of China, completing the podium.

McKeown was elated with her performance, stating, "I am really happy with ending this season like this, and one of the most important things for me is being consistent in training." This is how she explained her two world records and one World Cup record.

The 22-year-old Australian swimmer made history by setting a new World Cup Record in the women's 200m breaststroke, solidifying her status as the first "Triple-Triple" Crown holder.

Her triumph on Sunday comes after having set a new world record in women's 100m backstroke in 57.33 seconds on Friday, and another world record in 50m backstroke, on Saturday. She is now the record holder in all women's backstroke events, including the 50m, 100m, and 200m distances.

Haughey dominated in the women's 100m freestyle, while Zhang soared to victory in the women's 100m butterfly.

With a radiant smile and a crown on her head, Zhang admitted that the butterfly was "so so hard," but concurred she had much fun overall during the competition and promised fans a return to Budapest: "See you next time!"

"Since September 2020, my 100-meter butterfly swimming score has not been better than 55:62. After these consecutive competitions, I gradually found the feeling and knew how to swim better. I hope to break through my best results next time when I have enough physical strength," Zhang explained to Xinhua.

"I have participated in more than 50 races in the past few months, and I can still maintain a very high level of competition, which makes me more confident," she added.

Other victors on the last day included Michael Andrew of the USA, who dominated the 50m butterfly, while Maximillian Giuliani from Australia secured gold in the 200m freestyle.

On the women's side, Lani Pallister of Australia set a new World Cup record in the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:15.11, claiming the top spot. Benedetta Pilato of Italy clinched gold in the 50m breaststroke, while Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands led the way in the 200m medley.

As the curtains fell, the three-day tournament in Budapest's Duna Arena marked the end of the last leg of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023 journey, which commenced in Berlin and continued in Athens.