Mitch Larkin stole the show at the Hamdan Sports Complex on Friday night as he clocked the third-fastest 100m backstroke swim of all-time to fall just short of the world record, while Chad Le Clos was stunned twice before storming back to win his third event.
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Aussie wonder boy Larkin cemented his status as the best backstroke swimmer this year when he came agonisingly close to breaking Aaron Peirsol’s 2009 world record of 51.94 (achieved when swimmers competed in the now-banned non-textile body suits) as he topped the podium in the 100m with a freaky 52.11 seconds – the fastest time of the year – on day one of the Dubai leg of the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup – the final stop of the 2015 series.
Larkin’s mark is also just 0.03 seconds shy of Matt Grevers’ 52.08, which is the fastest-ever time in a textile suit. The 22-year-old Larkin knows he’s ever so close to breaking that elusive world record.
“I think definitely someone will get it next year,” the bespectacled Larkin said of the world record. “I’m really happy with my results this year. Tonight was a PB, and I was really happy with it. We’ll go home and work on some things and see where I can improve to hope fully next year crack 52 and then see what happens after that.”
Larkin, who won 100m and 200m backstroke gold at the World Aquatic Championships in Kazan this year, is one third of a trio of Aussies – along with Emily Seebohm and Bronte Campbell – to pull off a double at the Russian city and they are now carrying the responsibility of trying to bring back Australia’s glory days in the pool.
“It’s very different I guess now that I’m hunted, as my coach likes to call it. It’s a different challenge. It’s quite exciting and it does give me that little bit of confidence I sort of lacked early on in my career,” he explained.
Seebohm is also in the hunt for the women’s 100m backstroke world record, which she flirted with in her splits at the Doha leg of the World Cup series last week, falling a mere 0.22 seconds short. Larkin says they’ve been pushing each other and joke about who will get to break the world record first.
A 52.11 in 100back from @Larkin_mitch overnight at Dubai World Cup moves him to top of rankings for 2015 with Aus and Commonwealth record
— Australian Swim Team (@DolphinsAUS) November 6, 2015
“It’s fun to joke about that. But it’s not the first thing I think about when I’m swimming. I look at skills and execution of the race rather than a final time and when you can hit those things the times tend to follow,” said Larkin. “But we do chat, I’ll tell her tonight that I was close and tomorrow night, just watch out, I think she’ll be closer. She loves a challenge. It’s fantastic just to have that rivalry.”
Seebohm edged Hungarian “Iron Lady” Katinka Hosszu in the 200m backstroke last night, clocking 2:06.94 to take gold.
On her friendly rivalry with her compatriot Larkin, the 23-year-old Seebohm said: “I can feel it coming. I want him to get it but I don’t want him to get it at the same time. It’s good, we’re both pushing each other to our best and that’s what it’s about. We’ll keep going and hopefully I’ll get it first.”
Hosszu, who has an unassailable lead in the overall series standings and will pick up the World Cup trophy tonight for a fourth consecutive season, won 200m freestyle gold ahead of Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, as well as 200m medley gold.
Mixed night for Chad
Le Clos had a frustrating first half of the night as he missed out on gold in his opening two events before bouncing back to win the 50m butterfly. The South African world and Olympic champion lost the 100m freestyle by 0.04 seconds, registering a time of 48.38 to claim silver behind France’s Jeremy Stravius.
In his signature event, the 200m butterfly, Le Clos was pipped by Denmark’s Viktor Bromer, who swam a time of 1:55.98, 0.05 second faster than the South African star. Le Clos redeemed himself in the 50 fly though with a 23.31 seconds swim.
SA’s Chad le Clos claimed gold in the 50m Butterfly ahead of USA’s Giles Smith in a time of 23.31 at the World Cup in Dubai #SSAquatics
— SuperSport Blitz (@SuperSportBlitz) November 6, 2015
“That was so disappointing,” admitted Le Clos. “I have to look at it on a bigger scale. It’s good for me because the time for the 100 freestyle is very, very fast. I know I can go 47 with the shave and the taper. It’s a very good time. I’m always disappointed when I lose of course. The 200 fly, I shouldn’t have lost that. It happens, so congratulations to Viktor and Jeremy.
“The third one was good, I bounced back like I usually do. The support tonight was great, last one was for them.”
Alia Atkinson, Jamaica’s first-ever swimming world champion, had a sensational night as she smashed her own national record by going sub-1:06 for the first time, closing 1:05.93 to take gold in the 100m breaststroke.
In the men’s 50m breaststroke, Cameron Van Der Burgh edged world record holder Adam Peaty.
“I did one of the hardest weeks of my life in training so to come here and pull out times like that is really productive,” said Peaty, who swam a 27.16.
