Le Clos & Hosszu head to Dubai for World Cup

Sport360 staff 15:08 21/07/2014
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Star attraction: Olympic gold medalist Chad Le Clos will be the main draw for swimming fans in the UAE.

    World class swimming returns to Dubai next month as an impressive line-up of world and Olympic champions head to Dubai for the second round of the FINA/Mastbank Swimming World Cup.

    From 31 August – 1 September at Dubai’s Hamdan Sports Complex, crowd favourites and overall winners of the 2013 Swimming World Cup, Chad Le Clos of South Africa and Hungarian superstar Katinka Hosszu will head the list of stars competing.

    Golden boy Le Clos is one of the most popular swimmers in the world following London 2012 and is in scintillating form.

    Le Clos considers Dubai his lucky pool as he took his first World Championship crown there in December 2010 in the 10th FINA World Championships (25m).  

    He went on to win the overall Swimming World Cup in 2011 before he became a household name worldwide after defeating Michael Phelps to win gold in the 200m butterfly at the 2012 Olympic Games.

    Le Clos took gold again at the 2012 World Championships (25m) in Istanbul, before being crowned World Champion in the 100m and 200m butterfly at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, before taking the overall World Cup crown again last year.  

    Katinka Hosszu proved herself to be one of the toughest and most exciting competitors ever seen in the pool during last year’s Swimming World Cup when she won an outstanding 32 events over the series.

    Her dominance in the 200m and 400m individual medley (IM) races, were highlighted by the fact she set 6 world records.

    She finished the series an astounding 537 points ahead of her nearest rival to take her second consecutive overall World Cup. 

    Many of the competitors, including Le Clos, Atkinson and Schoeman, will be honing their racing skills in next month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow prior to the commencement of the Swimming World Cup series.

    The series will also be used as vital preparation for the 12th FINA World Championships (25m) which will be held in Doha, Qatar in December.

    Ahmed Al Falasi, President of the UAE Swimming Association and Chairman of the Organising Committee said “This is the fourth time this event has been held in Dubai, and we are delighted that with each year we are attracting more world class swimmers to the event.

    “There will be a wealth of talent on display, every year this event has delivered wonderful performances and and we encourage sports fans to come and witness the World and Olympic champions in action.”

    “It is a great honour to be hosting this fantastic event again in Dubai,” said Dr Ahmad Saad Al Sharif, General Secretary of Dubai Sports Council.

    “The previous three FINA Swimming World Cups have been great successes and we are delighted to be welcoming the world’s best again next month. 

    “I have no doubt that we will once again witness some incredible action in the magnificent Hamdan Sports Complex” added Al Sharif.

    The Dubai competition, which will take place on August 31- September 1, is the second round of the seven-leg highly competitive World Cup series, which will commence in August in Doha on 27-28 August.

    After Dubai the competition will move onto to Hong Kong, then Moscow, Beijing and Tokyo.

    The final event will be held in Singapore on November 1-2. 

    Recommended