Dubai: Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu won eight out of nine events and broke two world records in round two of the seven-stage Fina/Mastbank Swimming World Cup, which concluded at the Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai on Monday.
The 25-year-old, the 2012 and 2013 series’ champion and current runaway series’ leader, won the 100-metre and 400-metre individual medley, 100-metre backstroke, and the 200-metre butterfly, but finished third in the 50-metre butterfly.
This followed Sunday’s wins in the 200-metre freestyle, 50-metre and 200-metre backstroke and the 200-metre individual medley.
She set a world record in Monday morning’s heats for the 100-metre individual medley, in a time of 56.86, beating her own best mark achieved last week in round one of the series in Doha, Qatar, by 0.39 of a second.
This was after having broken the 200-metre individual medley world record, on Sunday, in a time of 2:02.13, shaving 0.48 of a second off her own previous record, again set last week in Doha.
“I’m pretty happy,” she said. “I broke two world records and I got eight golds and a bronze so I’m definitely super happy, and I racked up a lot of points, so, it’s definitely going to be pretty good for the rest of the series.”
These results follow on from three world records and a ten-medal haul, including seven golds in round one of the series in Doha, last week, where she amassed 189 points to take an early series lead in the women’s category heading into Dubai.
The three world records in Doha came in the 100 metres (57.25), 200 metres (2:02.61) and 400 metres (4:20.83) individual medleys, the first two of which she immediately bettered in Dubai.
Her other four gold medals in Doha came from the 200-metre freestyle, and the 50-metre, 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke, while she won silver in the 200-metre butterfly and two bronzes in the 800-metre freestyle and 50-metre butterfly.
With a total of 15 gold medals from her opening two events of the series, Hosszu is now on course for a historic hat-trick of series wins.
“I think I’m pretty set for the series,” she added. “I got more points from these two events [Doha and Dubai] this year than I did last year, so that’s pretty promising. I definitely have to keep up the good work, but I think I’m pretty much in the lead.”
Meanwhile, current men’s series’ leader and 2011 and 2013 series’ champion Chad Le Clos, 22, from South Africa, won four out of four events.
He picked up the 100-metre butterfly and 200-metre individual medley gold medals on Monday after having won the 100-metre freestyle and 50-metre butterfly on Sunday.
Like fellow previous double series winner Hosszu in the women’s category, Le Clos leads the men’s equivalent after the first two rounds of the series. He came into Dubai on 54 points, after winning three gold medals in the 100m freestyle, 50-metre and 100-metre butterfly, last week.
