South Africa’s Chad Le Clos in action on day one of the FINA airweave Swimming World Cup at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha yesterday. PICTURE: Anas Khalid

By Sahan Bidappa/Doha
 
Coming into the Doha leg of the FINA World Cup, Chad Le Clos had said he was nowhere near his best. The South African swimming sensation had missed the Asian leg of the World Cup series, and only confirmed his participation for the Doha and Dubai leg.
The 23-year-old has been going through demanding training sessions with next year’s Rio Olympics in mind, which he said had been taking a lot out of him. But when in the pool, Le Clos is a beast, and at the Hamad Aquatic Centre yesterday, he showed, even when not in his elements, he can still scoop gold medals at will.
On the first day of the event, the London Olympic butterfly champion emerged victorious comfortably in the men’s 100m freestyle, 50m and 200m butterfly.
The 100m freestyle saw the return of 200m freestyle Olympic champion Yannick Agnel of France, who was forced to withdraw from the World Championships this summer due to illness. But it was Le Clos, who stole the limelight.  
The South African was second at the halfway mark, but in the final 50 metres it was all Le Clos, who won gold in a time of 48.96 seconds.
Federico Grabich of Argentina took silver posting a time of 49.39 followed by Frenchman Jeremy Stravius (49.42), with Agnel (49.65) managing only fifth.
Next up for Le Clos was 200m butterfly and he led the pool in a time of 1:55.80. Viktor Bromer of Denmark finished second in a time of 1:56.30 ahead of Australian Chris Wright, who recorded a 1:57.03.
Le Clos finished off his night with a third victory in the 50m butterfly, timing 23.43, which beat his season’s best of 23.50. American Giles Smith finished second in a time of 23.58, while Serbian Ivan Lender collected the bronze in a time of 23.87.
Meanwhile, women’s World Cup points leader Katinka Hosszu had a mixed fortune. The Hungarian’s busy schedule means her energy level goes down as she ticks of one event after the other.
Yesterday, the ‘Iron Lady’ took two gold, one silver and a bronze. The 26-year-old won the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley, but was beaten hands down in backstroke events by world champion Emily Seebohm of Australia.
Hosszu started off by winning the 200m freestyle in a time of 1:56.60, finishing ahead of Italian Federica Pellegrini, who won the silver in this event at the World Championships in Kazan. Pellegrini recorded 1:58.06 for silver, ahead of Coralie Balmy of France, who touched in 1:58.92.
Hosszu is hard to beat in the medley events, and she showed it by winning the 200m with ease. She clocked 2:10.22 to finish ahead of American Caitlin Leverenz (2:11.08). Sakiko Shimizu of Japan took bronze in a time of 2:12.56.
But it was Seebohm, who would have been in Hosszu’s mind as she went to sleep last night, as the Australian continued to roll in the backstroke events.
In the 50m, Seebohm posted a winning time of 27.85, while Hosszu could only come third in 28.40. American Natalie Coughlin finished second in a time of 28.23.
Later in the night, Seebohm was back to haunt Hosszu in the 200m, where she won in a 2:07.19. In fact, Seebohm trailed Hosszu going into the final 50 metres, but out split the Hungarian by almost two seconds posting a 30.87 compared to Hosszu’s 32.67. Hosszu finished second in a time of 2:08.73, while Daryna Zevina of the Ukraine finished third in a time of 2:11.05.
Australian Mitchell Larkin, the top swimmer at the Tokyo stop of the World Cup last week with world-leading times in the 100m and 200m backstrokes, continued his domination in Doha.
The world champion posted a 52.26 in the men’s 100m backstroke. Larkin beat the time of 52.40 which he won the event with at 2015 World Championships. The Australian turned at the halfway mark in a time of 25.32, three one-hundredths of a second ahead of American Aaron Peirsol‘s world record pace.
He was not able to sustain the world record pace finishing 27 one-hundredths of a second off of Perisol’s world record time of 51.94, which he posted in 2009.
With his time, Larkin also set new Commonwealth and Australian records. American David Plummer finished second in a time of 53.18, while Japan’s Masaki Kaneko (54:33) took bronze.  

RESULTS
Men’s 100m freestyle
1. Chad le Clos (South Africa) 48:96
2. Federico Grabich (Argentina) 49:39
3. Jeremy Stravius (France) 49:42
Women’s 200m freestyle
1. Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 1:56:60
2. Federica Pellegrini (Italy) 1:58:06
3. Coralie Balmy (France) 1:58:92
Men’s 50m breaststroke
1. Cameron Van Der Burgh (South Africa) 26:96
2. Giulio Zorzi (South Africa) 27:69
3. Codes Cavin (USA) 27:81
Women’s 100m breaststroke
1. Molly Hannis (USA) 1:06:94
2. Alia Atkinson (Jamaica) 1:07:83
3. Leiston Pickett (Australia) 1:08:15
Women’s 100m butterfly
1. Felicia Lee (USA) 58:83
2. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (Hungary) 58:98
3. Cassidy Bayer (USA) 59:52
Men’s 100m backstroke
1. Mitchell Larkin (Australia) 52:26
2. David Plummer (USA) 53:18
3. Masaki Kaneko (Japan) 54:33
Women’s 50m backstroke
1. Emily Seebohm (Australia) 27:85
2. Natalie Coughlin (USA) 28:23
3. Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 28:40
Men’s 200m butterfly
1. Chad Le Clos (South Africa) 1:55:80
2. Viktor Bromer (Denmark) 1:56:30
3. Geoffrey Wright (Australia) 1:57:03
Women’s 200m individual medley
1. Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 2:10:22
2. Caitlin Leverenz (USA) 2:11:08
3. Sakiko Shimizu (Japan) 2:12:50
Men’s 400m freestyle
1. George Guy (Great Britain) 3:46:76
2. Velimir Stjepanovic (Serbia) 3:38:70
3. Alistair Milne (Great Britain) 3:48:74
Women’s 50m freestyle
1. Anna Santamans (France) 24:95
2. Melanie Wright (Australia) 25:05
3. Natalie Coughline (USA) 25:40
Men’s 200m breaststroke
1. Daniel Gyurta (Hungary) 2:10:33
2. Oleg Kostin (Russia) 2:11:44
3. Cameron Van Der Burgh (South Africa) 2:12:14
Women’s 200m backstroke
1. Emily Seebhom (Australia) 2:07:19
2. Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) 2:08:73
3. Daryna Zevina (Ukraine) 2:1:05
Men’s 50m butterfly
1. Chad Le Clos (South Africa) 23:43
2. Giles Smith (USA) 23:58
3. Ivan Lender (Serbia) 23:87
Women’s 800m freestyle
1. Lauren Boyle (New Zealand) 8:24:76
2. Jaz Carlin (Great Britain) 8:27:25
3. Sarah Kohler (Germany) 8:28:76
Men’s 400m medley
1. David Zoltan Verraszto (Hungary) 4:16.17
2. Sean Grieshop (USA) 4:18.63
3. Keita Sunama (Japan) 4:22.15