Chikunova, Prigoda and Kornev took the awards on his head: the royal business is a hat-trick

Three stages of the World Cup on short water were held in Baku, Tashkent and Astana. On the final competition day in Astana, our athletes in the overall standings of the World Cup rose to the first place: 16 gold medals, and a total of 59 awards. In the personal standings to win until the last swim in the literal sense of the word claimed Egor Kornev. But this is a sport, everything changes in seconds.

According to the results of three stages, Kornev scored 170.7 points, and the representative of South Africa Peter Ketze (172.9) won, the third was the Belgian Luca Envo (164.1). Kirill Prigoda (157.4) and Pavel Samusenko (140.8) took fifth and tenth places. In the women’s standings, Marrit Stenbergen of the Netherlands (175.4) won without any options. The best of the Russian women was Evgenia Chikunova – the seventh (145.8).

The crown is, of course, very beautiful and gambling. To get it, you had to win at the same distance at each stage. Three wins out of three, then you're crowned. That's the new World Cup rule.

The first of our swimmers tried on the attribute of greatness Evgeny Chikunov. The world record holder at the 200-meter breaststroke became the queen of breaststroke very convincingly. A hat-trick is, of course, the rule of the game. But at the 200m Zhenya was just out of competition. For example, in the last stage (2 minutes 16.57 seconds) Eugenie left Dutchwoman Tes Schouten with silver, ahead of her by almost four seconds.

What did Chikunova say? Of course, I'm happy for the award. But the main thing for her: managed to improve the time and swim out of 2.17 seconds. I want to believe that we are only accelerating, so only positive. She doesn’t agree that she didn’t have competition at this distance. “The rivals in any case do not let me go far,” she told Match TV. And it’s such a mental training for me to withstand such an onslaught, but at the same time continue to swim confidently and try to finish powerfully.

And for all our swimmers, this was the main task: to feel the speed, to get the competitive load. Not only Queen Chikunova and Kings Kornev and Prigoda felt and received, but also the gold Ralina Gilyazova, Ilya Borodin, prize-winners Daria Klepikova, Pavel Samusenko, Ivan Girev, Andrei Minakov, Maria Osetrova, Dmitry Savenko, Alexandra Kuznetsova, Arina Surkova, Mikhail Vekovishchev ... And each of them can safely say: I just started to accelerate.

But still a separate crown is Egor Kornev. This one: with the world record title. Right here is the offense that Egor did not manage to leave the first place in the overall standings of the World Cup behind him. Root was very close to winning. But the South African Peter Ketze did not misfire. At 50 meters on the back, he won, and Egor was third, eventually losing only 2.2 points. We are looking for benefits: now these crumbs will burn it in the future. From the series: how not to give up yours.

No, Egor, of course, will say after all the swims that he went just to swim after vacation, and in the end ended up with two world records. At the World Cup stage in Baku, he repeated the world record of Australian Kyle Chalmers (44.84 seconds). And in Tashkent, Kornev set a world record at a distance of 50 meters butterfly (21.28 seconds). Yes, even on the half-timber on the back showed some of the best seconds in history, and the rabbit - and completely entered the world top 6. At the same time: it was not Brit (at the main starts, swimmers do not allow themselves this), it was not specifically brought to the starts, the load did not reduce.

Even the sprinter does not forget to pat himself on the head under the crown: whoever says anything (apparently regretting the very two points that separated him from the victory in the overall standings), he is “still satisfied with his performance.” Of course, he was “a little hurt,” but he tried “with all his might.” Although, of course, there is something to work on, but in general he is “sinful to complain”. Two world records in three stages - "I think I swam very cool." And for the start, which was just going to accelerate, the “minimum task” fulfilled. In addition, ahead of the world Cup in Beijing.

By the way, the intrigue of taking the crown away from competitors, tearing it right off your head at the last minute - this is now a separate art form. Ilya Borodin in Astana won at a distance of 400 meters complex. At the previous two stages, he failed, but managed to American Carlson Foster, who in Astana and was ready to put his head to present the award for everything floated. But Borodin ruined those plans. It was like, not myself or people. But still, the subtext is rather different: who is the master at the distance, still need to find out.

Kirill Prigoda had no such rival at the World Cup. Our titled swimmer won at all stages of the World Cup by 100 meters breaststroke. He admitted that he had done a good job. However, it is obvious that the mistakes should be corrected: "hundred turned out well, and at distances of 50 and 200 m were noticeable gaps.".

But Ralina Gilazova just prevented the second place at the starting stage of the World Cup in Baku. Then the young debutante figured out what to do: in the second and third stages she became the first at a distance of 50 m breaststroke. It is impossible to beat back, I was happy that the result improved. Well, the crown... Still will be. Ralina says she's not upset (that's certainly not true). But clearly the taste of victory tasted. By the way, many experts, watching how from swim to swim gaining speed on the same half-ticket Yulia Efimova, already argue that the six-time world champion and winner of the Olympic Games will be able to qualify for the Games-2028.

He did not show up, but slowly pulled up at this World Cup Kliment Kolesnikov. The unsuccessful European Championship forced the world record holder to approach the preparations more carefully. And such competitions are a great opportunity to check whether everything is going well. And no one, as the famous swimmer Vladimir Salnikov says, does not need “blood from the nose to win a separate swim or a general test.” Preparations are underway for the main start, which this year will be the World Short Water Championship.

If you look even further, the head of the FVVSR swimming directorate Sergey Fesikov emphasizes that short-water starts are only the beginning of a large training cycle. The focus is now for the world championship in Budapest-2027. After all, it is there that next year the selection for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles-2028 will be held.

Kings are always a matter of pride. But Cyril Prigoda says that, in his “modest opinion”, it is a little exaggerated – “to call a person directly a king.” The fight for victory is always fierce. At the stages, according to the swimmer, he personally managed to prove that he can hold a certain bar for three weeks. That was enough to get the title. But the competition will end, and “it will have to start from scratch, there will be no advantage from being called king.” Ahead of the World Cup in Beijing, and there will be absolutely no difference: “king or not king, the task is one – the first to touch the finish shield.” And the king is wise