Swimming
Matthew Sates sinks Australian star to secure early World Cup lead
Matthew Sates hunted down Australian star Kyle Chalmers late in their 200m freestyle duel to clinch victory in Berlin on Sunday and finish the first leg of the World Cup series atop the rankings.
Sates, the top male swimmer of the 2021 series, was well off the pace set by Chalmers, the multiple Olympic medallist and a former 100m freestyle champion, at the halfway mark.
But the Pietermaritzburg swimmer timed his attack to perfection, edging into the lead on the final turn and powering down the final lap to touch in 1 min 40.88 sec ahead of Chalmers’s 1:41.09.
Early in the evening session Sates produced dominant display in the 400m individual medley, leading from start to finish to touch in 4:02.95, nearly two seconds in front of second-placed Alberto Razzetti of Italy (4:04.74).
“The strategy was definitely to take control of the race from the beginning,” said Sates, who notched up four wins in Germany, also taking the 200m IM and 400m freestyle titles. He was second in the 100m IM.
Chad le Clos powered his way back into contention in the second lap of the 50m butterfly to finish second behind Trinidad and Tobago sprint specialist Dylan Carter, who picked up his third victory of the meet.
Carter clocked 22.13 and Le Clos 22.21. “I’m over the moon,” said 30-year-old Le Clos, who is looking to reinvigorate his career under new coach Dirk Lange. “I haven’t done that time in five, six years. It’s going to be fun over the next two weeks.”
Sates heads into the second World Cup gala in Toronto from Friday to Sunday with a total of 58.3 points, ahead of Carter (57.3), American Nic Fink (57), Le Clos (56.4) and Chalmers (53.4).