Matthew Sates loses grip atop World Cup series leaderboard – for now

Defending champion Matthew Sates was toppled from the peak of the World Cup series rankings into third spot on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), the second day of the second leg in Toronto.  

Saturday also marked the middle point of the series — the fifth day of nine — and for the first time since the three-chapter World Cup kicked off in Berlin last weekend, there were no South African victories. 

Veteran Chad Le Clos had to settle for second in the men’s 200m butterfly after leaving his final charge a tad too late to catch American Trenton Julian, the winner in 1min 49.69sec. 

Le Clos was a fraction behind in 1:49.78, unable to repeat the 1:49.62 he’d swum a week earlier for victory in Berlin. 

“That’s a great time [for Julian],” said Le Clos. “Great time for me too. Of course, [I] wanted to get the win. Disappointed, but we’ll have a go next week in Indy so I’m excited for that race.”

The series comes to a conclusion in the final third leg in Indianapolis, US, next weekend.

The first world record of the 2022 World Cup series to date was set by Katie Ledecky of the US, winning the women’s 1,500m freestyle in 15:08.24 on Saturday. 

Canada’s Summer McIntosh took the women’s 400m individual medley in a 4:21.49 world junior record.

Sates, the top male swimmer of the 2021 World Cup series and the leader of the 2022 edition since it started in Berlin last weekend, failed to make the podium in his only race on Saturday. 

He ended fourth in the men’s 200m individual medley, which was dominated by Shaine Casas of the US, the victor in a 1:50.37 World Cup record. 

Way behind the American was a three-man tussle for second position, with Finlay Knox of Canada edging that in 1:52.75 ahead of Julian in 1:52.81 and Sates in 1:52.89. 

Sates, whose personal best is the 1:51.45 world junior mark he set last year, won this event in Germany last weekend in 1:51.64. Casas failed to even make the final after losing out in a swim-off. 

Casas finished the evening session in second place on the series rankings while sprint specialist Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago, first in the men’s 50m backstroke and fourth in the 100m freestyle, moved to the top of the standings on 109.2 points.

Casas has 106.8 and Sates 106.1, with American Nic Fink lying fourth on 95.4 and Le Clos holding on to fifth on 93.2.  

Sates will have the opportunity to regain his lead on Sunday with two races on his schedule, the 400m individual medley and 200m freestyle. 

Carter is competing only in the 50m butterfly and Casas in the 100m backstroke.