Chad Le Clos maintained his dominance in the 100m butterfly at the World Cup series as he won this race by more than a second in Indianapolis on Thursday night (Friday morning South African time).
Le Clos, the victor in Berlin and Toronto, clocked 48.85sec, well ahead of Canadian Ilya Kharun’s 49.93, to secure a $10,000 (about R183,000) bonus for winning the same event at all three stops of the three-leg short-course circuit.
“I’m very happy,” said Le Clos, 30.
“Again 48 [seconds], so I can’t complain. But I was a little nervous obviously coming into the final leg, racing such a world-class field.
“I think this morning was very stressful because we had to go very fast to make it back [this evening].”
Matthew Sates, the top male swimmer of 2021 who led the 2022 rankings after Germany, slipped further down the overall list to fifth spot, one behind Le Clos, after he failed to make the podium on Thursday.
He was going for his third straight victory in the 400m freestyle, but he had to settle for fifth spot after finishing in 3:41.02.
He was well slower than his winning times in Berlin and Toronto, where he had touched in 3:36.30 and 3:37.52, but even those would not have earned him the triumph in Indianapolis, where American Kieran Smith ended first in 3:35.99. Danas Rapsys of Lithuania was runner-up in 3:37.50.
Sates didn’t compete in the 100m individual medley, which he had won in Berlin and ended third in Toronto. He will have another chance to for a triple-crown bonus in the 400m IM on Saturday (Sunday morning South African time).
American Shaine Casas moved to the top of the overall rankings on 145.6 points, holding his form from last weekend as he took the 200m backstroke and 100m IM.
Countryman Nic Fink, who claimed his third consecutive 100m breaststroke title, is second on 134 points and Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago, who made it three out of three in the 50m freestyle, is third on 133.7.
Le Clos has 129.5 points and Sates 123.8.
The meet continues on Friday night and ends on Saturday.
Swimming
Le Clos seals R180,000 bonus for 100m butterfly triumph, but Sates misses out
Image: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Chad Le Clos maintained his dominance in the 100m butterfly at the World Cup series as he won this race by more than a second in Indianapolis on Thursday night (Friday morning South African time).
Le Clos, the victor in Berlin and Toronto, clocked 48.85sec, well ahead of Canadian Ilya Kharun’s 49.93, to secure a $10,000 (about R183,000) bonus for winning the same event at all three stops of the three-leg short-course circuit.
“I’m very happy,” said Le Clos, 30.
“Again 48 [seconds], so I can’t complain. But I was a little nervous obviously coming into the final leg, racing such a world-class field.
“I think this morning was very stressful because we had to go very fast to make it back [this evening].”
Matthew Sates, the top male swimmer of 2021 who led the 2022 rankings after Germany, slipped further down the overall list to fifth spot, one behind Le Clos, after he failed to make the podium on Thursday.
He was going for his third straight victory in the 400m freestyle, but he had to settle for fifth spot after finishing in 3:41.02.
He was well slower than his winning times in Berlin and Toronto, where he had touched in 3:36.30 and 3:37.52, but even those would not have earned him the triumph in Indianapolis, where American Kieran Smith ended first in 3:35.99. Danas Rapsys of Lithuania was runner-up in 3:37.50.
Sates didn’t compete in the 100m individual medley, which he had won in Berlin and ended third in Toronto. He will have another chance to for a triple-crown bonus in the 400m IM on Saturday (Sunday morning South African time).
American Shaine Casas moved to the top of the overall rankings on 145.6 points, holding his form from last weekend as he took the 200m backstroke and 100m IM.
Countryman Nic Fink, who claimed his third consecutive 100m breaststroke title, is second on 134 points and Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago, who made it three out of three in the 50m freestyle, is third on 133.7.
Le Clos has 129.5 points and Sates 123.8.
The meet continues on Friday night and ends on Saturday.
Sates gets back to winning ways on World Cup circuit
Matthew Sates loses grip atop World Cup series leaderboard – for now
Sates holds his World Cup lead as American Casas rides into the picture
Chad Le Clos to compete alongside SA youth brigade at world champs
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