With less than a week left for the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023, the top swimmers of the world are getting ready for the last event of the season. While it may be the last big swimming meet of the year, it is a very important event in the aquatic world. The nine-day championship will take place across three meets, with Berlin being the first stop for the tour. Following the meeting in Berlin from October 6-8, the next stop of the tour will be in Athens, Greece. Thereafter, the swimmers will travel to Budapest, Hungary, for the final showdown.
Especially in a pre-Olympic year, the event gathers more attention since it serves as a qualifier for the Olympic Games. In preparation for the Olympics, all participants will have to swim in the long course 50-meter pool. Multiple World and Olympic medalists will headline the tour, looking for an opportunity to prove themselves once again. World Aquatics has already declared the “Elite 11,” who are poised to dominate the championships.
One of the most challenging swimming competitions
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The swimming legends competing in the Swimming World Cup in 2023 have a strong game plan in mind. Some of them are world record holders and want to use this opportunity to build momentum for the future. Someone fix solely their eyes on making the qualifying scores for the 2024 Doha World Aquatics Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Not to mention, the substantial prize money at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023 has definitely added to the competitive zeal of these sensational athletes. This year, the total prize money up for grabs is $1.2 million, excluding all bonuses.
Last year’s winners, Dylan Carter from Trinidad and Tobago and Beata Nelson from the USA will once again try to make away with the grand prize. However, strong opponents stand in their path. Carter will face staunch competition from legends such as Chad Le Clos, Kristof Milak, Adam Peaty, and Nic Fink. Whereas Nelson will have to trounce global title holders Sarah Sjostrom, Kylie Masse, Kaylee McKeown, and Lani Pallister. Each of these swimming paragons is famous for their torrid finishes; thus, no one can predict the direction these races will take. While these legendary swimmers will deliver mind-blowing performances, there are also those who have proven their mettle in past competitions.
Young guns to watch out for
Apart from these champion swimmers, there are also those young talents who have earned unbelievable accolades at a young age. Their entry in the Swimming World Cup has taken the contest to another level. Below are the four swimming prodigies to look out for in this year’s meet and the reasons why they inspire confidence.
Thomas Ceccon
Thomas Ceccon made a huge splash with his Olympic debut in the year 2018. The Italian swimming pro won one gold medal, two silver medals, and two more bronze medals at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. His glorious winning streak continued in the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he helped Italy win one silver and another bronze medal in the relay events. Ceccon’s best performance came last year during the 2022 World Championships. He blitzed past the strong competitors and secured both the world title and the world record in the 100m backstroke.
This Thiene native is a versatile swimmer who can easily switch between backstroke, freestyle, and butterfly events without breaking a sweat. Thomas Ceccon displayed incredible speed at the 2022 European Championships, winning six medals, out of which two were gold. He will definitely be a force to be reckoned with at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023.
Claire Weinstein
Claire Weinstein achieved the remarkable feat of securing a berth on the 2022 USA Swimming World Championships team at the age of 15. She became the youngest athlete to have done so since Elizabeth Beisel more than a decade ago. The New York native’s entry to the World team came through the USA world trials, where she finished second after the indomitable Katie Ledecky. Humbled by this achievement, Claire Weinstein devoted herself to training in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She trained under Ron Aitken alongside swimming powerhouses Erica Sullivan, Bella Sims, and Katie Grimes. Training with these world-class athletes helped her to drop her personal best by one full second. She set the NAG record in the 13-15 category and is currently the third-fastest swimmer in the 15-16 age group. Her dominance in the 200-meter race will make her a strong contender for the Swimming World Cup.
Torri Huske
Torri Huske is better known as the U.S. butterfly queen. She was just 18 years old when she reset the USA women’s 100m butterfly record two times during the 2020 Olympic trials. In Tokyo, the teenager could not win her individual event but helped the American team clinch the women’s 4×100 medley relay silver medal. Thereafter, the talented woman won the hearts of swimming fans by occupying the 100-meter butterfly world title at the mere age of 19 in the 2022 World Championships.
She left Budapest with two more gold medals in the 4×100 medley and the 4×100 mixed medley relay races. Torri Huske will surely give the rivals a strong pushback in the upcoming Swimming World Cup.
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Erika Fairweather
Erika Fairweather was the junior 2019 World Championship gold medallist from New Zealand. She won the women’s 400m freestyle, making her coach, Lars Humer, very happy. Thereafter, she moved on to the biggest challenge yet at the 2020 Tokyo Games. The talented swimmer reached the finals after shattering her nation’s 400m Freestyle Record.
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Erika Fairweather continued her contention at the Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022, securing a fifth and a fourth place in the respective 200m and 400m freestyle. She is definitely someone to look out for in the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2023.
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