Three Kazakh swimmers reach finals on opening day of Swimming World Cup in Astana
The final leg of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2026 kicked off in Astana on October 15. Three members of Kazakhstan’s national team advanced to the finals following the preliminary heats, while Sofia Spodarenko set a new national record, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
A total of 17 Kazakh swimmers competed in the qualifying heats on the opening day. The men sought places in the finals of the 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley, while the women competed in the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly.
Yegor Popov qualified for the men’s 100m freestyle final with a time of 47.82 seconds. Aibat Myrzamuratov secured his place in the 50m breaststroke final, clocking 26.57 seconds.
Sofia Spodarenko became Kazakhstan’s third finalist after completing the women’s 50m butterfly in 25.97 seconds. Her performance set a new national record, surpassing her previous mark established at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest.
Meanwhile, the first Crown winners of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2026 were crowned in Astana. Singapore’s Gan Ching Hwee claimed victory in the women’s 1500m freestyle, while Belgium’s Lucas Henveaux triumphed in the men’s event.
Gan Ching Hwee described the final leg as a special conclusion to three weeks of intense competition.
“I'm glad I was able to pull myself together and perform even better than last week. I'm very grateful for everything. Honestly, it's been amazing. The last time I competed in the entire World Cup series was back in 2017, when it was the Asian tour. So, almost ten years later, completing all three stops again has been really enjoyable and satisfying. Overall, the Silk Road has exceeded all my expectations,” Gan Ching Hwee said.
Henveaux was equally pleased with his performance, having achieved a personal best.
“It was a good race. I saw that Oliver had posted a pretty fast time in the first heat, so I knew I had to make sure I delivered a good performance as well. And it’s my personal best, so I’m really, really happy,” the Belgian swimmer said.
He added that he was looking forward to the remaining races in Astana, including another showdown with Carson Foster, whom he had battled at the previous World Cup stops in Tashkent and Baku.
The Crown title is awarded to swimmers who win the same event at all three stops of the World Cup series in Baku, Tashkent and Astana.
As Qazinform News Agency previously reported, the Astana leg is being held in a 25-meter pool, where swimmers generally achieve faster times than in 50-meter pools.