Singapore swimmer Quah Jing Wen after breaking the national record for the women's 200m butterfly at the Fina Swimming World Cup Singapore. (PHOTO: Singapore Swimming Association/Simone Castrovillari)

SINGAPORE — The youngest of the three Quah swimming siblings, Jing Wen, made a big splash on the opening day of the Fina World Cup Singapore at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on Thursday (15 August).

The 18-year-old broke the national record for the women’s 200m butterfly, clocking 2min 10.26sec to lower the previous mark of 2:11.38, also set by her two weeks ago in the Tokyo leg of the World Cup series.

Her effort earned her a bronze medal in the event, behind top Hungarian swimmers Katinka Hosszu (2:07.07) and Zsuzsanna Jakabos (2:07.48).

“Today was a lot better than I expected. I touched the wall and I didn't expect to see 2:10, so I'm super happy, this is an amazing feeling,” Quah said after her race. “I trained for only four days after the break in Japan, so I really wasn't expecting that much.”

Rapsys bounces back from disappointment

Meanwhile, Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys shook off his disappointment at last month’s Fina Swimming World Championships in winning the men’s 400m freestyle race in 3:45.59, beating Henning Muhlleitner of Germany (3:52.12) and Ben Roberts of Australia (3:53.27).

Rapsys, 24, was disqualified for moving on the blocks after coming in first in the men’s 200m free event at the world championships, losing out on what would have been his first gold at the elite event.

“I was thinking about (the disqualification) all night, but it happens. I need to keep going stronger. Everything is in the mind, so I need to keep working to get better,” he said.

Australians dominate Day One

Day one of the Swimming World Cup was dominated by the Australian swimmers, who won five golds out of the 10 finals in the evening. Women’s series leader Cate Campbell won the 50m freestyle race in 24.02 seconds, maintaining her slim three-point lead over Hosszu.

“For the 50s, sometimes if you try a little bit too hard, they don’t work out as well. I was trying to remain relaxed but strong at the same time, which can be a bit of a tough combination. I’m really, really pleased to come away with the win tonight,” said the 27-year-old two-time Olympic gold medallist.

Other Australians who contributed to the gold medal haul were Maddy Gough (women’s 400m freestyle), Holly Barrat (women’s 50m backstroke), Mitchell Larkin (men’s 200m backstroke) and Grant Irvine (men’s 100m butterfly).

Men’s series leader Vladimir Morozov also stormed to victory in the 50m free, clocking 21.27 for a new World Cup series record. The Russian finished ahead of the United States’ Michael Andrew (21.78) and Italy’s Santo Condorelli (22.21).

The World Cup series will be held at the aquatic centre until Saturday. Tickets ($30 per day or $60 for three days) are available here.

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