2026 World Cup – Astana: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

By Sam Blacker on SwimSwam

World Aquatics World Cup #3 – Astana

• October 15-17, 2026
• Astana, Kazakhstan
• SCM (25 meters)
• How to Watch
• Meet Central
• Entries
• Live Results
• Day 3 Finals Heat Sheet

Welcome to the final session of the 2026 World Cup Series! We have two newly-minted world record holders in action, as both Egor Kornev and Pieter Coetze will aim to superseded their performances last week in the 50 fly and 50 back, respectively, in order to snatch the series lead from Luke Barr.

Marrit Steenbergen has us on record watch in the 100 free as well, having reset the European record in the event with a 50.32 last week and breaking her 200 free European record on day 1 here in Astana.

There are eight triple crowns available to claim tonight, two of them for Steenbergen.

Triple Crowns On The Line

• Men’s 400 IM – Carson Foster
• Women’s 800 Free – Ching Hwee Gan
• Men’s 800 Free –Lucas Henveaux
• Women’s 100 Free –Marrit Steenbergen
• Men’s 50 Fly – Egor Kornev
• Men’s 100 Breast –Kirill Prigoda
• Women’s 100 Back – Marrit Steenbergen
• Women’s 200 IM – Yu Yiting

While Marrit Steenbergen has the women’s crown sewn up, leading Roos Vanotterdijk by 11.9 points and with no one behind her having enough points available to catch her, Yu Yiting and Taylor Ruck could move up into the podiu positions, currently occupied by Vanotterdijk and Anna Peplowski.

The men’s side has far ore riding on the final day. Pieter Coetze trails Luke Barr by 8.3 points, but is the favorite to win the 50 back after his world record in the event last week. Barr needs to hope for a big swim from Pavel Samusenko to deny Coetze the win, while Egor Korenv is also a threat to overtake Barr as he goes in the 50 fly.

Men’s 400 IM – Timed Final

• World Record: 3:54.33, Tomoyuki Matsushita (Japan) – 2026
  World Cup Record: 3:56.13, Shaine Casas (USA) – 2025

GOLD – Ilia Borodin (RUS), 3:58.96

SILVER – Alberto Razzetti (ITA), 4:00.72

BRONZE – Carson Foster (USA), 4:00.85

So Ogota (1:55.23) and triple crown threat Carson Foster (1:55.04) were the clear leaders at the halfway point, but a monster 1:06.52 breaststroke split from Ilia Borodin put him into top spot ahead of the final 100 and he never relinquished that lead, splitting 56.00 to come home in the only sub-4:00 swim in the field in 3:58.96.

Foster split 1:09.27 on the breaststroke leg, falling to second, but was overhauled by Alberto Razzetti at the touch to end up third in 4:00.85. Razzetti roared home in 55.28 to take silver in 4:00.72.

Borodin gets the better of Foster in this event for the first time this series, while Foster has now had potential crowns in both the 400 free and 400 IM busted this week.

Women’s 800 Freestyle – Timed Final

• World Record: 7:54.00, Lani Pallister (AUS), 2025
• World Cup Record: 7:54.00, Lani Pallister (AUS), 2025

GOLD – Ching Hwee Gan (SGP), 8:13.18 *Triple Crown*

SILVER – Chang Mohan (CHN), 8:15.38

BRONZE – Caitlin Deans (NZL), 8:15.75

Ching Hwee Gan has been in fantastic form this World Cup series, and rounded off with another comfortable win and a new Singaporean record if 8:13.18 in the 800 free tonight.

Gan was one of only two swimmers out under 2:00 at the 200m mark in 1:59.48, the other being Caitlin Deans (1:59.85), and those two were the leaders at the halfway point as well in 4:02.98 and 4:03.63, respectively.

There was a change of pace on the third 200, as Deans fell away with a 2:07.25 split and Gan opened up a commanding 2.60 second lead of China’s Chang Mohan, who moved up into second place.

Chang had the fastest final 200 in the field at 2:05.05, but Gan took the win by over two seconds to claim her second “Triple” Crown (each distance event has been swum twice in this series) of the week, after winning the 1500 free in a new Asian record on day 1.

She also knocked 2.36 seconds off her national record with her swim here, undercutting the 8:15.54 she split in that 1500. She remains ranked second in the world this season.

Deans came back on Chang in the final 100, but ended up in third by less than half a second.

Men’s 800 Freestyle – Timed Final

• World Record: 7:20.46, Dan Wiffen (IRL), 2023
• World Cup Record: 7:29.50, Zalan Sarkany (HUN), 2025

GOLD – Lucas Henveaux (BEL), 7:30.76 *Triple Crown*

SILVER – Oliver Papai (HUN), 7:35.58

BRONZE – Grigorii Vekovishchev (RUS), 7:38.29

It was back-to-back triple crowns in the 800 freestyles, as Lucas Henveaux looked in complete control in a wire-to-wire victory in theb men’s 800 free.

He took the lead at the 100m mark and never relinquished the lead, splitting 1:50.40/1:53.54/1:54.14/1:52.68 to touch the wall in 730.76, nearly five seconds ahead of Hungarian 16-year-old Oliver Papai, who set a new lifetime best of 7:35.58 for his third podium of the week after taking bronze in the 400 free and silver in the 1500 free.

Henveauz and Papai now rank #2 and #4 in the world so far this season.

Grigorii Vekovishchev won a tight battle with Ilia Sibirtsev for bronze, crushing a monster final length of 12.67 to outsplit the Uzbek swimmer by over a second and touch just 0.16 seconds ahead.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 49.93, Kate Douglass (USA) – 2025
  World Cup Record: 49.93, Kate Douglass (USA) – 2025

GOLD – Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 50.52 *Triple Crown*

SILVER – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 50.97

BRONZE – Daria Klepikova (RUS), 52.22

Marrit Steenbergen claimed her third triple crown of the week, soaring to a near-best time of 50.52 to take the win by nearly half a second. She split 24.30/26.22 to miss her European record, set last week, by just two tenths of a second.

Siobhan Haughey was just 0.18 seconds off her own Asian record with a 50.97 to take silver, splitting 24.62/26.35. That is her fastest swim in the event since 2022 and was a second and a half faster than the 52.49 she clocked for bronze at the first stop in Baku.

Haughey moves up to rank 4th in the world this season.

Daria Klepikova moved from 5th to 3rd on the final length to edge out Kasia Wasick and Taylor Ruck. Ruck had gone out with the leading pair in 24.87, but suffered on the final 25 with a 14.01 split.

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 21.28, Egor Kornev (RUS), 2026
• World Cup Record: 21.28, Egor Kornev (RUS), 2026

GOLD – Egor Kornev (RUS), 21.82 *Triple Crown*

SILVER – Tzen Wei Teong (SGP), 22.03

BRONZE – Grigori Pekarski (BLR), 22.16

Egor Kornev gave us a fourth consecutive triple crown won tonight, taking the win over Asian record holder Tzen Wei Teong by two tenths of a second. Kornev missed the world record he set last week by just over half a second, but was still able to win his first triple crown of the series.

Teong was just a tenth of a second off his Asian record of 21.93, and missed his season best of 21.96 by just 0.07 seconds. Grigori Pekarski took bronze behind him, while there was a three-way tie for 5th between Dylan Carter, Andrei Minakov, and Daniil Markov in a time of 22.47.

Kornev now takes the lead in the overall series standings, leading Lucas Henveaux by 6.7 points. Pieter Coetze looks to be the only man who can challenge his position, and will need a victory in the men’s 50 back later tonight to overhaul the Russian swimmer.

Women’s 50 Breaststroke – Final

• World Record: 28.37, Ruta Meilutyte (Lithuania) – 2022
  World Cup Record: 28.56, Alia Atkinson (Jamaica) – 2018

GOLD – Ralina Giliazova (RUS), 29.54

SILVER – Florine Gaspard (BEL), 29.71

BRONZE – Mona McSharry (IRL), 29.89 

Raliana Giliazova backed up her victory last week to take the win again here, clocking a new lifetime best of 29.54 to beat out Belgian record holder Florine Gaspard by two tenths of a second.

Giliaova shaved 0.08 off her previous best of 29.62, set last December, while Gaspard missed her Belgian record of 29.33. Mona McSharry, who won the 200 breast triple crown on day 1, took bronze in 29.89, as early pacesetter Evegniia Chikunova fell from second to fourth on the second 25m.

Men’s 200 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 1:38.61, Luke Hobson (USA) – 2024
  World Cup Record: 1:39.37, Paul Biedermann (Germany) – 2009

GOLD – He Yubo (CHN), 1:42.48

SILVER – Shaine Casas (USA), 1:43.14

BRONZE – Ivan Girev (RUS), 1:43.44

It was not to be for Cam McEvoy in the 200 free, as he finished down in 9th in a time of 1:46.15, but we did get our third different winner in three races at this series.

He Yubo was out fast with Ivan Girev at halfway, both flipping in 49.8, but it was the Chinese swimmer splitting 13-low on the next four lengths who pulled away to take the win in 1:42.48, a tenth of a second off his lifetime best.

Shaine Casas, who won the event at the first stop in 1:41.50, took second this week in 1:43.14, overtaking Girev with a 12.62 final length. Girev just about stayed ahead of Lewis Clarburt, 1:43.44 to 1:43.46, to take bronze.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 1:59.32, Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2024
  World Cup Record: 2:00.20, Regan Smith (USA), 2025

GOLD – Ellen Walshe (IRL), 2:04.05

SILVER – Zhou Xinyang (CHN), 2:06.12

BRONZE – Chang Mohan (CHN), 206.28

Ellen Walshe claimed the win in the 200 butterfly by over two seconds, taking over the lead at the halfway point and then using a 31.77 final 50 to pull clear for her second win of the series in the event.

Zhou Xinyang just about held off teammate Chang Mohan, who doubled up with the 800 free this evening, to take silver in 2:06.12.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Final

• World Record: 55.28, Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), 2021
  World Cup Record: 55.55, Caspar Corbeau (NED), 2025

GOLD – Kirill Prigoda (RUS), 56.03 *Triple Crown*

SILVER – Caspar Corbeau (NED), 56.86

BRONZE – Luke Barr (CLB), 57.11

Kirill Prigoda delivered a masterclass to claim the triple crown in the men’s 100 breast, matching early leader Michael Houlie on the first 50 and splitting a blistering 30.03 on the second half of the race to take the win by nearly a second.

He just missed his season best of 55.98, which currently ranks him #2 in the world this season.

Caspar Corbeau was half a second of his season best to take silver in 56.86, while Luke Barr clocked 57.11 to win his third bronze medal of the meet.

Houlie was in second place with 25 to go, but had a brutal final 25 to drop to fifth in 57.62.

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Final

• World Record: 54.02, Regan Smith (USA) – 2024 / 2025
  World Cup Record: 54.02, Regan Smith (USA) – 2025

GOLD – Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 55.43 *Triple Crown*

SILVER – Taylor Ruck (CAN), 56.69

BRONZE – Anna Peplowski (CLB), 57.47

After a few events without a triple crown, we got two in a row here thanks to Prigoda and Marrit Steenbergen, who won the women’s 100 back by well over a second in 55.43.

She was a little slower than the 55.17 and 55.32 winning times she has posted so far this month, but led by half a second at the halfway point and pulled away with a 28.60 second 50, winning her fourth triple crown of the week and putting an exclamation point on her series win.

Taylor Ruck posted a 56.69 to near her PB of 56.38, with Anna Peplowski taking bronze in 57.47.

Men’s 50 Backstroke – Final

• World Record: 22.09, Pieter Coetze (RSA), 2026
• World Cup Record: 22.09, Pieter Coetze (RSA), 2026

GOLD – Pieter Coetze (RSA), 22.36

SILVER – Pavel Samusenko (RUS), 22.49

BRONZE – Egor Kornev (RUS), 22.81

European short course champion Ralf Tribuntsov was first at the halfway point, but world record holder Pieter Coetze stormed home in 11.28 to just hold of Russia’s Pavel Samusenko, 22.36 to 22.49.

Egor Kornev, who won the 50 fly earlier in the session, took third in 22.81, six tenths of a second off the 22.23 he posted at the first stop. With Coetze taking the win here, he snatched the series crown from Kornev at the last, with the South African winning by 2.2 points after outscoring Kornev by 4.6 points this week.

Samusenko just missed his PB of 22.35 from the first stop in Baku, but moved up in the overall standings to rank 10th. Early leader Tribuntsov finished 4th in 22.96, while former world record holder Kliment Kolesnikov was nearly a second off his best with a 23.00 for 5th.

Women’s 200 IM – Final

• World Record: 2:01.63, Kate Douglass (USA) – 2024
  World Cup Record: 2:02.13, Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) – 2014

GOLD – Yu Yiting (CHN), 2:02.63 *Asian Record, Triple Crown*

SILVER – Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL), 2:05.07

BRONZE – Abbie Wood (GBR), 2:05.31

Yu Yiting rounded off this year’s world cup with a triple crown in the 200 IM, slicing a two tenths of a second off her own Asian record in the process.

She led from the off here, two tenths up on Roos Vanotterdijk after the fly leg and was three tenths up on her PB pace with a 56.75 split at the halfway point.

She clocked 36.23 on the breaststroke leg to extend her lead over Vanotterdijk to more than a second, then split a blistering 29.65 on the freestyle leg to win by over two seconds. Yu undercut her record by 0.17 seconds, while Vanotterdijk sliced seven tenths off her previous Belgian record of 205.81 with a 2:05.07 tonight.

This result sees Yu leapfrog Vanotterdijk for second place in the overall standings by 2.8 points. Abbie Wood, who was third here, moves up into eight place in the overall standings.

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