Can there be surprises on the FINA Swimming World Cup in Dubai?

While many swimming fans expect new super races by Hosszu and Morozov, risky betting fans are hoping for surprises on the FINA Swimming World Cup in Dubai  

The caravan called FINA/airwave Swimming World Cup continues its journey around Asia: its next station is the sensational Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In the previous year the Dubai meeting was the last one in the season, providing the podium for proclaiming the best athletes in the aquatic disciplines for 2015. This year however, the Doha meeting is in the middle of the series offering the culmination of the struggle for the top positions in the FINA/airwave Swimming World Cup. Whether you are a swimming fan or someone who likes to bet on sports in EU, this event is definitely something you should not miss.

• Zhu Menghui and Jeanette Ottesen finished first on 50m freestyle in Beijingwith the same time

• Vladimir Morozov and Katinka Hosszu continued their domination

• Cameron van der Burgh’s absence in Beijing opened possibilites for other swimmers

Short review of the FINA Swimming World Cup in Beijing 

As it was expected, the meeting in Beijing proved to be one on which the Chinese swimmers took considerable points from the favorites on the previous three. Last year the home swimming pool proved to be advantageous for Xu Jiayu, Li Zhuhao as well as for Mao Feilian who won the races in 50m backstroke and butterfly and 200m breaststroke respectively. This year, as internet betting sites in China note, it was Zhu Menghui, Wang Shun, Liu Siyu, Xu Jiayu, Qui Ziao, Hou Yawen, as well as the Chinese man and women mixed relays who celebrated victories in their disciplines in Beijing.

What was especially interesting to see in Beijing was the race on 50m freestyle where Jeanette Ottesen, who has so far been invincible in the 50m and 100m freestyle races, had the same winning time with the home swimmer Zhu Menghui, in the slowest race this year with 24:00. However it was sufficient for the 17 years old Chinese to set a new junior world record.

Another unexpected occurrence was noted on the 50 m breaststroke for man where the due to the absence of the sensational South African, Cameron van der Burgh, the experienced Brazilian, Felipe Lima celebrated a victory with time of 26.10. Similarly, Vladimir Morozov won the other van der Burgh’s discipline, 100 m breaststroke with time 56.33 which was one of the four victories for the Russian on the Beijing meeting.

The Dubai meeting: expectations, prognosis, odds

The Dubai meeting of last year didn’t provide some sensational new results nor surprises for the favorites. But this year Dubai is not the last station of the FINA/airware Swimming World Cup. The meeting in China and the case of the Chinese swimmers showed that the possibilities for surprises are opened and that no one is invincible. Or more or less no one. The Iron Lady, Katinka Hosszu does not seem to have any competition this year as well as Morozov in the men category. Whether they can be surprised in Dubai is something that the odds of the online sportsbooks in Australia indicate as almost impossible.