FINA World Masters 2015: Top 10 most memorable moments

2,693 athletes from 73 countries representing 726 sport clubs competed at the Masters tournament. The number of athletes in each aquatic sport was as follows:

• Diving – 73;
• Open water swimming – 274;
• Swimming – 1,929;
• Synchronised swimming – 35;
• Water polo – 418 (3 women's teams – 32 and 30 men's teams – 386);

The competitions were delivered across 14 age groups – from 25 till 100 years old. 572 medal events have been contested at the World Masters Championships.

The editorial staff of the official kazan2015.com website would like to offer you to take a look at top 10 amazing facts of the 16th FINA World Masters Championships, which will remain memorable for athletes, fans, spectators and members of the Organising Committee:

1. 30 world records were set during the World Masters Championships, 10 of them were set in the team event. Plus, 82 records were achieved within one tournament;
2. Bela Banki Horvarth, a 95 year-old Hungarian swimmer, was the maturest athlete at the 16th FINA World Masters Championships. Moreover, he also was the one who clocked the new best time in the men's 200m backstroke event in the 95-99 age group;
3. Sanderina Kruger of South Africa is the one who set the largest number of world records at these Championships. She showed the best time in the women's 50m freestyle (0:31.28), 100m freestyle (1:09.23) and 200m freestyle (2:37.63);
4. The first gold medals of the 16th FINA World Masters Championships were claimed by Russian synchro swimmers. However, the most outstanding synchro swimmer was Olga Milenina who took gold medal in the solo synchro swimming event at 74 years old.
5. Ibone De Belausteguigoitia of th United States was the maturest diver at the tournament; she is 85 years old. The diver claimed 2 gold medals in the 1m and 3m springboard events.
6. The USSR Tatarstan team that competed in the +40 age group can be deservedly dubbed as the most reputable one at the tournament. And it's not only because they are double European and world championship title holders. The thing is that from the very first days of the team's existence only former members of the Russian and USSR national squads were entitled to compete in it. And only that generation of water polo players is considered to be successful as most of them had participated in dozens of international tournaments and their collection of titles includes Olympic silver and bronze medals.
7. Attentive spectators noticed that three Russian last names were featured in the roster of the Italian women's water polo team, SISTEMI INTEGRATI. The theory that local water polo players joined their Italian colleagues to help them make a full team and to ensure that they have enough substitute players became the most common one among spectators but didn't find confirmation. As it turned out, this trio left for Italy to play for Italian clubs at the beginning of their careers. The girls got married there, started families and now travel from one championship to another as members of the Italian water 
   polo team. 
8. German Masters athlete Joachim Hintze took part in a maximum number of events across various aquatic disciplines: 3km open water, water polo tournament (as part of the SV Cannstatt team) and men's 800m freestyle.
9. For the first time ever, 1,161 Russian athletes took place in the FINA World Masters Championships, which makes 44% of the total number of participants. They took 159 out of 572 medals. 
10. A representative of New Zealand had the longest trip to Kazan. By the way, this country had the smallest representation  - only two athletes came for the tournament to Kazan. 

FINA World Masters 2015 in quotes:

FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione: “Kazan's Organising Committee has taken every effort to stage the FINA World Masters Championships at a new level. The FINA World Masters Championships confirm the important values of FINA: healthy living, fair play competition and friendship, regardless of nationality or age group.”

Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov: “We are very pleased that representatives from 73 countries, athletes, participants, Olympic champions, and world champions have come to visit us. We are proud that we can stage such a large competition.”

70-year-old Yaroslav Novitsky (Moscow): “It is the best Championships I’ve ever participated in. I’ve been to eleven Championships and I want to thank the Organising Committee and all the staff for their time and effort.”   

Russian Masters Swimming Federation (RMSF) President Alexandr Danilov: “No one expected it to be that high! I’ve personally heard a lot of positive feedbacks on the high standard of event delivery, the quality of venues, the amazing hospitality, the high-quality work of technical officials, the incredible results achieved by the athletes. I think you know that numerous world records were set at these Championships. Everything was simply great!”