Marrit Steenbergen bypassed the 200m free at the first two rounds of the World Cup and watched Siobhan Haughey take comfortable victories in 1:51.08, then 1:51.02.

Today, at the last round of the 'Silk Road' series - in Astana, Kazakhstan - the Dutch World 100m champion and record holder took $2,500 'Crown-Buster' bonus by holding off the Hong Kong ace with two Olympic 200m medals to her name, in a sizzling 1:50.23.

The time is not only the European record, inside her own 1:50.33 from last December, but elevates Steenbergen above Haughey (1:50.31 best, 2021) on the all-time ranking in the 200m. The only woman faster than both, and then by almost a second, is Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, who clocked a breath-taking 1:49.36 at the cup in Toronto last October.

The Crown Buster goes to a swimmer who prevents a rival from winning the same event at all three of the Cup rounds this season. A triple cup success grants a swimmer access to a $15,000 "Double Crown Expansion" prize if they then go in and win the same event at the World s/c championships in December.

No swimmer is now eligible for that bonus. In general, that triple feat plus World title is all the more difficult because the majority of the world's best are not on Cup tour, but many of them will be in Beijing in December at the one-off norther-winter showcase.

Here's how the battle between Steenbergen, winner of two golds and four silvers at the European Championships in Paris back in August, and Haughey unfolded today, the 50m split the only one on which the Hong Kong sprinter had a '1' next to her name, the biggest gap between the two the 0.64sec that separated the top two at the close of play:

Also topping the 900 mark were American Anna Peplowski and, for the first time on this cup tour, Britain's Freya Colbert.

Steenbergen At The Double

Steenbergen wasn't done. Having stopped Haughey chasing the $15,000 bonus in the 200 free, the Dutch sprinter set up a titlesame prize in the 50m backstroke in Beijing this December:

She took her second win of the day in the 50m backstroke, in 25.67, as the sole 900-points-plus swimmer in the final, her teammate Tessa Giele giving the Dutch a podium double within Steenbergen's double of the day.

Steenbergen shave a tiny fraction off her cup speed with each passing round, winning in Baku two weeks ago in 25.75, then 25.70 in Tashkent last week, before stopping the clock 0.03sec faster today:

Yu Yiting's Triple Chaser

Another who will chase the $15,000 bonus in December is China's Yu Yiting, who saved her fastest 400Im until last, taking the win in 4:22.74, just 0.01sec shy of the Asian record set by Japan's Tokyo2020ne Olympic champion-to-be Yui Ohashi on Cup tour in November 2018.

Yu did not leave the water without a records, however: her time took down the Chinese record that had stood at 4:23.33 to controversial 2012 Olympic champion Ye Shiwen, who claimed silver at the World s/c Championships at the end of the same year, her Asian record just adrift the Championship and European record of 4:23.14 set by Britain's Hannah Miley.

Yu Yiting will now head to a home World s/c Worlds in Bejing in December with a shot at the bonus money, among those who stand in her way, should China selector, is the teammate who beat her to the Asian title in Tokyo last month: Yu Zidi, who turns 14 tomorrow.

The splits and the top 4 today in Astana:

Other 900-plus-points winners and podium placers on day 1 in Astana:

• Women's 100m breaststroke: Mona McSharry (IRL) 1:04.03 (923) - 30.20; 33.83
• Women's 50m butterfly: Roos Vanotterdijk 24.56 (900)