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Kromowidjojo 100 Free: 51.44 World Best
Nov 26, 2010 - Craig Lord
Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) put the serious bout of meningitis that wiped out her summer season behind her today with a 51.44 victory in the 100m freestyle on the the second of four days of racing at the European short-course Championships in Eindhoven.
The silver at the pool named after another of coach Jacco Verhaeren's charges, Pieter Van Den Hoogenband, went to Kromowidjojo's teammate Femke Heemskerk in 52.02, with Olympic and world long-course comeback queen Britta Steffen (GER) finally declaring her hand and an early marker on the way to the defense of her world crown at Shanghai next July with a bronze in 52.92.
The world record from the era of non-textile suits was always going to be a very long shot - at 51.01 to Libby Trickett (AUS) in 2009 but in matching her own shiny suit best of 51.44 from a year ago, the Dutch sprinter is the fastest woman ever to cover the distance in a textile suit. Trickett had held the world mark at 51.70 before non-textile suits, banned since January 1, came along in 2008.
The splits:
The homecoming split tells a tale of stamina that sends a message to Steffen, another comeback sprinter Trickett and others that the Dutch sprinter is building into a force capable of panning for gold in Shanghai and then in London 2012. And then there's one more, and the biggest, s/c meet left this year: the world titles in Dubai from December 15-19.
The session saw Holland take the most titles, on three, and witnessed the first European short-course record of the year, Stanislav Donets clocking 22.74 to win the 50m backstroke 0.02sec inside his 2009 victory effort in a non-textile suit. The silver went to Vitaly Borisov (RUS) in 23.72, 0.01sec ahead of Nick Driebegen (NED).
Donet's best is second all-time, behind the 22.61 at which Peter Marshall (USA) holds the world mark from 2009, and the best-ever in textile, inside the 23.31 at which Matt Welsh (AUS) held the world record on the eve of 22 months in which non-textile suits were given permission to pass before a January 1 ban this year.
Other race reports:
Women's 800m Freestyle (report updated and corrected with results of the slowest heat, featuring Pellegrini and Murphy)
Federica Pellegrini (ITA) won the crown with an 8:15.20 from morning heats, silver going to Boglarka Kapas (HUN) in 8:18.56 from the fastest heat and bronze going Grainne Murphy (IRL) in 8:19.45.
The winning time is third best in the world this year after the respective 8:12.65 and 8:14.86 efforts of Australians Katie Goldman and Blair Evans. Alessia Filippi (ITA) set the world record of 8:04.53 to win the 2008 European crown as the non-textile crisis deepened in Rijeka, Croatia, where some swimmers even wore up to four suits at a time to increase buoyancy, leading to a rule change forbidding the use of more than one suit at a time.
Men's 400m Individual Medley
David Verraszto kept up the Hungarian gold rush, taking the long medley in 4:03.06 after a tussle with Yannick Lebherz (GER), his 4:05.08 good enough for silver ahead of Federico Turrini (ITA) on 4:05.24, with Vyatautas Janusaitis (LTU) locked out of the medals on 4:05.85. The winning time is the best in the world this year and a textule-suit best for Verraszto.
Lebherz took the early lead on 56.29, with Verraszto a second back in 6th. On backstroke, Lebeherz, the 200m back champion yesterday, extended his lead at 1:56.72, with Verraszto having broken through to second on 1:58.43 and further back. The first 50m on breaststroke sorted out the deficit, the Hungarian 0.42sec ahead of the German half-way to freestyle. By the time Verraszto turned into the deciding stroke, he held a clear lead, on 3:05.98, Lebherz, on 3:08.98 now challenged by Turrini, a touch up on 3:08.51. There was no question who would take the title but the sprint for the minor spoils was tight, Lebherz getting the better of Turrini, Janusaitis leaving his challenge too late.
Verraszto was a fingertip away from breaking 4mins last year as the non-textile suits era drew to a close with a world record of 3:57.27 for his Hungarian teammate Laszlo Cseh, absent from Eindhoven.
Women' 200m breaststroke
European long-course champion Anastasia Chaun (RUS) added the continental short-course crown when she held off a challenge from Tanja Smid (CRO) 2:22.68 to 2:22.88. The bronze went to Chiara Boggiatto (ITA) in 2:24.52. Boggiatto turned first at the half-way mark on 1:09.74, the pack with her, Chaun among them 0.13sec away. Going into the last 50m, Chaun held a 0.04sec lead over Smid and looked set to press home for gold. But Smid held firm and the hunt for gold was a close one all the way to the pads.
The race was among those that highlighted the gulf between 2009 and a 2010 season in which non-textile suits are no longer permitted: the world record stands at 2:14.57 to Rebecca Soni (USA), the European record at 2:16.66 Rikke Moeller Pedersen (DEN). Moeller Pederson has clocked a 2:20 this season but is away from Eindhoven holding her fire for the world s/c titles in Dubai next month. The only sub-2:20 effort this year is a 2:18.86 from Leisel Jones (AUS).
Men's 100m Breaststroke
Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) and Hendrik Feldwehr (GER) pressed each other to respective efforts of 57.78 and 58.09 that placed them head and shoulders above the chasing pack in a final that that saw 3rd to 7th split by 0.31sec. The man who took the bronze in that battle was Robin Ven Aggele (NED), on 58.68, locking Igor Borysik (UKR) out by 0.02sec, with Anton Lobanov (RUS) just 0.01sec further back. Scozzoli is now 4th best in the world so far this year on a ranking list led at 56.79 by Brazil's Felipe Silva.
Women's 100m backstroke
Daryna Zevina (UKR) claimed the crown in 57.57 in a tussle with Sharon Van Rouwendaal (NED) on 57.91, the bronze going to Duane da Rocha (ESP) on 58.37, which locked out Simona Baumrtova (CZE), on 58.93.
Men's 100m butterfly
Steffen Deibler (GER) kept up his golden form with a 49.95 victory, off a 22.94 leading split. Europe's long-course silver medallist back in the summer long-course season, Joeri Verlinden (NED) claimed silver in 50.52, with bronze going to Peter Mankoc (SLO) by just 0.01sec in 50.92, locking out Benjamin Starke (GER). With the first sub-50sec effort of the year, Deibler leads the world ranking (a year after his time would have left him with the 27th best performance of 2009), his latest effort one more stroke in the right direction as his 14th 100m 'fly race this winter season and not far shy of his 49.23 best ever in a non-textile suit.
Women's 50m Butterfly
Inge Dekker and Hinkelien Schreuder (NED) gave the home crowd a thrill with gold and silver, the winning effort of 25.38 the second-best time of the year so far. Top of the heap is Therese Alshammar (SWE), her season best of 25.24 the best of the top six times in the world this year that all belong to her. Alshammar opted to bypass Eindhoven in favour of the world short-course championships in Dubai next month. The silver went to Schreuder in 25.49, bronze to Triin Aljand (EST) in 25.90.
Women's 4x50m freestyle
The session cam to a close in glory for the hosts. Inge Dekker (24.06) claimed a second gold, Femke Heemskerk (23.79) a second medal, Hinkelien Schreuder a third medal (23.40) and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (23.09) and second gold in a combined 1:34.34 commanding victory over Germany's 1:36.83 (Brandt,Steffen, Vitting, Schreiber). Finland took a rare bronze at a meet without France, Sweden and Britain, among others, in 1:39.02 (Niemi, Pikkarainen, Nevalainen, Seppala).
Semi-finals
Women's 100m medley
Evelyn Verraszto (HUN) watched her brother David take gold in the 400m medley then cracked out a 59.88 lead time in the mini medley to set up another gold for herself in the final tomorrow after first-day victory over 200m in the best textile time ever. Either side of her in the 100m final will be Hinkelien Schreuder (NED), 1:00.21, and Theresa Michalak (GER), 1:00.26.
