Another Textile Best: Kromowidjojo On 24.10
Craig Lord
Apr 15, 2012

Ranomi Kromowidjojo enters the summer season as the fastest woman ever in textile suit over 50m and 100m freestyle. The Dutch sprinter, coached by Jacco Verhaeren in Eindhoven at the pool where the Swim Cup came to an end today, shot to the helm of the all-time list in the dash with a 24.10 victory to book a second race at London 2012.

Having clocked 52.75 in the 100m on day two of the meet, the time the best ever in textile over 100m and the first official effort inside 53sec, Kromowidjojo cracked the 24.13 at which fellow Dutchwoman and Olympic champion of 2000 and 2004, Inge De Bruijn, and Britain's Fran Halsall (GBR) had held the world textile-suit record. 

The world record has stood to Olympic champion Britta Steffen (GER) at 23.73 since the Rome shiny suits circus. Kwomowidjojo's 24.10 is the 11th best performance ever, all suits.

In Eindhoven today, comeback mum Marleen Veldhuis took second in 24.32, third best in the world so far this year, with Inge Dekker third in 24.62. Veldhuis's time is just 0.02sec outside her best ever in textile, from 2007.

How Olympic season is panning out, top 5 (two per nation):

  • 24.10 Kromowidjojo (NED)
  • 24.13 Halsall (GBR)
  • 24.32 Veldhuis (NED)
  • 24.44 Cate Campbell (AUS)
  • 24.61 Bronte Campbell (AUS)

Dekker has a season best of 24.42 but is third best in sprint nation, otherwise known as The Netherlands.

All-time best list all suits:

  • 23.73 Steffen (GER)
  • 23.88 Alshammar (SWE)
  • 23.96 Veldhuis (NED)
  • 23.97 Trickett (NED)
  • 23.99 Cate Campbell (AUS)
  • 24.07 Torres (USA)
  • 24.10 Kromowidjojo (NED) textile best

All-time top 5 textile only

  • 24.10 Kromowidjojo (NED)
  • 24.13 De Bruijn (NED)
  • 24.13 Halsall (GBR)
  • 24.14 Alshammar (SWE) world title 2011
  • 24.30 Veldhuis (NED)

Veldhuis took a break after Beijing 2008 and became a mother during her time away from the pool. She returned to training in 2010.

In other events, Sharon van Rouwendaal, of Eiffel PSV, added to her Olympic programme with a 2:10.14 victory inside Olympic cut in the 200m backstroke, with Amsterdam taking silver and bronze in the shape of Annamarie Worst, 2:12.82, and Kira Toussaint, 2:13.02. All three podium placers are still teenagers, Worst the youngest at 16. 

Moniek Nijhuis, of Amsterdam, finished second in the 100m breaststroke in 1:08.50, 0.21sec shy of Sweden's Jennie Johansson but the place wasn't going to keep a smile from her face: she was 0.1sec inside the cut for London 2012. Sweden also took bronze, Joline Hostman in 1:09.21.

In the men's 200m backstroke, Nick Driebergen, of Amsterdam, dominated in 1:57.96 but that left him 0.03sec shy of the London 2012 target time but inside the European Championship cut for Debrecen next month.

Driebergen's Amsterdam teammate Lennart Stekelenburg found himself in a similar situation in the 100m breaststroke as far as the clock and the London 2012 cut went but in 1:01.04 he won the race. The Netherlands has yet to name its Olympic squad, including relays, the best 100m swimmer of any stroke in with the best shout at a place in the medley relay.

The 200m butterfly went to Italian visitor Francesco Pavone, of Genova, in 1:57.06, while Swedish visitor from Jonkoping Martina Granstrom was the sole sub-2:10 performer in the women's final, on 2:09.09.

The men's meet ended with a 15:11.77 win for Job Kienhuis, of Eiffel PSV in Eindhoven, in the 1500m, while the Dutch women's 4x200m freestyle squad clocked 8:02.39 for a chance at making the London 2012 cut when FINA announces the top 16 teams after the June deadline set for quartets. Those seeking to colour an Olympic block orange were Wendy van der Zanden (2:00.74), Andrea Kneppers (2:00.82), Rieneke Terink (1:59.61) and Saskia de Jonge (2:01.22).