Flash! Rogan Breaks World Record in Short Course 200 Backstroke; Cseh Takes Down Global Standard in 200 I.M. -- December 8, 2005

TRIESTE, Italy, December 8. USING a stellar back half to his race, Markus Rogan established a world record in the 200-meter backstroke on Thursday, during the first day of the European Short Course Championships in Italy. Rogan covered the distance dorsal in 1:50.43, lowering the former record of 1:50.52, set by Aaron Peirsol in October of 2004.

Representing Austria, Rogan split 26.56 at the 50-meter mark and hit the wall at the halfway point in 54.86. The Olympic silver medalist then turned on the burners in the back end of the race, taking the lead at the 150-meter mark in 1:22.27. He kept pushing to the wall and claimed victory over Russia’s Arkady Vyatchanin, who touched in 1:50.77.

Not to be outdone, Hungary's Laszlo Cseh set a global standard in the 200 individual medley with a blazing mark of 1:53.46. That time dipped under the 1:53.93 produced by George Bovell at the 2004 NCAA Championships. Last summer, Cseh won gold in the 400 I.M. at the World Champs and picked up silver in the 200 I.M.

The Hungarian, recently named Swimming World Magazine's European Swimmer of the year, took command from the start and posted a two-plus second victory over Lithuania's Vytautas Janusaitis (1:55.52).


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