Japan International Swim Meet: Day Two Features Top Swims; Kirsty Coventry Goes Sub-1:00 in Women’s 100 Back

CHIBA, Japan, August 22. AFTER a blistering first day of competition that featured plenty of world-class times at the Japan International Swim Meet, the international field of talent returned with some more top times during the second day of swimming.

The two-per country A final rule is in effect at this meet. So, SwimmingWorldMagazine.com has decided to give full coverage to both the A and B final results. Those swimmers not making the cut for A finals are still posting some big times in the B heats.

Women's 100 freestyle
The uncrowned world-record holder in the women's 100 free, Libby Lenton gave the global standard a go but fell short. Lenton clocked a 53.58 to easily win the event. While not as fast as her unratified time of 52.99 set as part of a mixed relay at the 2007 Duel in the Pool, her winning effort proved to be among the top 15 readouts of all time.

The official world record still on the books remains in the hands of Germany's Britta Steffen at 53.30.

Her teammate Cate Campbell, a rising sprint star in her own right, placed second in 54.70 to break into the top 15 in the world this year, while China's Zhu Yingwen took third in 54.89.

Click Here to view A finals results PDF file.

Australia's Shayne Reese topped the B final with a time of 55.72, while the United States' Katie Riefenstahl placed second in 56.29 and Canada's Seanna Miller finished third in 56.31.

Click Here to view B finals results PDF file.

Men's 100 freestyle
Australia owned the men's 100 free with a 1-2 performance. Andrew Lauterstein led wire-to-wire with a gold-medal winning 49.38, while teammate Matt Targett claimed second in 49.47. The Aussie tandem had its hands full, as the United States' Nick Brunelli provided a push the entire way before finishing third in 49.54.

Click Here to view A finals results PDF file.

Australia's Eamon Sullivan held off South Africa's Gerhard Zandberg, 49.11 to 49.84, for the B final victory. Although winning the heat, Sullivan came up short of his season-best time of 48.47 set at Worlds this year. Meanwhile, Great Britain's Benjamin Hockin wound up third in the B final with a time of 50.38.

Click Here to view B finals results PDF file.

In prelims, Japan's Hisayoshi Sato broke Japan's national record with a time of 49.22. The previous standard had been 49.32.

Women's 200 butterfly
Former world-record holder Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland won a head-to-head battle with current record holder Jessicah Schipper of Australia. Jedrzejczak stopped the clock in 2:06.15 to conquer the second-place time of 2:06.68 posted by Schipper.

Jedrzejczak's time came up shy of the top time (2:05.92) in the world this year, which she recorded at the Paris Open earlier this month. Schipper also nearly surpassed her season-best time of 2:06.39 set at the World championship, but was well off her global standard of 2:05.40.

Canada's Audrey Lacroix narrowly missed her top time this year of 2:06.83 with a third-place 2:06.93.

Click Here to view A finals results PDF file.

Canada's MacKenzie Downing picked off Great Britain's Jemma Lowe, 2:09.85 to 2:10.16, to claim the B final win, while the United States' Alyssa Anderson touched third in 2:10.98. Notably, Felicia Lee placed fifth for the U.S. in 2:12.24.

Downing's time, while good enough to win the heat, did not beat her season-best readout of 2:08.83 set earlier this month. Lowe also finished just off her top time this year of 2:09.52 clocked at the Great Britain Championships in July.

Click Here to view B finals results PDF file.

Women's 100 backstroke
The sub-1:00 club welcomed its third member when Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry dropped the hammer with a time of 59.85 to become the second-fastest swimmer in the event's history. The United States' Natalie Coughlin easily owns top billing in the event with the seven fastest times, including the world record of 59.44. Coventry, however, surpassed France's Laure Manaudou, who previously held the second spot with a time of 59.87 set at the 2007 World Championships.

Coventry had flirted with the 1:00 mark at the previous two World Championships. In 2005, she clocked a 1:00.24 to challenge Coughlin's winning time of 1:00.00. Coventry then came back this year with a 1:00.57.

Japan's Reiko Nakamura wound up taking second in 1:00.58, a bit off her national-record time of 1:00.29 set at the Japanese National Championships in April.

Australia's Emily Seebohm finished third in 1:00.66, also a tad shy of her season-best effort of 1:00.51 recorded at Worlds this year.

Notably, Japan's Hanae Ito produced the fourth sub-1:01 time of the heat with a fourth-place effort of 1:00.97.

Click Here to view A finals results PDF file.

The United States' Presley Bard jumped into the top 20 in the world this year with a B final triumph when she hit the wall in 1:01.32 to emerge from the pack for the win. Australia's Stephanie Rice finished second in 1:01.66, while Japan's Aya Terakawa took third in 1:01.99.

Click Here to view B finals results PDF file.

Men's 100 backstroke
Great Britain's Liam Tancock tied Helge Meeuw as the third-fastest swimmer in the event all time with a winning effort of 53.46. That readout moved him from his previous seventh-place standing of 53.61 set at the 2007 World Championships.

The United States' Randall Bal joined him under 54 seconds with a second-place time of 53.91, off his season-best performance of 53.66 set last month. Meanwhile, Japan's Tomomi Morita closed out the top three in 54.13 to shave his personal-best time down from a 54.25 set at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Click Here to view A finals results PDF file.

The United States' Ben Hesen, who challenged Michael Phelps during the 100 back at U.S. Nationals a few weeks ago, captured the B final title in 54.27. The time improved upon his 54.40 effort during that swim against Phelps and moved him closer to breaking the 54-second threshold.

Japan's Ryosuke Irie placed second behind Hesen with a time of 54.74, while Great Britain's Gregor Tait took third in 55.61.

Click Here to view B finals results PDF file.

Men's 400 IM
South Africa's Riaan Schoeman nearly broke into the top 10 in the world this year with a winning time of 4:15.41. That performance put Schoeman right behind Erik Vendt's 4:14.75 recorded at the Duel in the Pool in April.

Meanwhile, Poland's Pawel Korzeniowski finished second in 4:17.06, while Japan's Takahiro Mori took third in 4:18.65.

Click Here to view A finals results PDF file.

The United States swept the top two spots in the B final of the men's 400 IM. Dustin McLarty and Brennan Morris battled the entire race, which was not decided until the touch. McLarty got his hand to the wall first in 4:22.60, while Morris placed second in 4:22.70. Meanwhile, Japan's Taishi Okude picked up third in 4:27.59.

Click Here to view B finals results PDF file.

Women's 800 freestyle relay
The Australian foursome of Bronte Barratt (1:57.54), Stephanie Rice (1:59.84), Shayne Reese (2:00.69) and Linda Mackenzie (1:58.96) opened with a huge lead as Barratt's leadoff time cut more than a second from her previous season-best effort of 1:58.80 set in June en route to easily winning the women's 800 free relay in 7:57.03.

Great Britain's team of Caitlin McClatchey, Julia Beckett, Ellen Gandy and Hannah Miley finished second in 7:58.64, while the Chinese contingent of Tan Miao, Tang Yi, Xu Yanwei and Pang Jiaying took third in 7:59.64.

Click Here to view finals results PDF file.

Men's 800 freestyle relay
Australia won again, this time in the men's 800 free relay. The quartet of Kenrick Monk (1:47.57), Andrew Mewing (1:48.30), Patrick Murphy (1:48.12) and Grant Hackett (1:46.91) won the race in 7:10.90.

Japan's team of Yoshihiro Okumura, Yasunori Mononobe, Syunsuke Kuzuhara and Daisuke Hosokawa took second in 7:14.98, while China's squad of Zhang Enjian, Zhang Lin, Yu Chenglong and Wu Peng finished third in 7:16.16.

Click Here to view finals results PDF file.

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