2007 World Swimming Cup, Durban: Second Day of Swimming Provides Some World Record Scares

DURBAN, South Africa, October 20. AFTER an initial night of World Cup swimming featured the hometown South Africans, the second night featured a mixed bag of international swimmers all gunning for world records. While the record books remained untouched, some close shaves were recorded throughout the night in Durban, South Africa.

Men's 1500 freestyle
Germany's Christain Kubusch nearly cleared 15 minutes in his dominant 1500 free victory to open the second night of swimming. Kubusch, making his mark internationally this weekend, clocked in at 15:01.90 for the win, while South Africa's Riaan Schoeman took second in 15:13.61. South Africa's Heerden Herman wound up third in 15:16.10.

The only swimmer that gave Kubusch much of a push was South Africa's John Ellis, as he was the only person close to Kubusch through 300-meters, 2:55.73 to 2:56.91. Kubusch, however, pulled away the rest of the way while Ellis paid for his early energy purge with a seventh-place 15:47.34.

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Women's 100 freestyle
Sweden's Josefin Lillhage claimed her second gold medal of the meet with a solid time of 53.53 in the 100 free. She made her statement in the initial 50 meters with a time of 25.95 as the only sub-26 second 50 in the pack.

Lillhage's time of 53.53 stands as the second-fastest time of the early short course season, with Libby Lenton owning the top time with a 51.83 at the Australian Short Course Championships in August.

Teammate Petra Granlund placed second in 54.73, while Slovakia's Martina Moravcova took third in 54.93.

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Men's 200 freestyle
Australia's Kyle Richardson picked up the gold medal in the men's 200 free with a time of 1:46.88, which is an improvement on his previous season-best time of 1:47.48 set at the Australian Short Course Championships in August.

Meanwhile, France's Amaury Leveaux had a fight on his hands as his compatriot Fabien Horth pushed him the entire way. Leveaux, however, wound up pulling in the silver with a time of 1:47.65. Horth settled for bronze in 1:47.70.

Richardson took the race out quick, building a lead of more than a second at the 100-meter mark with a split of 51.87.

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Women's 50 breaststroke
South Africa's Suzaan van Biljon ripped off a 31.13 to win the sprint breaststroke event over Germany's Sarah Poewe (31.78). Meanwhile, Sweden's Joline Hostman placed third in 32.21.

van Biljon lowered her season best of 31.58 set at the South African Short Course Championships earlier this month.

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Men's 100 breaststroke
South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh added the 100 breast crown to his 200 title from yesterday. He captured a commanding victory with a time of 1:00.33, which is just off his previous season-best of 1:00.11 set earlier this month at South Africa's Short Course Championships.

Compatriot Thabang Moeketsane finished in second place with a time of 1:01.64, while France's Julien Nicolardot took third in 1:02.22.

van der Burgh shot off the blocks to hold a full-second lead at the 50-meter mark with a time of 28.04, while Moeketsane turned second with a time of 29.13.

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Women's 400 IM
Hungary's Zsuzsanna Jakabos and South Africa's Kathryn Meaklim put together some of the top swims in this early season. Jakabos claimed the top time with a readout of 4:36.23, while Meaklim took second in 4:36.62. South Africa's Jessica Pengelly wound up third in 4:38.85.

Meaklim led after the butterfly leg with a time of 1:03.58, while Pengelly pulled in front after the backstroke at 2:11.86. She remained ahead after the breaststroke with a time of 3:31.38, but Jakabos just had way too strong of a freestyle, and ate both Meaklim and Pengelly up by the 350-meter mark then held on for the win.

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Men's 100 butterfly
Brazil's Gabriel Mangabeira relegated France's Amaury Leveaux to silver for another race. Mangabeira clocked a time of 53.37 to win the 100 fly, while Leveaux picked up silver in 53.78. Meanwhile, South Africa's Sebastien Rousseau rounded out the top three in 53.92.

Mangabeira led from the get-go with a 50-meter split of 24.88, while Leveaux actually turned third with a split of 25.38 behind Rousseau's 25.23.

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Women's 100 backstroke
The United States' Natalie Coughlin gave her world record of 56.71 set in New York in 2002 a scare with a winning effort of 57.21 in her pet event. Her 50-meter split of 27.84 also came within a second of Coughlin's American record in the 50 of 27.08 set in New York in 2004.

Germany's Antje Buschschulte finished a distant second with a time of 59.29, while Australia's Sophie Edington placed third in 59.60.

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Men's 50 backstroke
The United States' Randall Bal made his own charge, this time after the American record in the 50 back held by Neil Walker with a 23.42 at the 2000 Athens Olympics. Bal, however, came up short with a time of 23.79 for the win.

South Africa's Gerhard Zandberg kept piling on the medals this weekend with another, this time with a silver-winning 24.16. Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin rounded out the top three in 24.59.

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Women's 200 butterfly
South Africa's Mandy Loots emerged triumphant from the pack in the women's 200 fly. She clocked a time of 2:07.14 to win the gold medal in the event.

Sweden's Petra Granlund finished second in 2:08.33, while France's Aurore Mongel took third in 2:09.27.

The event proved to be fairly empty as only five swimmers competed in finals. Hungary's Zsuzsanna Jakabos (2:12.90) and South Africa's Kathryn Meaklim (2:13.17) also swam in the heat.

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Men's 200 IM
South Africa picked up a 1-2 sweep in the event as Wesley Gilchrist won in 2:00.16 and Sebastien Rousseau placed second in 2:00.98. France's Fabien Horth took third in 2:01.79.

Gilchrist led at the 50 with a split of 25.94, while Rousseau owned the lead at the 100 with a time of 57.01. Gilchrist battled back to lead at the 150, 1:32.73 to 1:32.75.

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Women's 400 freestyle
Sweden's Josefin Lillhage won by more then two seconds in the women's 400 free when she touched in 4:06.03 for the gold medal. Meanwhile, South Africa's Melissa Corfe captured silver with a time of 4:08.26, while Sweden's Ida Marko-Varga took bronze in 4:10.32.

After touching with matching 59.23s at the 100-meter mark, Lillhage quickly separated herself from Corfe throughout the race. Lillhage notched times of 2:01.17 at the 200 and 3:03.62 at the 300 before salting away the victory.

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Men's 50 freestyle
In an epic South African head-to-head tilt, Gerhard Zandberg picked up some bragging rights over Roland Schoeman. Zandberg hit the wall in 21.59, while Schoeman settled for silver in 21.60. Teammate Shaun Harris completed the top three in 22.33.

Zandberg's time finished just shy of his previous season-best effort of 21.47 set at the South African Short Course Championships this month.

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Women's 200 breaststroke
South Africa's Suzaan van Biljon cut five seconds from her previous season-best time of 2:27.10 set at the South African Short Course Champs this month with a commanding 2:22.45 to win the 200 breast.

van Biljon made her move early with a 50-meter split of 32.49. She touched at the 100 in 1:08.92, then turned at the 150 in 1:45.57 before heading home for the triumph.

Sweden's Joline Hostman placed a distant second in 2:27.50 by holding off Germany's Sarah Poewe, who finished third in 2:28.86.

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Women's 100 IM
The reigning world record holder in the event with a 58.80 in New York in 2002, Natalie Coughlin cashed another gold-medal check with a time of 1:00.59. Coughlin's win was never much in doubt as she led by more than a second at the 50-meter mark with a time of 27.15.

South Africa's Mandy Loots placed second in 1:01.46, while Slovakia's Martina Moravcova took third in 1:02.86.

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Men's 200 backstroke
The United States' Randall Bal cruised to another conquest, this time with a time of 1:53.15 in the 200 backstroke. Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin placed second in 1:55.30, while Australia's Ethan Rolff took third in 1:55.77.

Bal easily won the race, as he jumped out to a quick lead as the only sub-27 50-meter mark with a 26.27. He then closed the first half in 54.89, before touching in 1:23.87 at the 150-meter mark.

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Women's 50 butterfly
Sweden's Anna-Karin Kammerling's world record of 25.33 was in the cross hairs as the swimmers in Durban hoped to cash in at least one world-record check. Her teammate Therese Alshammar sure gave it a run with a winning time of 25.64, but could not earn the big dollar prize money.

Kammerling was alongside Alshammar as she touched in 26.00 for silver, while Germany's Antje Buschschulte completed the top three in 26.87.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

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