ISTANBUL, Turkey, December 13. THE final night of swimming at the European Short Course Championships witnessed world records in three events – including a rare world-record tie.
Hungary's Daniel Gyurta shattered Christian Sprenger's world record in the men's 200 breast. Gyurta clocked a sterling time of 2:00.67, knocking more than a second off Sprenger's global mark of 2:01.98 set in August. Gyurta's previous best had been the Hungarian record of 2:03.25 set in prelims.
Here are the comparative splits:
Gyurta: 27.74, 58.46 (30.72), 1:29.33 (30.87), 2:00.67 (31.34)
Sprenger: 28.08, 59.14 (31.06), 1:30.58 (31.44), 2:01.98 (31.40)
Notably, Russia's Grigory Falko took second in 2:02.50, while teammate Maxim Shcherbakov placed third in 2:03.76.
Italy's Federica Pellegrini, the reigning Swimming World World Swimmer of the Year, cleared her world record in the women's 200 free with a 1:51.17. That performance lowered her previous mark of 1:51.85 set last year at this meet.
Here are the comparative splits:
2009: 26.58, 54.84 (28.26), 1:23.09 (28.25), 1:51.17 (28.08)
2008: 26.73, 55.40 (28.67), 1:23.86 (28.46), 1:51.85 (27.99)
Hungary's Evelyn Verraszto pushed Pellegrini through the first 100 meters, trailing 54.84 to 54.95, but could not keep up the pace the rest of the way en route to a silver-winning 1:52.61. Verraszto downed her national record of 1:53.86 set in prelims. The Netherlands' Femke Heemskerk placed third in 1:54.20.
In an extremely entertaining race, Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin and Stanislav Donets tied in the men's 100 back to share the world record with matching 48.97s. The duo lowered Vyatchanin's semifinal mark of 49.17 set yesterday. Additionally, Spain's Aschwin Wildeboer Faber cleared the former global standard with a 49.05 for third. Wildeboer Faber broke what had been the world record heading into this meet, but stood as his Spanish record of 49.20 from last year.
Here are the comparative splits:
Vyatchanin Final: 23.72, 48.97 (25.25)
Donets Final: 23.31, 48.97 (25.66)
Vyatchanin Semifinal: 23.76, 49.17 (25.41)
Great Britain's Hannah Miley began the finals portion of the night by rattling the European record in the women's 400 IM. She checked in with a 4:25.66 that just missed Mireia Belmonte Garcia's continental mark of 4:25.06 set last year. She did, however, crush her British record of 4:27.22 set in August. Belmont Garcia wound up second overall in 4:27.60, while Hungary's Zsuzsanna Jakabos touched third in 4:28.46. Jakabos smashed Katinka Hosszu's national mark of 4:32.10 set in 2007.
Croatia's Duje Draganja touched out Russia's Sergey Fesikov, 51.20 to 51.29, for the men's 100 IM title. Draganja beat his national record of 52.17 set in November. Slovenia's Peter Mankoc, fresh off a world record in the event yesterday with a 50.76 during semis, faded to third in 51.52.
Another semifinal world-record breaker could not put it together in finals as France's Diane Bui Duyet wound up second in the women's 100 fly with a 55.93 after setting the global mark with a 55.05 during semis. The Netherlands' Inge Dekker shined in the finale with a winning 55.74, while Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen finished third in 56.02. Dekker beat her national record of 55.80 set yesterday.
Germany's Paul Biedermann challenged his world record in the men's 200 free, but came up just short with a 1:39.81. He set the world record with a 1:39.37 during the Berlin stop of this year's World Cup. Russia's Daniil Izotov placed second in 1:40.08, breaking his preliminary national record of 1:40.87 set earlier today. Nikita Lobintsev rounded out the top three for Russia in 1:41.52.
Germany's Caroline Ruhnau topped the women's 100 breast in 1:04.84, just off her German record of 1:04.78 from last month. The Netherlands' Moniek Nijhuis placed second in 1:04.96, while Sweden's Jennie Johansson took third in 1:05.19.
France's Alexianne Castel won the women's 200 back in 2:02.67, while Germany's Jenny Mensing took second in 2:03.31 – just missing her national record of 2:03.00 set last weekend in Wuppertal. Denmark's Pernille Larsen wound up third in 2:03.50, shattering the national record of 2:05.04 she set in prelims.
Germany's Johannes Dietrich claimed the men's 50 fly title in 22.07, while France's Fred Bousquet picked up second in 22.17. That swim beat the French record of 22.18 set by Amaury Leveaux last year. Russia's Evgeny Korotyshkin completed the podium with a third-place 22.34.
The Netherlands' Hinkelien Schreuder pocketed the women's 50 free title in 23.32, just off compatriot Marleen Veldhuis' world record of 23.25 set last year. Ranomi Kromowidjojo, also from The Netherlands, finished second in 23.58 with Germany's Dorothea Brandt snagging third in 23.74. Brandt lowered Britta Steffen's national record of 23.80 set in 2007.
France's Leveaux, Jeremy Stravius, David Maitre and Bousquet then concluded the meet by winning the men's 200 free relay in 1:22.96.