FINA World Championships, Swimming: Day Two Prelims

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SHANGHAI, China, July 25. THE first day of the FINA World Long Course Championships proved to be both exciting and surprising with a variety of textile bests and some stunning upsets. What will day two hold for the swimming community in attendance and watching around the world?

Women's 100 back
World record: Gemma Spofforth, GBR, 58.12
Textile best: Zhao Jing, CHN, 58.94

A quartet of sub-1:00 times went on the board in preliminary qualifying of the women's 100 back with the illustrious Natalie Coughlin of the U.S. topping qualifiers into semis with a 59.73. That swim is her first under 1:00 this year, and puts her fifth in the world rankings. Coughlin took time away from the sport during the 2009 World Championships, and is looking to regain her world title from 2007. Last night, Coughlin became the all-time leader in world championship hardware with a total of 16 medals.

Canada's Sinead Russell popped a strong time of 59.80 to become the first Canadian to break a 1:00 in the event. The previous Canadian record stood at 1:00.21 by Katy Murdoch in 2009. Russell has had to fight for every inch in the sport as her family has had to struggle through some significant issues away from the pool. Her father, Cecil, has been banned from coaching due to drug issues as well as a particularly shady background. Sinead's ability to continue to progress in the sport is a testament to her drive and desire.

Australia's Emily Seebohm has fought off several illnesses and ailments to make it to Shanghai, and looked to be in prime condition with a third-ranked 59.87. She took bronze in the event in 2009. Meanwhile, Japan's Aya Terakawa posted a fourth-seeded time of 59.95.

USA's Elizabeth Pelton (1:00.19), Australia's Belinda Hocking (1:00.23), Japan's Shiho Sakai (1:00.34) and Great Britain's Elizabeth Simmonds (1:00.38) made up the rest of the top eight.

The Netherlands' Sharon van Rouwendaal (1:00.61), China's Zhao Jing (1:00.66), Canada's Julia Wilkinson (1:00.82), Russia's Anastasia Zueva (1:00.88), Spain's Duane De Rocha (1:01.19), South Africa's Karin Prinsloo (1:01.34), Ukraine's Daryna Zevina (1:01.36) and Bulgaria's Ekaterina Avramova (1:01.39) grabbed the rest of the transfer spots into the semifinal.

In a stunning development, defending world champion Gemma Spofforth missed semis with a 23rd-ranked 1:01.89. Spofforth reportedly has been hit with a bout of food poisoning.

Men's 200 free
World record: Paul Biedermann, GER, 1:42.00
Textile best: Michael Phelps, USA, 1:43.86

With many people initially concerned due to his recent scooter accident, Ryan Lochte of the U.S. shook off any concerns with a top-seeded time of 1:46.34. Lochte has a regular routine of having surprising illnesses or injuries happen around major international competitions, and they tend to wind up not impacting his performance. Lochte's time this morning put him seventh in the world rankings this year.

The Netherlands' Sebastiaan Verschuren checked in with a second-seeded time of 1:46.53, while defending champion Paul Biedermann of Germany snared the third seed in 1:46.56. South Korea's Tae Hwan Park (1:46.63) finished fourth, while defending silver medalist Michael Phelps of the U.S. cruised in the morning with a fifth-seeded 1:46.98.

France's Yannick Agnel (1:47.11), Switzerland's Dominik Meichtry (1:47.38) and Great Britain's Ross Davenport (1:47.59) finished sixth through eighth to make semis, while defending bronze medalist Danila Izotov of Russia picked up ninth with a 1:47.72.

Cayman Islands' Shaune Fraser (1:47.73), Great Britain's Robert Renwick (1:47.88), Israel's Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or (1:48.11), Japan's Yuki Kobori (1:48.19), Russia's Nikita Lobintsev (1:48.28), Brazil's Nicolas Oliveira (1:48.33) and Australia's Kenrick Monk (1:48.42) also transferred into the semifinal round.

Women's 100 breast
World record: Jessica Hardy, USA, 1:04.45
Textile best: Rebecca Soni, USA, 1:04.93

In what many have targeted as one of the first events that will have a world record fall in the post techsuit era, USA's Rebecca Soni demonstrated just how close she could be to Jessica Hardy's world record with a preliminary swim of 1:05.54. That swim bettered her previous top-ranked time of 1:05.57 from May, while putting her in position to go much faster in semis and finals as she looks to defend her world title.

China's Ji Liping is the next fastest qualifier with a 1:07.10, more than a second and a half back of the world's best breaststroke. Germany's Sarah Poewe qualified third in 1:07.38, while Japan's Satomi Suzuki (1:07.39), Canada's Jillian Tyler (1:07.67), Australia's Leisel Jones (1:07.72), Denmark's Rikke Pedersen (1:07.80) and Sweden's Jennie Johansson (1:07.80) completed the top eight.

Russia's Yuliya Efimova, the defending silver medalist, qualified ninth in 1:07.81, while China's Sun Ye (1:07.96), Australia's Leiston Pickett (1:08.06), The Netherlands' Moniek Nijhuis (1:08.16), Spain's Marina Garcia Urzainque (1:08.42), USA's Amanda Beard (1:08.51), Czech's Petra Chocova (1:08.58) and Sweden's Joline Hostman (1:08.63) also made the semifinal competition.

Men's 100 back
World record: Aaron Peirsol, USA, 51.94
Textile best: Camille Lacourt, FRA, 52.11

With Aaron Peirsol now retired, France's Camille Lacourt will be looking to make some serious noise at the international level. Lacourt paced qualifying with a 53.30, and should have a lot more left in the tank after clocking a 52.44 in March to lead the world this year. Teammate Jeremy Stravius gives the French a serious 1-2 punch in the event with a second-seeded time of 53.34.

USA's David Plummer will be looking to jump into the void left by Peirsol's retirement from the U.S. squad, and put up a third-seeded 53.68 to demonstrate his potential to be the next person in for the Americans. Great Britain's Liam Tancock, usually a sprint backstroke specialist, showed some range with a fourth-ranked 53.84.

Russia's Stanislav Donets (53.85), Australia's Ben Treffers (53.89), New Zealand's Gareth Kean (53.89) and Japan's Ryosuke Irie (53.99) all cleared 54 seconds to make up the top eight.

Australia's Hayden Stoeckel (54.05), USA's Nick Thoman (54.13), Spain's Aschwin Wildeboer (54.14), Germany's Helge Meeuw (54.15), Greece's Aristeidis Grigoriadis (54.26), The Netherlands' Nick Driebergan (54.30) and Japan's Junya Koga (54.32) collected the ninth through 15th qualification spots into semis. Koga, the defending world champion, was living dangerously after nearly not making it out of prelims, while Meeuw (silver) and Wildeboer (bronze) comprised the rest of the 2009 podium.

Meanwhile, Israel's Guy Barnea and China's Sun Xiaolei set up a 16th-place swimoff with matching 54.43s. Sun beat Barnea in the swimoff, 54.20 to 55.12.

Women's 1500 free
World record: Kate Ziegler, USA, 15:42.54
Textile best: Same

Denmark's Lotte Friis, the defending silver medalist in the event, will have a shot at upgrading that hardware after clocking a top-seeded time of 16:00.47. China's Yiwen Shao qualified second in 16:01.72, crushing the Chinese record of 16:09.56 previously held by Li Xuanxu since April of this year.

USA Kate Ziegler, who at one point in time looked to be the heir apparent to the U.S. distance queen crown after back-to-back world titles in 2005 and 2007, looks to be well on her way back to the top with a third-seeded 16:02.53.

Chile's Kristel Kobrich (16:03.50), South Africa's Wendy Trott (16:05.63), China's Li Xuanxu (16:05.82), Australia's Melissa Gorman (16:07.39) and Spain's Erika Villaecija Garcia (16:12.45) earned the other spots into the finale.

USA's Chloe Sutton has been the hard luck swimmer for the Stars and Strips thus far in the meet. Yesterday, she missed the women's 400 free final by less than half a second with a ninth-place 4:08.22. Today, she missed her stronger event with another ninth-place time of 16:13.20, missing Garcia's time by less than a second.

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