Argentina’s Bardach Sets South American Mark at Mare Nostrum Meet in Rome; Moravcova Wins Fast 100 Fly, Boggiatto Wins the 200 IM

ROME, ITALY, June 7. A South American record in the women's 400 individual medley by Argentina's fast-improving Georgina Bardach, a Greek record in the men's 200 fly, the year's fastest swim in the women's 100 fly and a tight men's 200 IM highlighted Day 1 action at the 41st Seven Hills Meeting here today.

The meet is the first stop on the four-meet Mare Nostrum circuit that also takes swimmers to Monte Carlo (June 10-11), Bacelona (June 14-15) and Canet (June 17-18).

Bardach clocked 4:45.76, barely out-touching Slovenia's Anja Klinar, who finished in 4:45.77. Both times are career bests with Klinar's also a Slovenian standard.

Bardach's swim eclipses her old South American mark of 4:48.74 from a couple of years ago.

In the men's 200 fly, Greece's 18-year-old Ioannis Drymonakos won in an national record (NR) 1:58.40, bettering his old NR of 1:59.14 from last year's Mare Nostrum stop in Barcelona. Runner-up was Hungary's (and Arizona State's) David Kolozar (1:59.68). He has a pr of 1:58.53 from last year's Euro Championships.

The highlight of the men's events was the 200 IM, where Italy's defending 400 IM World Champion, Alessio Boggiatto, nudged former University of Southern California All-America and Hungarian native Tamas Kerekjarto (2:01.90 – 2:01.98). Japan's Asian record-holder Takahiro Mori (2:02.81) was third.

Boggiatto's pr is 1:59.53 from last year's Euro Championships, which earned him the silver behind Finaland's world record-holder, Jani Sievinen. He ranks second on Italy's all-time list to teammate Massi Rossolino, who won at Sydney in 1:58.98.

Sievinen's global standard is 1:58.16 from the 1994 World Championships in this same pool. Rosolino ranks No. 2 all-time on the European list with Hungary's former Olympic and World Champion Tamas Darnyi (1:59.36) third and Boggiatto fourth.

Mori's Asian record is 2:00.32 from last fall's Asian Games in Busan, Korea. and Kerekjarto's pr is 2:00.38 from the semis at Berlin.

Japan's world 200 breast record-holder Kosuke Kitajima (2:09.97, also from the Asian Games) won in 2:14.08 to teammate Yuuki Sato's 2:14.33. Italy's double Olympic gold-medalist Domenico Fioravanti was third (2:14.77) while fourth with a pr 2:15.26 was teammate Paolo Bossini.

The 100 back was an all-Australian affair with Andrew Burns winning over teammate Ethan Rolf (56.53-56.72).

On the women's side, Ukraine's Yana Klochkova, Sydney gold-medalist in both IMs and defending World Champion in the 400 (America's Maggie Bowen upset her in the 200 at Fukuoka) swam a solid 2:00.17 to win the 200 free.– just off her pr 1:59.90 from here last year.

In the 200 back, Japan's Reiko Nakamura won with her 2:13.00. The 100 breast saw Austria's Mirna Jukic win in 1:09.34 and in the 100 fly, former Southern Methodist University NCAA champ (and last year's Euro champ) Martina Moravcova of Slovakia winning in 58.34, the world's fastest time this year. Next was Poland's world 200 fly record-holder and defending Euro champ Otilya Jedrzejczak (59.26).

— Eugenio Costelotti

Complete results are available at: www.nuoto.it

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