Danish Open: Thea Blomsterberg Delivers 2:23.49 200 Breast to Win

julie-kepp-jensen-50-free-prelims-2019-world-championships

Julie Kepp Jensen; Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

Danish Open: Thea Blomsterberg Delivers 2:23.49 200 Breast to Win

Denmark’s Thea Blomsterberg supplied the fastest swim of the Danish Open on its final day on Sunday, going 2:23.49 in the women’s 200 breast.

That time is nearly a half-second under the Olympic A Cut. Blomsterberg had been 2:22.42 at the World Championships in Fukuoka in the summer of 2023. She finished fifth in the A final in the event then, at her first long-course World Championships, and the 22-year-old seems to be on an upward trajectory toward contender status.

Clara Rybak-Andersen wasn’t far back, her time of 2:24.69 within a tenth of the Olympic B standard. Third was Slovakia’s Andrea Podmanikova.

Also in the B cut range is Martine Damborg in the 100 fly. The 17-year-old has lowered her Danish junior record twice this year – to 58.27 at the Stockholm Open and then 58.09 in winning the event on Sunday. That time is an Olympic B cut, and she’ll be hunting the auto standard of 57.92 Danish mainstay Helena Rosendahl Bach was second in 58.32, followed by Sweden’s Sara Junevik in 57.78.

Julie Kepp Jensen is homing in on the 50 free A cut. She won the event decisively in 24.85, just .03 off the B cut. The A standard is 24.70.

Nicholas Castella added two more Danish records to his tally this week. In Saturday’s 100 free, he went 49.71 in prelims to down Magnus Westermann’s record from 2013 (50.19), then 49.48 at night to win the event, ahead of Frederik Riedel Lentz (49.72) and Mathias Zander Rysgaard (49.88) in an exciting race.

In the 100 back on Sunday, his time of 55.96 won the race by two tenths over Luccas Dam Brenner. It also undercut Daniel Skaaning’s junior record of 56.27 from 2011.

Oskar Lindholm won both the men’s 1,500 free and 400 free over the meet’s final two days. Casper Puggaard, who set a national record in the men’s 100 fly, won the 50 fly on the final day in 23.54.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use