Francois Heersbrandt Celebrates 50 Fly National Record At Belgian Open

Francois Heersbrandt
Photo Courtesy: Belgian Swimming

The Belgian Open kicked off with some impressive swims, including a national record from Francois Heersbrandt and spots on the world championship team for Pieter Timmers and Kimberly Buys. A few foreigners also impressed in Antwerp, including a stunning win in the 50 breaststroke from George Bovell.

Heersbrandt blasted through the men’s 50 butterfly with a 23.50 to take down his two-year-old national record of 23.58. Heersbrandt is a two-time Olympian in the 100 fly and now looks ahead to that event Sunday. Heersbrandt celebrates a tie for 13th in the world rankings with Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh and a place on yet another Belgian world championship team, as he beat the automatic qualifying time by three hundredths of a second. Gilles De Wilde nearly cracked 24 seconds with a 24.05 for second, while Hungary’s Peter Holoda was third with a 24.75.

Timmers, a 2012 Olympian in the 100 free, broke away from countryman Louis Croenen in the final 50 meters with a 27.28 split to post a 1:47.50. That nearly broke his national record of 1:47.01 that he swam last summer at the European championships and puts him just outside the top 20 in the world rankings. But most importantly, it gives Timmers a place in the event at the world championships, as he beat the FINA “A” time of 1:48.37. Croenen just missed the cut with a 1:48.42. He’ll have to eclipse that “A” standard to join Timmers in Kazan. Belgium could field an 800 free relay at worlds, as Glenn Surgeloose was third with a 1:48.91 and Dieter Dekonick was fourth with a 1:49.96.

Kimberly Buys nearly took down her national record of 26.10 in the women’s 50 butterfly, winning with a 26.24. That’s good enough for 12th in the world for the 26-year-old Olympian, and a spot on the Belgian team for the world championships. She was the only swimmer under 27 seconds, as Kim Busch of the Netherlands was second with a 27.06 and Greece’s Kristel Vourna took third with a 27.36.

After posting a 27.36 in the 50 breaststroke prelims to rank eighth in the world, Greece’s Ioannis Karpouzlis held off George Bovell to win the final with a 27.61. Bovell has been focusing lately on the sprint freestyles in a bid to return to the Olympic podium, but today the Trinidad and Tobago native returned to his IM roots. He posted a 27.69 to place second in the 50 breast to lower his own national record of 28.10 that he set in prelims, which in turn was faster than the 28.22 he swam in 2013.

Lander Hendrickx also missed out on a Belgian record with a 2:00.13 in the 200 backstroke, just short of Stefaan Maene’s 1:59.64 from 1992 that will continue to stand as the oldest Belgian record. It also kept Hendrickx from automatically qualifying for worlds, but the time will likely get him into the meet since it beat the “B” standard. Hendrickx exploded on the second half, pulling away from Nils Van Audekerke, who settled for second with a 2:02.75. Sjobbe Luyten was third with a 2:04.92.

Other winners from day one action:

• Hungary’s Kata Burian won the women’s 200 backstroke by three seconds to start the finals session with a 2:15.02. Great Britain’s Rebecca Sutton was second with a 2:18.34, while the top Belgian swimmer was Nele Laureys with a 2:18.49 for third.
• Valentine Dumont took the lead in the women’s 800 freestyle from Edith Mattens at the 700-meter mark and won with a 9:07.80 to Mattens’ 9:09.83.
• Greece’s Panagiotis Chiotis won the men’s 400 IM with a 4:27.15, holding off Belgium’s Thomas Dal, who was second with a 4:28.18.
• Jolien Vermeleyn took down Chantal Senden of the Netherlands in the women’s 50 breast final. Vermeleyen’s 32.04 and Senden’s 32.86 were the only two swims under 33 seconds in the final.
• Wendy Van Der Zanden posted a 2:01.59 to win the women’s 200 freestyle, as Switzerland’s Noemi Girardet was second with a 2:02.31.
• In the women’s 400 IM, Lise Michels posted the only sub-5:00 swim of the day, winning with a 4:58.07.
• To round out the session, Bulgaria’s Ventzislav Aidarski dominated the men’s 1500 freestyle with a 15:29.73. That’s 10 seconds off his own national record. The top Belgian swimmer was Logan Vanhuys, who was second with a 16:17.27.

2015 Belgian Open (Long Course), Day 1 – Results

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