Moses Parts the Waters in Stockholm, Sets Two World Marks in One Day

By Phillip Whitten

STOCKHOLM, Jan 22. THE USA's Ed Moses destroyed two short course world records on the first day of competition at World Cup VIII in Stockholm.

Moses, who had smashed his own world record in the 200 meter breaststroke only five days ago, lowered that mark still further today, then sliced almost half a second off the 50 meter record in less than a half hour.

"I am surprised at my speed. This was probably my best day of swimming ever," said Moses, in what was an uncharacteristic understatement. Moses was the 2000 Olympic silver medalist in the 100 meter breaststroke.

Moses clocked 26.28 seconds to obliterate the 50 meter breaststroke record of 26.70 set by Germany's Mark Warnecke at the European Short Course Championships in Sheffield, England, on December 11, 1998. The time also lowered his own American mark of 26.74 set just four days ago in Paris.

Moses then took his own 200 meter breaststroke world short course record mark more than a full second lower. In the last five days he has carved more than three seconds from his original record.

Moses hit the pads in 2:03.28 (the equivalent of a 1:50.+ for 200 yards). He had lowered the record at the Paris World Cup meet last Friday to 2:04.37 from the 2:06.40 he posted at the NCAAs in March 2000.

"I definitely fatigued during the first race, so I was quite surprised at the result," Moses said.

Moses made clear he was going for a clean sweep of all three breaststroke races in Stockholm. "You're going to see my best race in the 100 tomorrow and if it's a world record, it's a world record," he said.

Moses already holds the world mark for 100 meters short course at 57.66.

Russia's Roman Sloudnov, the world champion and world record-holder for 100 meters long course, finished second in the 50 today in 26.54, setting a new
European record in finishing second to Moses.

Jim Piper of Australia also broke a record behind Moses when he set a Commonwealth mark for the 200 metres breaststroke in 2:06.61. In that same race, Canada's Morgan Knabe broke a 14-year-old Canadian record by the legendary Victor Davis while finishing third in 2:07.15.

Australia's Geoff Huegill equaled his own 50 meter butterfly world short course record when he clocked 22.84 to match the time he set at a World Cup meet in Melbourne on December 8 last year. Mark Foster, the former world record-holder, and 100m fly Olympic champion, Lars Frolander, tied for second.

Martina Moravcova of Slovakia broke the European record in the women's 100 meters butterfly for the second time in five days with a time of 56.86. The Dallas-based Moravcova had taken the record down from 57.16 to 57.09 in Paris last Friday.

Sweden's Emma Igelstrom also set a European short-course record when she won the women's 100 meter breaststroke in 1:06.21 ahead of American Amanda Beard (1:06.87) and South African Sarah Poewe (1:07.07).
Igelstrom beat her own mark of 1:06.61 set January 6 at the South African Championships in Durban.

The USA's Jason Lezak continued his triumphant tour on the World Cup, winning the 100m free in 47.25, with
Algeria's Salim Iles second in 47.68.

Canada's Rick say lowered his own Canadian mark set just last week in Paris in winning the 400m free in 3:41.99.

Dr. Ron Karnaugh did not break any records, but the 35 year-old M.D. — the oldest swimmer competing at world-class level — won the 100m IM impressively in 54.77, beating Germany's Jens Kruppa (54.91). In four previous World Cup outings, the 1992 Olympian had finished second, but today he put it all together to earn the gold.

Other impressive wins were turned in by University of Tennessee grad, Michael Gilliam, who took the 100 back (52.69); South Africa's Terence Parkin, winner of the 400 IM (4:10.51); and his Springbok teammate Theor Verster, who just eked out a victory in the 200 fly (1:57.13).

On the women's side, Solenne Figues upset Britain's Karen Pickering to win the 200m free for France (1:56.38); and Canada's Jennifer Carroll lowered her own national mark in winning the 50 back in 27.31, beating American record-holder Haley Cope to the wall.

Olympic champ Yana Klochkova, Ukraine, won the 200m IM in a swift 2:09.16, more than two seconds ahead of the field.

Short course world record-holder Therese Alshammar delighted her hometown crowd by taking the 50 free in 24.76, just ahead of China's Xu Yanwei and Moravcova.

The longest women's race, the 800 free, fell to
Australia's Amanda Pasco, whose 8:23.99 was more than 16 seconds faster than Romania's Camelia Potec, who is unaccustomed to swimming a race as long as the 800.

Finally, South Africa's Charlene Wittstock took the 200 back in 2:09.74, a stroke ahead of France's fast-improving Esther Baron.

The two-day Stockholm meet, which ends on Wednesday, is the eighth in the nine-venue World Cup series which concludes in Berlin next weekend.

RESULTS

MEN

50 meter breaststroke
1. Ed Moses, USA 26.28 WR
2. Roman Sludnov, RUS 26.54 ER
3. Oliver Vincenzetti, ITA 27.64

100 meter freestyle
1. Jason Lezak, USA 47.25
2. Salim Iles, ALG 47.68
3. Denis Pimankov, RUS 47.84

200 meter breaststroke
1. Ed Moses, USA 2:03.28 WR
2. Jim Piper, AUS 2:06.61 CR
3. Morgan Knabe, CAN 2:07.15 NR

400 meter individual medley
1. Terence Parkin, RSA 4:10.51
2. Lorenzo Sirigu, ITA 4:13.87
3. Jacob Carstensen, DEN 4:14.40

100 meter backstroke
1. Michael Gilliam, USA 52.69
2. Edward Roche, AUS 53.81
3. Simon Dufour, FRA 53.93

200 meter butterfly
1. Theo Verster, RSA 1:57.13
2. Tero Valimaa, FIN 1:57.14
3. Christian Keller, GER 1:58.42

400 meter freestyle
1. Rick Say, CAN 3:41.99 NR
2. Jacob Carstensen, DEN 3:46.10
3. Han Kyu-chul, KOR 3:46.56

100 meter individual medley
1. Ron Karnaugh, USA 54.77
2. Jens Kruppa, GER 54.91
3. Scott Tucker, USA 55.13

50 meter butterfly
1. Geoff Huegill, AUS 22.84 ties WR
2. Lars Frolander, SWE 23.73
2. Mark Foster, GBR 23.73

WOMEN

100 meter breaststroke
1. Emma Igelstrom, SWE 1:06.21 ER
2. Amanda Beard, USA 1:06.87
3. Sarah Poewe, RSA 1:07.07

200 meter freestyle
1. Solenne Figues, FRA 1:56.38
2. Karen Pickering, GBR 1:57.39
3. Josefin Lillhage, SWE 1:57.81

100 meter butterfly
1. Martina Moravcova, SVK 56.86 ER
2. Johanna Sjoberg, SWE 58.28
3. Anna Karin Kammerling, SWE 58.93

50 meter backstroke
1. Jennifer Carroll, CAN 27.31 NR
2. Haley Cope, USA 27.64
3. Charlene Wittstock, RSA 28.16

200 meter individual medley
1. Yana Klochkova, UKR 2:09.16
2. Julie Hjort-Hansen, DEN 2:11.38
3. Beatrice Caslaru, ROM 2:11.45

50 meter freestyle
1. Therese Alshammar, SWE 24.76
2. Xu Yanwei, CHN 24.83
3. Martina Moravcova, SVK 24.87

800 meter freestyle
1. Amanda Pascoe, AUS 8:23.99
2. Camelia Potec, ROM 8:40.64
3. Melissa Corfe, RSA 8:44.56

200 meter backstroke
1. Charlene Wittstock, RSA 2:09.74
2. Esther Baron, FRA 2:10.19
3. Melissa Morgan, AUS 2:11.41

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