Rupprath, Baker Set World Records, Benko Smashes American Record on Final Day of World Cup

By Phillip Whitten

BERLIN, Jan. 27. THE 2001-2002 World Cup Tour ended with a bang, not a whimper, today in Berlin as two world records, an American and an Asian record were
wiped out in a frenzy of speed. It was a fitting conclusion to the tour which saw global standards fall at almost every one of the nine stops, spanning four continents.

Germany's Thomas Rupprath lowered his own short course 100 meter butterfly record to 50.10, bring ever closer the first sub-50 second 100 meter fly. The German speedster had taken the world mark to 50.26 last Dec. 14 in winning the event at the European Championships in Antwerp. Australia's Geoff Huegill whose record (50.44) Rupprath had broken last month was second today in 50.84.

The game of Musical Chairs to own the world record for the women's 50 meter breaststroke continued today, when Britain's Zoe Baker recaptured the record she had twice lowered earlier this month. Baker's 30.31 took the mark away from Sweden's Emma Igelstrom, who clocked 30.43 in Stockholm four days ago. Igelstrom was second today in 30.64.

The world record in the 50 breast has been broken seven times in the past seven weeks.

Lindsay Benko came ever-so-close to setting a third global standard when she swam history's second fastest 400 meters freestyle. Benko's 4:00.30 just missed the world mark of 4:00.03, set by Costa Rica's Claudia Poll on April 19, 1997. The time lopped more than two full seconds off Benko's own American record of 4:02.44 set at the Short Course World Championships in Athens in March 2000.

South Korea's Chul Kyu Han clocked an Asian record 14:54.38 in winning the 1500 free by more than 11 seconds. The time sliced a second off the time Han had recorded last week. He remains the only Asian swimmer to have broken the 15 minute barrier.

In other highlights, Ed Moses did not break a world record, but he still won the 100 breast in 57.67 seconds, the third fastest time in history (he has the two faster times), fending off a strong challenge by Ukraine's Oleg Lisogor and Russia's Roman Sloudnov, who tied for second in 57.86.

France's Simon Dufour won the 200m backstroke (1:54.14), beating Croatia's Gordan Kozulj, the co-world record-holder.

Britain's Mark Foster took the 50 free, the event in which he holds the world record, in 21.51 seconds, handing the USA's Jason Lezak a rare defeat. Lezak was third in 21.65, right behind Algeria's Salim Iles (21.63).

The 200 IM fell to South Africa's Theo Verster, whose 1:57.49 just beat Italy's Massi Rosolino and the USA's Ron Karnaugh.

In women's highlights, Slovakia's Martina Moravcova, who yesterday set a world mark in the 100 fly, just kept rolling today, winning the 100 free (53.67) and 100 IM (1:00.48).

Olympic champ and WR-holder Yana Klochova, Ukraine, breezed to victory in the 400 IM, as her 4:31.86 was five-and-a-half seconds ahead of European champion Nicole Hetzer of Germany.

The USA's Haley Cope scored an impressive victory in the 100m back, clocking 59.19 seconds, three-tenths ahead of Germany's Antje Buschschulte.

China's Qi Hui, the WR-holder, won the 200 breast (2:21.31), Denmark's Mette Jacobsen took the 200 fly (2:07.92), and WR-holder Anna-Karin Kammerling of Sweden won the 50 fly (26.06).

RESULTS

MEN

200 meter freestyle
1. Pieter van den Hoogenband, NED 1:43.81
2. Scott Tucker, USA 1:45.23
3. Stefan Herbst, GER 1:45.60

100 meter breaststroke
1. Ed Moses, USA 57.67
2. Oleg Lisogor, UKR 57.86
2. Roman Sloudnov, RUS 57.86

100 meter butterfly
1. Thomas Rupprath, GER 50.10 WR
2. Geoff Huegill, AUS 50.84
3. Michael Mintenko, CAN 51.91 NR

50 meter backstroke
1. Stev Theloke, GER 24.05
2. Michael Gilliam, USA 24.24
3. Toni Helbig, GER 24.37

200 meter individual medley
1. Theo Verster, RSA 1:57.49
2. Massi Rosolino, ITA 1:57.62
3. Ron Karnaugh, USA 1:58.13

50 meter freestyle
1. Mark Foster, GBR 21.51
2. Salim Iles, ALG 21.63
3. Jason Lezak, USA 21.65

1,500 meter freestyle
1. Chul Kyu Han, KOR 14:54.38 AR
2. Dragos Coman, ROM 15:05.59
3. Spyridon Gianniotis, GRE 15:09.58

200 meter backstroke
1. Simon Dufour, FRA 1:54.14
2. Gordan Kozulj, CRO 1:54.84
3. Stev Theloke, GER 1:55.56

WOMEN

100 meter freestyle
1. Martina Moracova, SVK 53.67
2. Johanna Sjoeberg, SWE 54.21
3. Petra Dallmann, GER 54.32

50 meter breaststroke
1. Zoe Baker, GBR 30.31 WR
2. Emma Igelstrom, SWE 30.64
3. Brooke Hanson, AUS 31.05

400 meter individual medley
1. Yana Klochkova, UKR 4:31.86
2. Nicole Hetzer, GER 4:37.34
3. Beatrice Caslaru, ROM 4:37.86

100 meter backstroke
1. Haley Cope, USA 0:59.19
2. Antje Buschschulte, GER 0:59.48
3. Courtney Shealy, USA 1:00.19

200 meter butterfly
1. Mette Jacobsen, DEN 2:07.92
2. Annika Mehlhorn, GER 2:08.45
3. Otylia Jedrzejczak, POL 2:10.25

400 meter freestyle
1. Lindsay Benko, USA 4:00.30 NR
2. Amanda Pascoe, AUS 4:05.42
3. Camelia Potec, ROM 4:05.77

200 meter breaststroke
1. Qi Hui, CHN 2:21.31
2. Emma Igelstrom, SWE 2:23.04
3. Amanda Beard, USA 2:23.14

100 meter individual medley
1. Martina Moravcova, SVK 1:00.48
2. Julie Hjorth-Hansen, DEN 1:01.44
3. Xu Yanwei, CHN 1:01.63

50 meter butterfly
1. Anna-Karin Kammerling, SWE 26.06
2. Zheng Xi, CHN 26.58
3. Johanna Sjoeberg, SWE 26.89

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