Rupprath Sets World Record in the 100m IM at World Cup

By Phillip Whitten

BERLIN, Jan. 25. GERMANY'S Thomas Rupprath staked his claim as the world's greatest all-around short course swimmer today when he set a world record in the 100m individual medley on the first day of competition of World Cup VII, in Berlin, Germany.

Swimming before a packed house of frenzied, partisan fans, Rupprath blazed the four-lap sprint in 52.58 seconds, erasing the mark of 52.63 set by Slovenia's Peter Mankoc in December 2001 in Antwerp.

In the past two years, Rupprath has set short course records in the 50 and 100m backstroke and the 50, 100 and 200m fly. Tonight he showed he has a bit of talent in the other two strokes as well.

"It's simply unbelievable," said Rupprath, who had set another world record in the 100 meter backstroke at a World Cup event in Melbourne last month.

"I wasn't thinking about a world record today at all. I was only hoping to get under 54 seconds."

Rupprath came close to setting a second world mark tonight, clocking 50.76 in the 100m back, just 18-hundredths outside his newly-minted mark from Melbourne. The USA's Lenny Krayzelburg, 2000 Olympic champion and long course world record-holder in the event, was a distant second.

Argentina's Jose Meolans won an outstanding 100m freestyle matchup against Holland's Pieter van den Hoogenband, beating the favored Hoogie to the wall, 47.32 to 47.37.

Algeria's Salim Iles was second and Australia's Ian Thorpe third.

"It's a great win for me," said Meolans, who got a jump on the field with a brilliant start then held off an onrushing Hoogie. "They (Hoogie and Thorpe) are both excellent swimmers and I knew it would be very close with such a top field."

"It wasn't a very good day for me," said van den Hoogenband, who added his goal had been to crack 47 seconds. "I felt okay, but did not feel anything special today. It wasn't anything super and coming in second does not make me very happy at all."

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima set an Asian record with a 2:06.32 effort in the 200m breast, a time that jumps him to second-fastest performer all-time behind the USA's Ed Moses. Austria's Maxim Podoprigora set a Euro mark of 2:06.95 in finishing second.

There were other fast races as well. Britain's Sarah Price just missed breaking Natalie Coughlin's world record in the 200m backstroke. Swimming under record pace for 150 meters, Price was unable to match Coughlin's blistering final 50 and had to settle for a time of 2:04.50 — 88-hundredths behind the American's global standard and only 6-hundredths slower than her own national and Commonwealth mark.

Price's win was one of four turned in by the fast-improving Brits. Alison Sheppard won the 50 freestyle in 24.06 — the world's fastest time in 2002-03 — defeating the WR-holder, Sweden's Therese Alshammar, who was second tonight in 24.49.

Mark Foster posted a victory in the 50m fly, clocking 23.09 to get the nofd over South Africa's Roland Schoeman, at 23.20.

James Hickman defeated 2000 Olympic champion Tom Malchow for the third straight time in the 200m fly. Tonight Hickman touched in 1:53.33 to Malchow's 1:54.61.

Yana Klochkova of Ukraine won the women's 200 individual medley in 2:08.44 seconds, once again edging the USA's Gabriel Rose.

Another Ukrainian world champion, Oleg Lisogor, won the men's 50m breast in 26.59 seconds, out-distancing a superb field.

Austria's Mirna Jukic notched a win in the 100m breast clocking 1:06.69. Canada's Rhi Leier edged Australia's Tarnee White for second.

China's Yang Yu defeated world record-holder Lindsay Benko, of the USA, with a World Cup and national record of 1:54.90 in the 200 free.

New Zealand's surprising Dean Kent remained undefeated in the 400 IM, continuing his streak of improving his time every time he swims. Tonight he set a national mark of 4:06.66, almost two seconds ahead of Canada's Brian Johns.

Russia's rising distance star, Yuri Prilukov, 18, took the 400 free in 3:41.87, outlasting Romania's Dragos Coman.

FINA World Cup VII
Berlin, Germany
January 25-26, 2003

25 meter pool

DAY ONE: January 25, 2003

RESULTS

Men's 100m Freestyle
1. MEOLANS Jose 1978 ARG 47.32
2. VAN DEN HOOGENBAND Pieter 1978 NED 47.37
3. ILES Salim 1975 ALG 47.55
4. THORPE Ian 1982 AUS 47.82
5. VISMARA Lorenzo 1975 ITA 47.98
6. SCHOEMAN Roland 1980 RSA 48.00
7. PIMANKOV Denis 1975 RUS 48.26
8. HERBST Stefan 1978 GER 48.29

Women's 200m Freestyle
1. YANG Yu 1985 CHN 1:54.90 World Cup record, NR
2. BENKO Lindsay 1976 USA 1:55.87
3. MARSHALL Melanie 1982 GBR 1:56.43
4. FITCH Alison 1980 NZL 1:57.36
5. FIGUES Solenne 1979 FRA 1:57.48
6. LEGG Karen 1978 GBR 1:57.51
7. DALLMANN Petra 1978 GER 1:57.81
8. POTEC Camelia 1982 ROM 1:59.40

Men's 50m Breaststroke
1. LISOGOR Oleg 1979 UKR 26.59
2. SLOUDNOV Roman 1980 RUS 26.96
3. GIBSON James 1980 GBR 27.17
4. KITAJIMA Kosuke 1982 JPN 27.31
5. MEW Darren 1979 GBR 27.49
6. COOK Chris 1979 GBR 27.60
7. MCDONNELL Jeremy 1980 USA 27.83
8. LORENZ Timo 1982 GER 27.89

Women's 100m Breaststroke
1. JUKIC Mirna 1986 AUT 1:06.69
2. LEIER Rhiannon 1977 CAN 1:07.30
3. WHITE Tarnee 1981 AUS 1:07.32
4. WEILER Simone 1978 GER 1:08.41
5. MAHLE Desiree 1984 GER 1:09.07
6. HISSAMUTDINOVA Natalia 1983 EST 1:09.56
7. THORUP Majken 1979 DEN 1:09.74
8. CHOCOVA Petra 1986 CZE 1:09.85

Men's 400m Individual Medley
1. KENT Dean 1978 NZL 4:06.66 NR
2. JOHNS Brian 1982 CAN 4:08.36
3. MIKI Jiro 1983 JPN 4:12.07
4. BADITA Cezar 1979 ROM 4:16.91
5. KOKKODIS Ioannis 1981 GRE 4:17.57
6. JIRACEK Jakub 1979 CZE 4:17.65
7. PLATEL Yves 1977 SUI 4:18.43
8. ZAHAROV Andrei 1975 MDA 4:20.62

Women's 100m Butterfly
1. MORAVCOVA Martina 1976 SVK 57.32
2. MEHLHORN Annika 1983 GER 58.12
3. YANO Yurie 1988 JPN 59.14
4. GALVEZ Felicity 1985 AUS 59.19
5. LOOTS Mandy 1978 RSA 59.30
6. KAPACHENIA Hanna 1980 BLR 59.65
7. DAVENPORT Lara 1983 AUS 59.79
8. ZHENG Xi 1982 CHN 1:00.33

Men's 100m Backstroke
1. RUPPRATH Thomas 1977 GER 50.76
2. KRAYZELBURG Lenny 1975 USA 52.20
3. GRIGALIONIS Darius 1977 LTU 52.35
4. ALECHINE Evgueni 1979 RUS 52.43
5. NISHIKORI Atsushi 1978 JPN 52.99
6. DRIESEN Steffen 1981 GER 53.05
7. HELBIG Toni 1982 GER 53.37
8. ZWERING Klaas Erik 1981 NED 53.53

Women's 50m Backstroke
1. NAKAMURA Mai 1979 JPN 27.45 NR
2. VOELKER Sandra 1974 GER 28.02
3. INADA Noriko 1978 JPN 28.08
4. ORNSTEDT Louise 1985 DEN 28.11
5. HLAVACKOVA Ilona 1977 CZE 28.12
6. PRICE Sarah 1979 GBR 28.14
7. JOVANOVIC Sanja 1986 CRO 28.40
8. WITTSTOCK Charlene 1978 RSA 28.47

Men's 200m Butterfly
1. HICKMAN James 1976 GBR 1:53.33
2. MALCHOW Tom 1976 USA 1:54.61
3. KROGH Joshua 1982 AUS 1:56.36
4. GALENDA Christian 1982 ITA 1:57.09
5. HEDEL Joanes 1980 FRA 1:57.13
6. VALIMAA Tero 1978 FIN 1:57.24
7. KELLER Christian 1972 GER 1:57.25
8. DIETRICH Johannes 1985 GER 1:59.33

Women's 200m Individual Medley
1. KLOCHKOVA Yana 1982 UKR 2:08.44 World Cup record
2. ROSE Gabrielle 1977 USA 2:11.30
3. WARDEN Elizabeth 1978 CAN 2:11.37
4. MEHLHORN Annika 1983 GER 2:12.30
5. ABBOTT Jessica 1985 AUS 2:12.52
6. NORFOLK Helen 1981 NZL 2:12.70
7. HANSON Pam 1979 USA 2:14.05
8. SCHREUDER Hinkelien 1984 NED 2:14.56

Men's 400m Freestyle
1. PRILUKOV Yuri 1984 RUS 3:41.87
2. COMAN Dragos 1980 ROM 3:42.55
3. FESENKO Sergiy 1982 UKR 3:45.47
4. SVOBODA Kvetoslav 1982 CZE 3:45.51
5. MANGANAS Dimitrios 1978 GRE 3:46.21
6. XYLOURIS Nikolaos 1982 GRE 3:48.63
7. HERBST Stefan 1978 GER 3:51.54
8. KUHLMANN Jens 1979 GER 3:52.10

Women's 50m Freestyle
1. SHEPPARD Alison 1972 GBR 24.06 World Cup record, NR
2. ALSHAMMAR Therese 1977 SWE 24.49
3. HERASIMENIA Aliaksandre 1985 BLR 24.50
4. KAMMERLING Anna-Karin 1980 SWE 24.90
5. VELDHUIS Marleen 1979 NED 24.93
6. CREEDY Rebecca 1983 AUS 25.21
7. DALLMANN Petra 1978 GER 25.26
8. KAZIKOVA Sandra 1976 CZE 25.52

Men's 200m Breaststroke
1. KITAJIMA Kosuke 1982 JPN 2:06.32 AR, NR
2. PODOPRIGORA Maxim 1978 AUT 2:06.95 ER
3. PIPER Jim 1981 AUS 2:08.12
4. PERROT Stephan 1977 FRA 2:10.15
5. MCDONALD Robert 1981 AUS 2:11.07
6. KASPROWICZ Kamil 1984 GER 2:11.08
7. GIBSON James 1980 GBR 2:11.91
8. DAID Sofiane 1982 ALG 2:12.33

Women's 800m Freestyle
1. STOCKBAUER Hannah 1982 GER 8:19.18
2. VILLAECIJA Erika 1984 ESP 8:22.65
3. CABALLERO Melissa 1985 ESP 8:27.20
4. TANG Jingzhi 1986 CHN 8:29.20
5. STRASSER Chantal 1978 SUI 8:31.38
6. LYMPERTA Marianna 1979 GRE 8:35.58
7. ZHENG Jing 1981 CHN 8:37.91
8. HENKE Jana 1973 GER 8:38.62

Men's 100m Individual Medley, Final
1. RUPPRATH Thomas 1977 GER 52.58 WORLD RECORD
2. GALENDA Christian 1982 ITA 54.44
3. KRUPPA Jens 1976 GER 54.59
4. SILKOU Dzianis 1982 BLR 55.11
5. JANUSAITIS Vytautas 1981 LTU 55.24
6. KELLER Christian 1972 GER 55.38
7. DI CARLI Marco 1985 GER 55.83
8. TAYLOR Joshua 1983 AUS 56.46

Women's 200m Backstroke
1. PRICE Sarah 1979 GBR 2:04.50
2. ORNSTEDT Louise 1985 DEN 2:07.37
3. INADA Noriko 1978 JPN 2:07.39
4. BUSCHSCHULTE Antje 1978 GER 2:07.90
5. HANSON Pam 1979 USA 2:08.11
6. NAKAMURA Reiko 1982 JPN 2:08.18
7. MCLEAN Hannah 1981 NZL 2:08.25
8. TERAKAWA Aya 1984 JPN 2:09.72

Men's 50m Butterfly
1. FOSTER Mark 1970 GBR 23.09
2. SCHOEMAN Roland 1980 RSA 23.20
3. MINTENKO Michael 1975 CAN 23.67
4. LAGOUN Pavel 1979 BLR 23.71
5. KEIZER Joris 1979 NED 23.74
6. PUNINSKI Alexei 1985 CRO 23.87
7. MARTCHENKO Igor 1975 RUS 23.94
8. KOSHEL Dzmitry 1981 BLR 24.12

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