Kromowidjojo, Heemskerk Power Dutch 200 Free Relay to SCM World Record

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Femke Heemskerk. Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu/ISL

Coming off of a fast qualifying meet at Rotterdam, the Dutch relay sprinters kept up the pace with a short-course world record in the 200 freestyle relay at the Wouda Cup.

Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Maaike de Waard, Kim Busch and Femke Hemskerk teamed up for a swim of 1:32.50.

It destroyed the previous record, of 1:33.91, also set by the Dutch at the 2017 Short Course European Championships (Tamara van Vliet, Valerie van Roon, Kromowidjojo and Heemskerk). The unofficial world record, or at least the fastest time ever from the suit era, was 1:33.25, set by the Dutch at the 2009 Short Course European Championships (Inge Dekker, Hinkelien Schreuder, Saskia de Jonge and Kromowidjojo). So this swim was quite faster than that performance as well, more than three quarters of a second.

This swim is now the Dutch national record, European record and world record.

The lead leg was Kromowidjojo, who split a 23.05 to get things started. The time was just 12 hundredths of a second off of her own world record in the 50 freestyle of 22.93. Her performance leading off the relay is the third-fastest short-course 50 in history.

She was followed by de Waard, who split a 23.16, then Busch, who was at 23.47.

Heemskerk then crushed the anchor split at 22.82, her fastest split and only bested by three swimmers in history, including her teammate Kromowidjojo.

Heemskerk was on the 2017 record relay, while Kromowidjojo was a part of all three record-setting performances.

It was a huge swim for Heemskerk, not just because of the speed, but because she was forced out of the Rotterdam qualifying meet after her husband tested positive for COVID-19. She was at top racing shape after finishing the International Swimming League (ISL) season strong and lost her 50 free spot on the 2021 Olympic team, though Heemskerk kept her spot on the 100 free and will be a key Dutch relay swimmer.

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