Louis Croenen Vaults Into Global Top Five In 200 Fly At Belgian Open

Photo Courtesy: Kara Sekenski

The second day of the Belgian Open featured more strong swims, including performances from three of the country’s stars that qualified them for this summer’s world championships and next year’s Olympic Games.

Louis Croenen gave the Belgian swimming federation a big boost with a quick 1:55.44 in the 200 butterfly, winning by eight seconds. His swim breaks his own national record of 1:56.06 from last year’s European championships (where he finished fourth) and puts him in fifth in the world rankings so far this year. Belgium hasn’t had a swimmer in the final of a world championship in many years, but Croenen is now in position to make that happen. The 21-year-old is having an impressive spring, winning the 200 fly last month at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Mesa at the end of a training trip to Arizona.

Louis Croenen discusses 200 fly at Arena Pro Swim Series:

Francois Heersbrandt won the 50 freestyle with a 22.17, just missing the Belgian record of 22.13 by Yoris Grandjean from 2009. It was, however, good enough to put him in a four-way tie for 17th in the world with Nathan Adrian, Federico Bocchia and Ning Zetao. It was a close final, with the top five all within three tenths of each other. Jasper Arents (22.20), Greece’s Odyssefs Meladinis (22.25), Pieter Timmers (22.28) and Trinidad and Tobago’s George Bovell (22.46) made for an exciting final.

After setting the national record in the 50 butterfly yesterday, Heersbrandt now has two events on his schedule for this summer’s world championships. And, he has qualified for his third Olympics by beating the automatic qualifying time of 22.27. Arents also qualified for worlds and the Olympics with Heersbrandt, giving Belgium its two entries for the event – unless someone goes faster in the next 14 months. Meladinis also beat the Olympic qualifying time to potentially earn a place on Greece’s Olympic squad.

Fanny Lecluyse won two events today, starting with a quick 1:07.81 in the 100 breaststroke. She took down her two-month old national record of 1:08.20 and got herself on Belgium’s world championship and Olympic teams in the event. She is now 30th in the world, two tenths away from a top-20 appearance. She followed it up with a 2:15.22 in the 200 individual medley, which was not good enough for automatic selection for international racing. It does beat the FINA “B” standard for both the world championships and Olympic Games, so she might get to swim the 200 IM at both meets by virtue of her 100 breast time.

Lander Hendrickx needed to break his national record of 3:50.66 in the 400 freestyle in order to qualify for the world championships, but he fell short with a 3:51.72. He swam unchallenged, as Lorenz Weiremans was a distant second with a 3:56.81.

Foreign athletes won six events in Antwerp, including three by the Greek men. A day after winning the 50 breast, Ioannis Karpouzlis won the 100 breast with a 1:02.08, one hundredth of a second ahead of Belgian Jonas Coreelman. Michail Kondizas took the men’s 100 back with a 56.21, while Panagiotis Chiotis dominated the 200 IM with a 2:05.22.

Portugal’s Ana Catarina Monteiro won the women’s 200 butterfly with a 2:11.22. Kata Burian of Hungary touched out Belgium’s Hilkje Goethals in the 100 back, 1:04.19 to 1:04.37. And Rebecca Sutton of Great Britain had a close race with Switzerland’s Noemi Girardet in the women’s 400 free, with Sutton taking the win in 4:22.21 to Girardet’s 4:22.57.

Kimberly Buys was the other Belgian winner of the day, taking the women’s 50 free with a 25.74.

2015 Belgian Open (Long Course), Day 2 – Results

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Silke

8 years ago

I love Swimming World for reporting about Belgian swimming. It doesn’t get the attention (or ANY attention for that matter) it deserves here!

Jeff Commings

8 years ago

Reply to Silke

Silke, we are very happy to do it, and glad to see the country making big strides forward!