Masters World Champs Day 2: Eight World Records Fall

By Peter Andersen

RICCIONE, Italy, June 4. IN stark contrast with yesterday when no world records were broken, eight global marks fell today, the second day of competition at the FINA World Masters Championships in Riccione, Italy. Americans accounted for three of the broken records, Germans for two – though one of the Americans formerly was a German Olympian.

Meanwhile, the US and Italy continued to dominate the gold rush, with Americans winning 14 events today and Italians 10. Still, what’s striking about these Championships is how much the medals have been spread around. In just two days of competition, swimmers from 19 nations have won gold, including such unlikely candidates as Peru, Belgium, Ukraine, and Mexico.

Here are the highlights of today’s events:

200 m individual medley
Four world records were set in the 200 IM, three by men. Jens-Peter Berndt, a former East German Olympian, set a world mark for men 40-44. Now a naturalized American, Berndt clocked 2:15.10, to squeak under Jim Sorensen’s 1998 mark of 2:15.53.

In the 45-49 age group, Ukraine’s Sergei Fesenko touched in 2:18.61, slicing just over a second off Paul Carter’s 2:19.69 from two years ago. Fesenko won the 200 fly for the USSR at the 1980 Olympic Games.

In the 50-54 division, Italy’s Lorenzo Marugo won his second event in two tries, this time erasing Rick Colella’s 2001 time of 2:23.45 with his 2:23.06. Earlier this year, Marugo had set short course records in both the 200 and 400 IM, but as he explained: “What was missing was the long course record. To reach my objective of winning the Worlds, I have trained a whole year, about half the time in agony.

The USA’s Nadine Day was the only woman to break a world mark in the medley, as she clocked 2:24.12, lowering her own 30-34 standard of 2:25.63 set at Rutgers last summer.

Aside from the record-breakers, there were other notable swims. The USA’s William Muter won the 60-64 division, while Hungarian Attila Czene – the 1996 Olympic champion in this event – took the 30-34 race in 2:11.56 while representing Sweden.

On the women’s side, the USA’s Lois Nochman won the 80-84 race in 4:47.83; Canada’s Joan Oliver took the 70-74 division in 3:38.07; Japan’s Yoshiko Osaki notched her second gold with a 3:38.07 triumph in the 65-69 age group; Germany’s Brigitte Merten took the 55-59 race in 2:54.96; and Mexico’s Laura Vaca took her second gold by winning the 50-54 division in 2:48.07.

50 m butterfly
There were two world records in the women’s 50 fly. Britain’s Judy Wilson hacked almost a full second off her own 60-64 standard of 34.43 set earlier this year with a brilliant 33.47. Germany’s Angela Zingler erased Laura Val’s 50-54 mark of 30.72 with a 30.24 second swim.

Britain’s Jane Asher and Spain’s Susanna Barkley scored noteworthy wins, Asher winning the 70-74 age group in 40.81 seconds, Barkley taking the 55-59 crown in 35.56.

Lois Nochman was the only American woman to win, as she recorded her second victory of the day, taking the 80-84 gold in 58.18 seconds. The 85-89 title went to Canada’s J. Turgeon in 2:17.33.

Four US men earned victories in this event: Tom Geiman, in the 55-59, age group, 28.69; Dick Webber, 75-79, 40.44; Frank Grannis, 80-84, 50.41; and William Johnston, 85-89, 1:00.13. German’s H. Siegel took the 90-94 race in 1:10.34.

The results were missing for the three youngest men’s age groups.

100 m freestyle
Jack Groselle set the only world record in the men’s 100 free, although results were still missing for the four youngest men’s age groups. Groselle destroyed Lee Mench’s 50-54 standard of 56.44 with a sizzling 55.48.

Tom Geiman and William Johnston were the other US winners, as both scored their second victory of the day. Geiman took the 55-59 event in 58.77 while Johnston’s 1:40.85 was the fastest swim in the 85-89 age group.

Other notable swims were turned in by Italy’s Marcello Guarducci, who won the 45-49 age group in 55.70, and Japan’s T. Komeda, winner of the 90-94 contest in 1:43.84.

Germany’s Christel Schulz set the only women’s world record in the 100 free. Schulz destroyed her own mark of 1:12.16 for women 60-64 set in 2002, with a sparkling 1:10.29 swim.

For the US, Suzanne Heim-Bowen just missed her own world record in the 45-49 age group with a 1:02.84 winning effort; Rita Simonton fell just shy of her 85-89 standard but scored another gold in 1:54.61.

Other outstanding winning swims were turned in by R. Vivanca, who won Peru’s first gold, taking the 55-59 age group in 1:09.58; Yoshiko Osaki of Japan, who scored a 60-64 victory in 1:14.92; and Britain’s Jane Asher, winner of the 70-74 race in 1:20.81. Both Osaki and Asher hold the world records in their respective age group.

200 IM, MEN
85 – 89 anni – A. Caputi (ITA) 5'44"44
80 – 84 anni – M. Van Gelder (NED) 3'44"19
75 – 79 anni – K. Hauter (GER) 3'29"28
70 – 74 anni – H. Herbert (AUT) 3'16"04
65 – 69 anni – L. Vagujhelyi (HUN) 2'55"24
60 – 64 anni – W. C. Muter (USA) 4'42"09
55 – 59 anni – G. Csaba (HUN) 2'39"29
50 – 54 anni – L. Marugo (ITA) 2'23"06 R.M.
45 – 49 anni – S. Fesenko (UKR) 2'18"61 R.M.
40 – 44 anni – J. P. Berndt (USA) 2'15"10 R.M.
35 – 39 anni – N. Granger (FRA) 2'14"25
30 – 34 anni – A. Czene (SWE) 2'11"56
25 – 29 anni – M. Cheppel (GBR) 2'10"50

200 IM WOMEN
85 – 89 anni – M. Hamuro (JPN) 6'22"69
80 – 84 anni – Lois K. Nochman (USA) 4'47"83
75 – 79 anni – S. Neuhauser (AUT) 4'35"20
70 – 74 anni – J. Oliver (CAN) 3'38"07
65 – 69 anni – Y. Osaki (JPN) 3'20"64
60 – 64 anni – H. Barget (GER) 3'02"24
55 – 59 anni – B. Merten (GER) 2'54"96
50 – 54 anni – L. Vaca (MEX) 2'48"07
45 – 49 anni – L. Wilde (GBR) 2'40"09
40 – 44 anni – S. Reibel Oberle (GEr) 2'33"68
35 – 39 anni – S. Parocchi (ITA) 2'28"83
30 – 34 anni – N. Day (USA) 2'24"12 R.M.
25 – 29 anni – C. Heller (GER) 2'35"08

50 butterfly MEN
90 – 94 anni – H. Siegel (GER) 1'10"34
85 – 89 anni – W. Johnston (USA) 1'00"03
80 – 84 anni – F. Grannis (USA) 50"41
75 – 79 anni – D. Webber (USA) 40"44
70 – 74 anni – J. L. Le Dall (BEL) 33"85
65 – 69 anni – Y. Funahashi (JPN) 31"94
60 – 64 anni – J. Claret (ESP) 29"35
55 – 59 anni – T. Geiman (USA) 28"69
50 – 54 anni – J. Van Buuren (CAN) 27"39
45 – 49 anni – F. Bernardi (ITA) 27"24
40 – 44 anni – R. Tarricone (ITA) 26"06

50 butterfly WOMEN
85 – 89 anni – J. Turgeon (CAN) 2'17"33
80 – 84 anni – L. K. Nochman (USA) 58"18
75 – 79 anni – E. Boehm (GER) 53"55
70 – 74 anni – J. Asher (GBR) 40"81
65 – 69 anni – H. Hoeler (GER) 39"01
60 – 64 anni – J. Wilson (GBR) 33"47 R.M.
55 – 59 anni – S. Barkley (ESP) 35"56
50 – 54 anni – A. Zingler (GER) 30"24 R.M.
45 – 49 anni – M. Langdon (AUS) 31"49
40 – 44 anni – B. Mc Carney (RSA) 29"67
35 – 39 anni – E. C. Ottermann (RSA) 29"42
30 – 34 anni – L. Bianzani (ITA) 29"29
25 – 29 anni – A. Irace (ITA) 29"11

100 freestyle MEN
90 – 94 anni – T. Komeda (JPN) 1'43"84
85 – 89 anni – W. Johnston (USA) 1'40"85
80 – 84 anni – M. Van Gelder (NED) 1'22"23
75 – 79 anni – A. Boghossian (BRA) 1'15"46
70 – 74 anni – J. L. Le Dall (BEL) 1'14"35
65 – 69 anni – P. Bergengren (SWE) 1'06"48
60 – 64 anni – R. Smerda (CZE) 1'04"17
55 – 59 anni – T. Geiman (USA) 58"77
50 – 54 anni – G. Jack (USA) 55"48 R.M.
45 – 49 anni – M. Guarducci (ITA) 55"70
40 – 44 anni – M. Aimone (ITA) 1'05"02

100 freestyle WOMEN
85 – 89 anni – R. Simonton (USA) 1'54"61
80 – 84 anni – I. Fritze (GER) 2'14"09
75 – 79 anni – B. Grilli (SWE) 1'32"15
70 – 74 anni – J. Asher (GBR) 1'20"81
65 – 69 anni – Y. Osaki (JPN) 1'14"92
60 – 64 anni – C. Schulz (GER) 1'10"29 R.M.
55 – 59 anni – R. Vivanco (PER) 1'09"58
50 – 54 anni – A. Zingler (GER) 1'05"02
45 – 49 anni – S. Heim-Bowen (USA) 1'02"84
40 – 44 anni – B. Mc Carney (RSA) 1'00"39
35 – 39 anni – S. Parocchi (ITA) 1'00"57
30 – 34 anni – M. Marosi (HUN) 59"94
25 – 29 anni – M. Okuhara (JPN) 1'00"13

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