South American Records Fall at Brazilian Short Course Champs

SANTOS, BRAZIL, May 5. SEVERAL South American short course meters records were broken this weekend during the Brazilian Nationals — a tune-up/selection meet for next weekend's Latin Cup in Madrid.

The Latin Cup meet, hwoever, will be swum long course.

For openers, Argentina's Georgina Bardach — competing as a guest competitor, along with teammate and world short course champion (50 free) Jose Martin Meolans — splashed to a 2:11.33 continental-standard today in the 200 fly, =
breaking her own 2:12.05 from earlier in the season.

She was chased home by Brazil's Monique Ferreira, who swam an NR 2:12.30

Meolans was equally successful, taking the 100 free in 47.80, not too far
his continental-record 47.09 that earned him the silver medal at Moscow
behind Australia's Ashley Callus' winning pr 46.99 — the year's two fastest 100s. Second was former USC All-America Rodrigo Castro (48.59) with teammate Eduardo Valerio Silva (48.74) third.

Meolans' World Championship gold was South America's first since 1995.for either sex.

Silva swam a lcm 49.62 100 pr earlier this year and Meolans' pr is 49.57 from last year's Spanish World Championship Trials. The South American 100 record is 48.69 by Brazil's Fernando Scherer, swum while leading off his team's 400 free relay team during the 1998 Goodwill Games on Long Island.

Inasmuch as The Latin Cup will be the major competition for the year for South Americans — Brazilians and Argentines are excluded from the Pan-Pacs — the sprints could see some excellent times next weekend in Madrid. Scherer also holds the continent's 50 free record (22.18), similarly set at
East Meadow. Meolans' pr is 22.31 from last summer's World Championships and Silva has been 22.51.

In the men's 200 fly, Kaio Marcio de Almeida went a fast 1:56.35 for the win with Russia's Dmitriy Chernyshev second (1:58.07).

Another record-breaking swim today was in the women's 1500 meter freestyle, where Nayara Ledoux Ribeiro took home the gold in an SAR 16:13.64.

In the men's 200 IM, Russia's visiting Volodymyr Nikolaychuk broke the 12-year-old Championship record of 2:00.93 with his 2:00.77; and in the 100 breast, Brazilian Eduardo Fischer — who earlier in the year went a South American record 1:02.21 long course — set a continental record with his 59.90.

The old stanard was a 1:01.13 from '98.

The meet concludes today.

— Bill Bell

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