Tes Schouten Lowers Dutch 200 Breaststroke Record To 2:21.71; First Voyage Inside 2:22

Tes Schouten of The Netherlands competes in the 200m Breaststroke Women Final during the FINA Swimming Short Course World Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Melbourne, Australia, December 16th, 2022. Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Tes Schouten: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Tes Schouten Lowers Dutch 200 Breaststroke Record To 2:21.71; First Voyage Inside 2:22

Tes Schouten lowered her national 200m breaststroke record to 2:21.71 at the Dutch Long-Course Championships in Amersfoot with the second-fastest time in the world this year.

It was the third time this year Schouten – the 2022 world short-course bronze medallist – had lowered her national mark and her first journey inside 2:22.

The 22-year-old started 2023 with a best of 2:23.67 set at the Rotterdam Qualification Meet in December last year, having started the competition with a PB of 2:26.13.

Come March and Schouten reduced that further to 2:23.28 at the Giant Open in France, a time she subsequently lowered to 2:22.21 at the Eindhoven Qualification Meet in April.

Only Evgeniia Chikunova and her 2:17.55 from the Russian Championships eclipses Schouten this year although Tatjana Schoenmaker‘s 2:18.95 is still listed as the world record.

With Russian athletes set to be absent from the World Championships, Schouten’s time tops the world rankings of those eligible to compete in Fukuoka.