World Championships: Solid Start for Brendan Hansen in 50 Breast; Cameron Van Der Burgh Tops Qualifying

By John Lohn

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 26. FRESH off the defense of his championship in the 100 breaststroke, the United States' Brendan Hansen got off to a strong start in the 50 breast. Swimming in Lane Two of the final heat of 18, Hansen covered his lap in a personal-best effort of 27.64. En route to the gold in the 100, he was out at the 50-meter mark in 27.67.

Of the three breaststroke events he'll race this week, the 50 will be the biggest challenge for Hansen, largely because of a handful of European specialists in the event. But, he's obviously showing quality speed and, as he proved by knocking off Japan's Kosuke Kitajima in the 100, Hansen has the fire burning.

The top qualifier was actually a surprise, as South Africa's Cameron Van Der Burgh turned in a time of 27.49. Italy's Alessandro Terrin, clocked in at 27.53, was second and world-record holder Oleg Lisogor (Ukraine) was fourth in 27.69. Lisogor is the ultimate sprint specialist and his global standard sits at 27.18, a time unlikely to be touched this week.

The bronze medalist in the 100 breast, Brenton Rickard (Australia) earned the fifth slot for the semifinals with a time of 27.80. Also advancing was Kitajima, who touched in 27.97. Kitajima was the bronze medalist in the event at the 2005 World Champs in Montreal, finishing behind Germany's Mark Warnecke and American Mark Gangloff. Warnecke was 17th and failed to reach the semifinals and Gangloff didn't earn a spot on the World Champs roster of the USA.

Click Here to view event results PDF file.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x