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MANCHESTER, England, April 13. MARLEEN Veldhuis put her stamp on the women's 50 free event over short course even further when she lowered her world record in the event at the FINA World Short Course Championships.
Veldhuis dominated the field with a time of 23.25, shattering her previous standard of 23.58 set during the Berlin World Cup stop last November.
"It's unbelievable," Veldhuis told meet organizers. "I really wanted a personal-best in this race, but this surpasses it all. I had thought before the race, maybe a 23.40 is possible, but this (23.25) is unbelievable. I was very nervous before the race, but this is great … a great step towards the biggest event of them all. Well, I swam well in Eindhoven (February) and my experience is growing as I swim at more events. More races, more finals, it all helps."
After standing since 2000 when Sweden's Therese Alshammar first set the bar at 23.59 in Athens, the women's 50 free had progressed twice thanks to Veldhuis.
The win returned the title to Veldhuis after a one-meet run in the hands of Libby Lenton, who won in 2006. Veldhuis previously claimed the crown in 2004 with a time of 24.41. Inge de Bruijn is the only other swimmer from the Netherlands to win with a 24.35 in 1999.
Teammate Hinkelien Schreuder finished second with a time of 23.83, while Great Britain's Fran Halsall took third in 24.11.