By Claudia Weidlich<\/p>\n
March 18, Athens. THERESE Alshammar, of Sweden, caused mouths to fall wide open at the world
\nshort-course championsips with one of the most astonishing world records
\nset in swimming in recent years; 23.59sec in the 50m freestyle. Needless to
\nsay, it won her the title, not by the usual fingertip but by a full body length
\nin the shortest race in the meet, defeating her Hamburg training partner Sandra
\nVoelker, who was made to look like she was taking a Sunday dip with her
\n24.77sec.<\/p>\n
Voelker and their coach, Dirk Lange, both said that Alshammar's time
\nwas faster than they had expected. They were not alone. So fast was
\nAlshammar travelling that her streamlined stroke was throwing water
\nbackwards through the air like water off a wind-shield in a wind-tunnel
\ntest.<\/p>\n
The world record that had stood at 24.23sec by Le Jingyi of China
\nhad been considered reasonably tough to beat. When Alshammar lowered it to
\n24.09sec in December at the European short-course championships, a new
\nsprint star was born. The Athens effort suggests a future that holds more
\nthan stardom for the Swede.<\/p>\n
Alshammar's was one of three world records to fall on the thrid day
\nof racing, to take the tally of new global standards to 12. Neil Walker,
\nof the US, clocked 52.79sec in the final of the 100m individual medley, 0.31sec
\ninside the previous best, held by Jani Sievinen, of Finland, who finished
\nsecond to Walker, with James Hickman of Britain third. Hickman went on to
\ndefend his 200m butterfly crown in 1:53.57 later in the session. <\/p>\n
The other world record of the day went to Jenny Thompson, of the US,
\nwho licked the wounds inflicted by Alshammar in the 100m freestyle on day
\ntwo with a 56.56sec pace-setter in the semi-final of the 100m butterfly.<\/p>\n
There were almost four world records, as Lars Frolander, of Sweden, fell
\njust 0.01sec shy of the absent Alexander Popov's world 100m freestyle
\nrecord with a 46.75sec stunner inh the semi-final. The final on the last
\nday of competition may produce what Frolander is looking for. <\/p>\n
Linday Benko furthered the US lead at the top of the medals table, and broke Sippy Woodhead's longest standing US record with a 4:02.44 victory in the 400m freestyle ahead of Yana Klochkova from Ukraine (4:04.39) and Chen Hua of China (4:06.63), while Roman Sloudnov of Russia set himself up among the favorites for Olympic breaststroke glory with a 58.57sec victory in the 100m, just shy of the 58.51 world record he had set in the semi-final on day two. The women's 100m medley title was retainedby Martina Moravcova, of Slovakia, her 59.71sec victory a European record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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