The Belgian Open kicked off with some impressive swims, including a national record from Francois Heersbrandt and spots on the world championship team for Pieter Timmers and Kimberly Buys. A few foreigners also impressed in Antwerp, including a stunning win in the 50 breaststroke from George Bovell. <\/p>\n
Heersbrandt blasted through the men\u2019s 50 butterfly with a 23.50 to take down his two-year-old national record of 23.58. Heersbrandt is a two-time Olympian in the 100 fly and now looks ahead to that event Sunday. Heersbrandt celebrates a tie for 13th in the world rankings with Hungary\u2019s Laszlo Cseh and a place on yet another Belgian world championship team, as he beat the automatic qualifying time by three hundredths of a second. Gilles De Wilde nearly cracked 24 seconds with a 24.05 for second, while Hungary\u2019s Peter Holoda was third with a 24.75.<\/p>\n
Timmers, a 2012 Olympian in the 100 free, broke away from countryman Louis Croenen in the final 50 meters with a 27.28 split to post a 1:47.50. That nearly broke his national record of 1:47.01 that he swam last summer at the European championships and puts him just outside the top 20 in the world rankings. But most importantly, it gives Timmers a place in the event at the world championships, as he beat the FINA \u201cA\u201d time of 1:48.37. Croenen just missed the cut with a 1:48.42. He\u2019ll have to eclipse that \u201cA\u201d standard to join Timmers in Kazan. Belgium could field an 800 free relay at worlds, as Glenn Surgeloose was third with a 1:48.91 and Dieter Dekonick was fourth with a 1:49.96.<\/p>\n
Kimberly Buys nearly took down her national record of 26.10 in the women\u2019s 50 butterfly, winning with a 26.24. That\u2019s good enough for 12th in the world for the 26-year-old Olympian, and a spot on the Belgian team for the world championships. She was the only swimmer under 27 seconds, as Kim Busch of the Netherlands was second with a 27.06 and Greece\u2019s Kristel Vourna took third with a 27.36.<\/p>\n
After posting a 27.36 in the 50 breaststroke prelims to rank eighth in the world, Greece\u2019s Ioannis Karpouzlis held off George Bovell to win the final with a 27.61. Bovell has been focusing lately on the sprint freestyles in a bid to return to the Olympic podium, but today the Trinidad and Tobago native returned to his IM roots. He posted a 27.69 to place second in the 50 breast to lower his own national record of 28.10 that he set in prelims, which in turn was faster than the 28.22 he swam in 2013.<\/p>\n
Lander Hendrickx also missed out on a Belgian record with a 2:00.13 in the 200 backstroke, just short of Stefaan Maene\u2019s 1:59.64 from 1992 that will continue to stand as the oldest Belgian record. It also kept Hendrickx from automatically qualifying for worlds, but the time will likely get him into the meet since it beat the \u201cB\u201d standard. Hendrickx exploded on the second half, pulling away from Nils Van Audekerke, who settled for second with a 2:02.75. Sjobbe Luyten was third with a 2:04.92.<\/p>\n
Other winners from day one action:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tHungary\u2019s Kata Burian won the women\u2019s 200 backstroke by three seconds to start the finals session with a 2:15.02. Great Britain\u2019s Rebecca Sutton was second with a 2:18.34, while the top Belgian swimmer was Nele Laureys with a 2:18.49 for third.
\n\u2022\tValentine Dumont took the lead in the women\u2019s 800 freestyle from Edith Mattens at the 700-meter mark and won with a 9:07.80 to Mattens\u2019 9:09.83.
\n\u2022\tGreece\u2019s Panagiotis Chiotis won the men\u2019s 400 IM with a 4:27.15, holding off Belgium\u2019s Thomas Dal, who was second with a 4:28.18.
\n\u2022\tJolien Vermeleyn took down Chantal Senden of the Netherlands in the women\u2019s 50 breast final. Vermeleyen\u2019s 32.04 and Senden\u2019s 32.86 were the only two swims under 33 seconds in the final.
\n\u2022\tWendy Van Der Zanden posted a 2:01.59 to win the women\u2019s 200 freestyle, as Switzerland\u2019s Noemi Girardet was second with a 2:02.31.
\n\u2022\tIn the women\u2019s 400 IM, Lise Michels posted the only sub-5:00 swim of the day, winning with a 4:58.07.
\n\u2022\tTo round out the session, Bulgaria\u2019s Ventzislav Aidarski dominated the men\u2019s 1500 freestyle with a 15:29.73. That\u2019s 10 seconds off his own national record. The top Belgian swimmer was Logan Vanhuys, who was second with a 16:17.27.<\/p>\n