ISTANBUL, Turkey, December 10. THE first day of swimming at the European Short Course Championships featured a world record, and a world best, during an exciting session.
Hungary's Evelyn Verraszto crushed her world record in the women's 200 IM with a time of 2:04.64. She cleared a second and a half from her previous record of 2:06.01 set at the Moscow stop of the World Cup.
Here are the comparative splits:
Istanbul: 27.56, 58.78 (31.22), 1:35.92 (37.14), 2:04.64 (28.72)
Moscow: 27.88, 59.96 (32.08), 1:36.81 (36.85), 2:06.01 (29.20)
Italy's Francesca Segat nearly cleared the former world record with a second-place time of 2:06.21 to smash her national record of 2:07.03 set last year at this meet. Great Britain's Hannah Miley placed third in 2:06.96, just missing her national record of 2:06.70 set in August.
Germany's Paul Biedermann started the day off with a winning time of 3:34.55, while Russia's Nikita Lobintsev took second in 3:35.75. Denmark's Mads Glaesner wound up third in 3:36.82. Biedermann flirted with his world record pace throughout the initial stages of the race, but fell well off his 3:32.77 set in November as part of the World Cup. Lobintsev smashed Yuri Prilukov's Russian record of 3:37.35 set in 2008, while Glaesner lowered his Denmark standard of 3:37.75 set at the Berlin stop of the World Cup.
Russia's Stanislav Donets followed in the men's 200 back with a sterling time of 1:48.62, but fell well back of Arkady Vyatchanin's world record of 1:46.11. Donets clocked a 1:19.74 during the initial 150-meters, just back of the world record pace, but could not keep up with Vyatchanin's final 50 meters. Poland's Radoslaw Kawecki wound up second in 1:49.13, just missing his national record of 1:49.02 set in November. Russia's Evgeny Aleshin completed the podium with a third-place 1:49.31.
France's Aurore Mongel threatened the European record of 2:03.01 set by Spain's Mireia Belmonte Garcia in November with a swift time of 2:03.22 to win the women's 200 fly. Her performance far surpassed her French record of 2:04.73 set at this meet last year. Sweden's Petra Granlund clocked a 2:03.82 to down her national mark of 2:04.27 also set here last year, while Germany's Franziska Hentke placed third in 2:04.68. That swim wiped out Annika Mehlhorn's German standard of 2:05.77 set in 2000.
Austria's Markus Rogan rattled the world record in the men's 200 IM en route to the European standard. Rogan clocked a 1:51.72, just missing Darian Townsend's global mark of 1:51.55 set in Berlin last month. Rogan did, however, smash Laszlo Cseh's continental record of 1:52.85 set in November, after just missing it with a 1:52.86 in Vienna last month – the previous Austrian record. Lithuania's Vytautas Janusaitis placed second in 1:52.22, easily beating his national record of 1:54.34 from Stockholm last month. Spain's Alan Cabello Forns completed the top three in 1:53.04 to shatter his national record of 1:54.52 set in Berlin.
France's Fred Bousquet topped the men's splash-and-dash finale with a 20.53 over the 50-meter race. He finished just shy of Amaury Leveaux's European record of 20.48 set last year. Croatia's Duje Draganja took second in 20.70, lowering his national mark of 20.81 set in April 2008. Russia's Sergey Fesikov finished third in 20.84 to tie his pair of 20.84s for national records from Berlin.
It took a sub-30 just to make the podium in the women's 50 breast. The Netherlands' Moniek Nijhuis won the sprint breast in 29.68, lowering her national record of 29.90 set during semis that broke her 30.08 set in Berlin this year. Estonia's Jane Trepp finished second in 29.82, beating her semifinal national record of 30.10 that crushed her previous national mark of 31.24 set in 2003. Germany's Janne Schaefer wound up third in 29.92.
Russia finished the night with a world-best time in the men's 200 medley relay. The foursome of Stanislav Donets, Sergey Geybel, Evgeny Korotyshkin and Sergey Fesikov posted a 1:31.80. That swim beat the former world best time of 1:32.08 set by Russia during prelims. Italy held the previous time heading into the meet with a 1:32.91. FINA does not recognize the 200-meter relays as official events, therefore the time is not considered an actual world record.
In semifinal action, Russia's Kseniya Moskvina led the way in the women's 100 back with a smoking fast time of 56.74. She finished just off her European record of 56.66 set during the Moscow stop of the World Cup.
A pair of 49.6s led the way in the men's 100 fly semis. Slovenia's Peter Mankoc topped the round with a 49.62, breaking his national record of 50.04 set back in 2008. Meanwhile, Serbia's Ivan Lendjer qualified second in 49.67.
Hungary's Daniel Gyurta twice progressed the European record in the men's 100 breast today. First, he clocked a 56.89 in prelims to beat the 57.11 set by Stanislav Lakhtyukhov in Berlin last month. Gyurta then led the semifinal round with a 56.79 to dip the record even further.
The Netherlands' Ranomi Kromowidjojo paced the women's 100 free semifinal round with a quick 51.54. That swim beat Marleen Veldhuis' national record of 51.74 set last year in December, and came within a half-a-second of Libby Trickett's world record of 51.01.