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By Craig Lord
FUKUOKA, Japan. July 26. THE status quo was the theme of the night as four Olympic champions triumphed. But there's always one who throws the script on the floor and stamps all over it. Step forward Brendan Hansen over 200m breaststroke.
As surprises go, this was a big one: in a final in which the first six men finished within a second of each other, the internationally little-known American became the new world champion in a championship record of 2:10.69.
The blanket finish dictated that the pre-race favorites, Domenico Fioravanti, of Italy, and Ed Moses, of the United States and the world's fastest man this year with 2mins 10.40, were locked out of the medals.
Second was Maxim Podoprigora, of Austria via eastern Europe, in 2:11.09, with the bronze medal going to Japan's Kosuke Kitajima in 2:11.21.
Hansen, 19, finished third in the US Olympic trials last year, and with only two entries allowed per nation, has never been seen on an international long-course stage before. He said: "It's so cool – it hasn't
hit me yet really. I worked hard all year long for this race and I concentrated on it very much. I enjoyed the whole of the race and I can't believe the result….this is SO cool!"
200m backstroke final – women
Diana Mocanu, of Romania, added world to Olympic title in 2:09.94, a time that even her rivals see as
"soft". Joanna Fargus, the British swimmer who finished third in 2:11.05, 0.01 seconds shy of her British record, said that "2:09 should be well within my grasp – I'm not sure why we all were so slow today".
If her comment was a little surprising, so too was the silver medallist: 14-year-old Stanislava Komarova, of Russia, in 2:10.43.
Before her race Fargus had watched the British women's 4 x 200m freestyle quartet receive the gold medals they had waited almost 23 hours for because of a protest against the disqualification of Australia and the United States.
Mocanu, who took a rest from training after the Olympic Games, said: I haven't trained much this year -it's not nearly my best time. I need to train more."
100m butterfly final- men
Lars Frolander, the Olympic champion from Sweden, stayed on top of the world with a 52.10 second victory over Ian Crocker, of the United States, at 52.25, an American record, with Geoff Huegill, of Australia, third at 52.36.
The champion from 1998, Michael Klim, of Australia, was soundly defeated, finishing in seventh place in 52.91sec. He has not had a good year, having suffered an ankle injury and lost the services of his coach Gennadi Touretski, who is the subject of court action after illegal steroids were discovered in a safe stolen from his home in Canberra. Touretski denies any
wrongdoing and will appear in court in October.
Frolander, who finished second at the past two world championships before winning the Olympic crown in 52.00 last year, said he had been aiming for Klim's world record of 51.81: "It was great to win gold but I was disappointed because I was out to get the world record. The heats and semis went so well that I was sure I could get the world record but, boy, was I
tired in there tonight."
50m butterfly final – women
Another gold medal for Inge de Bruijn, this time in an inaugural event, in 25.90 seconds. The only interesting thing about the race was that Therese
Alshammar, the Swede who finished second to De Bruijn over 50 and 100m freestyle last year, came too close for comfort in second at 26.18, while her teammate Anna-Karin Kammerling, of Sweden, was third in 26.45.
De Bruijn is fast piling up victories but those in Fukuoka have been executed with less aplomb and spark than the Dutchwoman mustered in Sydney last year to claim three Olympic titles.
The Dutch champion said: "It was a pretty good race with the Swedes this time…but I got a good start, which makes the difference between the medals over 50m."
200m medley final – men
Massimiliano Rosolino, the Italian who swam beyond recognition at the Olympic Games last year to win the 200m medley title, claimed the world crown in that event tonight with a 1:59.71. That was easily good
enough for victory but well off his Olympic-winning pace.
Second in 2:00.73 was Tom Wilkens, of the US, with Justin Norris, the Australian who last year won the Olympic bronze medal over 200m butterfly, third in 2:00.91.
Rosolino, who has returned closer to his pre-Sydney form this week, said: "I knew I could do it. I believed in myself from the start of the race. I've had some bad swims this week but they're now in the past."
9th FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
FUKUOKA, Japan
JULY 26, 2001
FINALS
WOMEN'S 50m BUTTERFLY
1 DE BRUIJN Inge NED 73 25.90
2 ALSHAMMAR Therese SWE 77 26.18
3 KAMMERLING Anna-Karin SWE 80 26.45
4 COUGHLIN Natalie USA 82 26.70
5 THOMAS Petria AUS 75 26.91
6 YEDRZEJCZAK Otylia POL 83 27.02
7 EGDAL Karen DEN 78 27.03
8 RUAN Yi CHN 81 27.19
MEN'S 100m BUTTERFLY
1 FROLANDER Lars SWE 74 52.10 CR
2 CROCKER Ian USA 82 52.25 NR
3 HUEGILL Geoff AUS 79 52.36
4 YAMAMOTO Takashi JPN 78 52.56
5 KULIKOV Vladislav RUS 71 52.69
6 MINTENKO Michael CAN 75 52.82
7 KLIM Michael AUS 77 52.91
8 ESPOSITO Franck FRA 53.33
MEN'S 200m BREASTSTROKE
1 HANSEN Brendan USA 81 2:10.69 CR
2 PODOPRIGORA Maxim AUT 78 2:11.09
3 KITAJIMA Kosuke JPN 82 2:11.21
4 FIORAVANTI Domenico ITA 77 2:11.31
5 MOSES Ed USA 80 2:11.38
6 HARRISON Regan AUS 78 2:11.51
7 RUMMOLO Davide ITA 77 2:12.89
8 MALEK Daniel CZE 73 2:13.19
MEN'S 200m INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
1 ROSOLINO Massimiliano ITA 78 1:59.71
2 WILKENS Thomas USA 75 2:00.73
3 NORRIS Justin AUS 80 2:00.91
4 BOVELL George TRI 83 2:01.50
5 MORI Takahiro JPN 80 2:01.54
5 MIKI Jiro JPN 83 2:01.54
7 BOGGIATTO Alessio ITA 81 2:01.76
8 MYDEN Curtis CAN 73 2:02.42
WOMEN'S 200m BACKSTROKE
1 MOCANU Diana ROM 84 2:09.94
2 KOMAROVA Stanislava RUS 86 2:10.43
3 FARGUS Joanna GBR 82 2:11.05
4 FRATESI Jennifer CAN 84 2:11.16
5 BUSCHSCHULTE Antje GER 78 2:11.47
6 STONEY Clementine AUS 81 2:11.58
7 HETZER Nicole GER 79 2:11.68
8 TERAKAWA Aya JPN 84 2:14.12
1 KLOCHKOVA Yana UKR 82 2:13.07
2 BOWEN Maggie USA 80 2:13.55
3 VEREVKA Oxana RUS 77 2:13.56
4 MEHLHORN Annika GER 83 2:14.11
5 HAGIWARA Tomoko JPN 80 2:14.22
6 TEUSCHER Cristina USA 78 2:14.37
7 QI Hui CHN 85 2:14.40
8 CASLARU Beatrice ROM 75 2:14.42
9 LIMPERT Marianne CAN 72 2:15.40
10 MUNZ Lori AUS 79 2:16.10
11 REILLY Jennifer AUS 83 2:16.32
12 NORDENSTAM Sara SWE 83 2:17.17
13 SCHREUDER Hinkelien NED 84 2:17.78
14 SATO Ayane JPN 82 2:18.56
15 BARDACH Georgina ARG 83 2:19.11
16 BOSEVSKA Miriana MKD 81 2:19.22
MEN'S 200m BACKSTROKE
1 PEIRSOL Aaron USA 83 1:58.12
2 ROGAN Markus AUT 82 1:58.91 NR
3 BODROGI Viktor HUN 83 1:59.24 NR
4 WELSH Matt AUS 76 1:59.34
5 GATH Yoab ISR 80 1:59.39 NR
6 ARNARSON Orn ISL 81 1:59.75
7 KOZULJ Gordan CRO 76 1:59.80
8 MERISI Emanuele ITA 72 1:59.98
9 HASS Raymond AUS 77 1:59.99
10 LINDSAY Marc USA 80 2:00.72
11 STRAHIJA Marko CRO 75 2:00.98
12 ROMERO Rogerio BRA 69 2:01.05
13 ORIWOL Tobias CAN 85 2:01.33
14 HASHIMOTO Kozan JPN 80 2:01.34
15 DRIESEN Steffen GER 81 2:01.54
16 ROGER Pierre FRA 2:02.98
WOMEN'S 50m BREASTSTROKE
1 LUO Xuejuan CHN 84 31.10 NR
2 BAKER Zoe GBR 76 31.27
3 QUANN Megan USA 84 31.58
4 KOWAL Kristy USA 78 31.67
5 HANSON Brooke AUS 78 31.71
6 KOVACS Agnes HUN 81 31.88
7 POEWE Sarah RSA 83 32.02
8 CRESCENTINI Roberta ITA 75 32.15
9 WHITE Tarnee AUS 81 32.27
10 IGELSTROM Emma SWE 80 32.43
11 THORUP Majken DEN 79 32.45
12 BOGOMAZOVA Elena RUS 82 32.46
13 WEILER Simone GER 78 32.51
14 LISCHKA Vera AUT 77 32.56
15 NAWATA Sanae JPN 85 32.64
16 BAANS Madelon NED 77 32.71
MEN'S 100m FREESTYLE
1 VAN DEN HOOGENBAND Pieter NED 78 48.57 CR
2 THORPE Ian AUS 82 48.96
3 ZUBOR Attila HUN 75 49.32
4 CALLUS Ashley AUS 79 49.38
5 ERVIN Anthony USA 81 49.43
6 LEZAK Jason USA 75 49.49
7 FROLANDER Lars SWE 74 49.54
8 SPANNEBERG Torsten GER 75 49.60
9 MEOLANS Jose martin ARG 78 49.69
10 DRAGANJA Duje CRO 83 49.79
11 NYSTRAND Stefan SWE 81 49.80
12 BORGES Gustavo BRA 72 49.89
13 ILES Salim ALG 75 49.90
14 CONRAD Lars GER 76 49.92
15 SILVA FILHO Edvaldo BRA 78 49.93
16 KENKHUIS Johan NED 80 50.05
WOMEN'S 200m FREESTYLE
1 POLL Claudia CRC 72 1:59.45
2 ROONEY Giaan AUS 82 1:59.62
3 YANG Yu CHN 85 1:59.68
3 JACKSON Nicola GBR 84 1:59.68
5 POTEC Camelia alina ROM 82 1:59.73
6 GRAHAM Elka AUS 81 1:59.75
7 MORAVCOVA Martina SVK 76 1:59.76
SWIM OFF
8 MITA Maki JPN 83 2:00.05
8 JACOBSEN Mette DEN 73 2:00.05
10 CHEMEZOVA Nadezhda RUS 80 2:00.37
10 BARANOUSKAYA Natallia BLR 79 2:00.37
12 PICKERING Karen GBR 71 2:00.52
13 BOZON Alicia FRA 2:00.95
14 GEURTS Carla NED 71 2:01.71
15 GOFFIN Sofie BEL 79 2:01.80
16 DEGLAU Jessica CAN 80 2:02.16