LENNY AND PENNY MAKE IT A TREBLE!!!
By Stephen J. Thomas
The hottest pair in swimming went for world records today in specially organized time trials over 50m. Racing from lane 4 against the clock, both Krayzelburg and Heyns broke the respective world records. Penny Heyns of South Africa swam the 50m breaststroke after the morning heats and broke her own world record set at last year’s Goodwill Games by 0.12. Her time of 30.83 was swum uncontested. She has now broken the world records across three distances on eight occasions in just less than six weeks. American Lenny Krayzelburg, fast becoming the most popular male international swimmer with the Aussie crowds, hit the water at the end of the formal evening events. He powered home in 24.99 to easily break countryman Jeff Rouse’s 1993 record of 25.13. He has now also broken the three world records in the backstroke discipline at this meet.
There have now been 12 world records established at the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships.
Men’s 50m Freestyle Final
South African Brendon Dedekind continued his improvement in recent months in breaking the long-standing championship record set in 1989 by world record holder Tom Jager. Dedekind had the best start and held his lead to the wall in the new championship record time of 22.06 beating home Americans Gary Hall Jr (22.26) and Bill Pilczuk (22.52). Dedekind’s time was .02 behind his countryman Roland Schoeman’s world best this year of 22.04.
Chris Fydler (AUS) 22.61
Nathan Rickard (AUS) 22.92
Nick Folker RSA) 22.93
Tomohiro Yamanoi (JAP) 22.98
Shunsuke Ito (JAP) 23.52
Men’s 100m Butterfly Final
The final brought together the two fastest swimmers over the distance this year. Aussies Michael Klim, the current world record holder and Geoff Huegill, the new championship record-holder set in yesterday’s semi-final.
Huegill lead at the turn 0.2 under Klim’s world record split from the man himself. Huegill looked to have the battle almost won half way down the pool but Klim’s gave it everything in his last six strokes to beat his teammate to the wall by only 0.02 seconds. Klim’s time of 52.49 was the all-time sixth fastest, Huegill time of 52.51 was the 7th fastest all-time and just slower than his championship record of 52.45 set yesterday. Takashi Yamamoto of Japan also was under 53 seconds to finish third in 52.93.
Dod Wales (USA) 53.38
Brock Newman (USA) 53.86
Michael Mintenko (CAN) 54.01
Theo Verster (RSA) 54.28
Ryan Kelly (RSA) 54.34
Women’s 200m Backstroke Final
The two fastest qualifiers, Japanese swimmers Tomoko Hagiwara and Miki Nakao were the dominant swimmers in this event. Hagiwara took the event in 2:11.36 marginally ahead of Nakao in 2:11.41. American Lindsey Benko continued her good form in this meet to take third in 2:13.51 after leading at the 100m.
Kelly Stefanyshyn (CAN) 2:13.81
BJ Bedford (USA) 2:14.29
Danielle Lewis (AUS) 2:14.35 PB
Joo-Hee Roh (KOR) 2:15.26
Emma Johnson AUS) 2:15.91
Women’s 800m Freestyle Final
The most decisive win of the night came from American Brooke Bennett (USA). She took the race out hard, the same way she had in the heats. At the 400m she split 4:10.07, over six seconds ahead of Aussies Rachael Harris and Danielle Woods. She said after the race she struggled a little in the second last hundred but came home in a new personal best 8:25.06. Her coach Peter Banks wanted her to go out hard in the heats to experience the likely conditions of the qualifying round at the Olympics.
The win tonight was a strong performance from the World Champion and Atlanta gold medallist in this event and matched her win in the 400m earlier in the week. Her efforts in the Sydney Olympic pool have given her the confidence to improve further in the coming months and back here for the Olympics next year. “Thinking about all the world records that have been broken in the pool, I believe some day I can break world records too,” an emotional Bennett said after the medal presentation.
Harris came home in clear second in 8:37.23, almost a second under her personal best. Ellen Stonebraker (USA) put in a powerful last hundred to touch out Woods in 8:40.39, almost two seconds under her personal best.
Danielle Woods (AUS) 8:40.73
Joanne Malar (CAN) 8:45.25
Sachiko Yamada (JAP) 8:45.47
Lindsay Beavers (CAN) 8:49.63
Natalie Du Toit (RSA) 9:11.38
Women’s 50m Freestyle Preliminaries
The qualifiers for tomorrow afternoon’s final:
Jenny Thompson (USA) 25.64
Liesi Kolbisen (USA) 25.74
Toni Jeffs (NZL) 26.15
Charlene Whittstock (RSA) 26.20
Laura Nicholls (CAN) 26.23
Rebecca Creedy (AUS) 26.24
Anna Lydall (CAN) 26.30
Sarah Ryan (AUS) 26.43
Kari Woodall (USA) 26.05 swam the third fastest time but failed to qualify as 3rd fastest American.
Men’s 1500m Freestyle Preliminaries
Qualifiers were:
Chris Thompson (USA) 15:11.52 PB
Grant Hackett (AUS) 15:12.64
Ryk Neethling (RSA) 15:22.85
Craig Stevens (AUS) 15:23.34
Masato Hirano (JAP) 15:24.39
Jon Younghouse (USA) 15:33.19
Tim Peterson (CAN) 15:44.59
Andrew Hurd (CAN) 15:55.27
*Dual Olympic Champion, Kieren Perkins (AUS) 15:28.42 failed to qualify as 3rd fastest Australian.
** Erik Vendt (USA) 15:42.93 failed to qualify as 3rd fastest American.
Stephen J. Thomas, former editorial consultant of Australian Swimming and Fitness Magazine, is Swimming World’s Australian correspondent.