Martina, Jukic, Kitajima and Two Italians Take their Second Gold Medals at Rome Meet
ROME, June 8. WINS No. 2 by Olympians Martina Moravcova of Slovakia, Emiliano Brembilla and Alessio Boggiatto of Italy, plus Kosuke Kitajima of Japan were the highlights of second-day competition at the 41st Seven Hills meet here today.
Austria's Mirna Jukic (200 breast) and Australia's Andrew Burns also won their second golds.
The meet, Round 1 of the Mare Nostrum four-meet series which continues Tuesday (June 10) at Monte Carlo, took place in the venerable Rome Olympic Pool, site of the 1960 competition as well as the World Championships nine years ago.
Moravcova, a former national-collegiate champion/ record-holder while swimming for SMU in the mid-'90 and last summer's European champ in the 100 fly, won the 100 free today in 55.86 to go along with her gold in the 100 fly. Second was former University of Georgia All-America and 2000 Olympian, Courtney Shealy (56.23).
Brembilla, who won the 400 free Saturday with his 3:49.53, took the 200 today in 1:48.79. His career-best is a 1:47.47 from the Italian Nationals-European Championship Trials in Ravenna a decade ago.
His pr in the 400 is 3:45.11 from the World Championships two years ago, where he won the bronze. One might think that such a fine time would be the Italian record, but the standard belongs to teammate Massi Rossolino, who won the silver at the last Olympics with his 3:43.49.
Kitajima, world record-holder in the 200 breast who won his specialty yesterday,was first in the 100 (1:01.16) to Ukraine's Oleg Lisogor's 1:01.87. The latter won the Euro Championship gold with his Ukranian record 1:00.29.
His teammate, butterflyer Andrey Serdinov, won the 100 in 53.12 with Russia's Igor Martchenko — fresh from a training stint in Berkeley several weeks ago — second (53.49).
France's Niholas Rostoucher was fastest in the 1500 free (15:26.88) and Italy's defending 400 IM World Champion Boggiatto won with a 4:16.28. Japan's Takahiro Mori's (4:21.82)followed and Hungary's Tamas Kerekjarto's (4:22.28) took third.
In women's racing, Jukic, Euro champ last year in the 200 breast (NR 2:25.83) won in a fast early-season 2:26.38, some four seconds faster than runner-up Mayumi Taneda of Japan (2:30.77).
Aussie Kasey Guteau won the 400 free (4:12.85); Japan's veteran Olympian Mai Nakamura won the 100 back (1:02.45) with teammate Ryko Nakamura second (1:02.61); countrywoman Yuko Nakamura was first in the 200 fly (2:11.00) and defending Olympic champ Yana Klochkova (Ukraine) won the 200 IM (2:16.31). France's Anne Marie Le Parathenon was runner-up (2:17.42).