By Phillip Whitten
VIENNA, December 10. TAKING a cue from Markus Rogan's performance last night, Germany's Thomas Rupprath streaked to a double-gold medal performance tonight at the European Short Course championships in Vienna.
Going his eastern neighbor one better, the amazing Rupprath, arguably the world's best short course sprinter, lowered the world record in the 50 meter backstroke.
The German began the evening with a hard-fought win in the 100m fly over Nikolai Skvortsov, touching in 50.67 to the Russian's 50.92. it was a two man show as no one else swam under 52 seconds.
Twenty-five minutes later, Rupprath engineered an overwhelming victory in the 50 back. His 23.27 seconds for the two-lapper — almost a second-and-a-quarter in front of his nearest pursuer — was 4-hundredths under the world record by Australia's Matt Welsh. Oddly enough, it still was 4-hundredths slower than Rupprath's best, which is also the German record.
"I know it sounds ridiculous," Rupprath acknowlegd, "but it's true."
Indeed it is. At the 2002 German nationals, on November 30, Rupprath clocked 23.23 seconds. But since there was no drug testing, the time was not accepted as a world record.
The only other reord set this evening was a European mark by Hungary's Lazslo Cseh, whose 4:03.96 in the 400 IM lowered his own continental standard by 14-hundredths of a second.
In the evening's fourth men's final, Russia's Roman Sloudnov eked out a narrow win over Ukrainian Oleg Lisogor in the 100m breast, 58.73 to 58.81.
The women's finals saw some fast swims. Perhaps the evening's best was
the 800 meter freestyle where Switzerland's Flavia Rigamonti, back in the groove after a very difficult 18-months, cruised to a swift 8:17.39 – global best for 2004. Fifteen year-old Dane, Lotte Friis, was second in a very creditable 8:22.38.
France's Malia Metella successfully defended her crown in the 100 free, winning in 53.37 seconds over Holland's Marleen Veldhuis and Sweden's Josefin Lillhage.
The evening's biggest upset came in the 100 meter backstroke when unknown Ukrainian 15 year-old Kateryna Zubkova, narrowly edged German world champion Antje Buschschulte, 58.58 to 58.70. Buschschulte, a triple medalist in Athens, had clocked the fastest qualifying time – a world leading 58.54 in the semifinals – but her limited preparation for this meet was reflected tonight.
Germany's other Olympic bronze medalist Anne Poleska, a student at the University of Alabama, dethroned Austria's Mirna Jukic in the 200m breaststroke, winning by one second in 2:21.68.
As expected, the 50 fly went to world record-holder Anna-Karin Kammerling, who cruised to a 25.73-second swim, just missing her own global standard. Martina Moravcova was second in 26.14.
The Netherlands ended Sweden's five-year lock on the 200 freestyle relay, touching in 1:37.97, 45-hundredths outside their own world best time. Sweden finished third behind Germany.
At the end of Day Two, with 18 of 38 finals swum, Germany is easily the leading nation with 10 medals, six gold and two each of silver and bronze. Austria follows with four (2-1-1) and Russia has six (1-3-2).
This continental championship, held in the city of Strauss and Freud, has drawn almost 1,200 competitors representing every European nation, from Russia to tiny Andorra.
European Short Course Swimming Championships
Vienna, AUT
December 9 – 12, 2004
25 meter pool
RESULTS: Day Two
December 10, 2004
MEN
50 METRES BACKSTROKE
1 23.27w Rupprath Thomas,77,GER
2 24.50 Shyrshov Vyacheslav,79,UKR
3 24.52 Meeuw Helge,84,GER
4 24.53 Lang Flori,83,SUI
5 24.60 Raty Tero,78,FIN
6 24.92 Vyatchanin Arkadi,84,RUS
7 24.98 Krizko Lubos,79,SVK
8 25.02 Illichov Pavlo,83,UKR
Semifinal
1 23.45 Rupprath Thomas,77,GER
2 24.63 Shyrshov Vyacheslav,79,UKR
3 24.69 Lang Flori,83,SUI
4 24.72 Meeuw Helge,84,GER
5 24.75 Raty Tero,78,FIN
6 24.85 Krizko Lubos,79,SVK
7 24.99 Illichov Pavlo,83,UKR
8 25.01 Vyatchanin Arkadi,84,RUS
9 25.03 Pizzirani Cesare,81,ITA
10 25.04 Clay Matthew,82,GBR
11 25.05 Wildeboer Aschwin,86,ESP
12 25.07 Aleshin Evgeni,79,RUS
13 25.16 Andersen Jakob,77,DEN
14 25.24 Oral Oguz Orel,79,TUR
15 25.53 Sjodal Petter,79,NOR
16 25.55 Maki Matti,82,FIN
100 METRES BREASTSTROKE
1 58.73 Sludnov Roman,80,RUS
2 58.81 Lisogor Oleg,79,UKR
3 59.70 Borysik Igor,84,UKR
4 59.78 Tahirovic Emil,79,SLO
5 59.81 Gustavsson Martin,80,SWE
6 59.93 Duboscq Hugues,81,FRA
7 1:00.28 Terrin Alessandro,85,ITA
8 1:00.36 Gibson James,80,GBR
100 METRES BUTTERFLY
1 50.67 Rupprath Thomas,77,GER
2 50.92 Skvortsov Nikolai,84,RUS
3 52.26 Gherghel Ioan,78,ROM
4 52.43 Breus Sergiy,83,UKR
5 52.77 Keizer Joris,79,NED
6 53.08 Kokosha Maxim,83,UKR
7 53.09 Barnier Romain,76,FRA
8 53.39 Dietrich Johannes,85,GER
400 METRES IND.MEDLEY
1 4:03.96e Cseh Laszlo,85,HUN
2 4:05.93 Marin Luca,85,ITA
3 4:08.91 Berezutsky Igor,84,RUS
4 4:09.81 Drymonakos Ioannis,84,GRE
5 4:11.01 Wojt Lukasz,82,POL
6 4:13.31 Kerekjarto Tamas,79,HUN
7 4:15.20 Rouault Sebastien,86,FRA
8 4:15.24 Mangoni Vanni,85,ITA
WOMEN
100 METRES FREESTYLE
1 53.37 Metella Malia,82,FRA
2 53.63 Veldhuis Marleen,79,NED
3 53.64 Lillhage Josefin,80,SWE
4 54.05 Dallmann Petra,78,GER
5 54.25 Pellegrini Federica,88,ITA
6 54.55 Gotz Daniela,87,GER
7 54.86 Groot Chantal,82,NED
8 55.07 Seppala Hanna-M.,84,FIN
800 METRES FREESTYLE
1 8:17.39 Rigamonti Flavia,81,SUI
2 8:22.38 Friis Lotte,89,DEN
3 8:26.38 Villaecija Erika,84,ESP
4 8:28.57 Patten Cassandra,87,GBR
5 8:30.65 Caballero Melissa,85,ESP
6 8:32.90 Huber Sophie,85,FRA
7 8:36.84 Adlington Rebecca,89,GBR
8 8:40.55 Ramos Arantxa,88,ESP
100 METRES BACKSTROKE
1 58.58 Zubkova Kateryna,88,UKR
2 58.70 Buschschulte Antje,78,GER
3 58.76 Ornstedt Louise,85,DEN
4 58.98 Pietsch Janine,82,GER
5 1:00.32 Jovanovic Sanja,86,CRO
6 1:00.37 Carman Anja,85,SLO
7 1:00.51 Amshennikova Irina,86,UKR
8 1:00.98 Price Sarah,79,GBR
200 METRES BREASTSTROKE
1 2:21.79 Poleska Anne,80,GER
2 2:22.79 Jukic Mirna,86,AUT
3 2:24.33 Poewe Sarah,83,GER
4 2:24.67 Marinovic Smiljana,77,CRO
5 2:25.16 Vereschagina Ksenia,87,RUS
6 2:26.84 Perez Sara,88,ESP
7 2:28.42 Konowalik Amy,86,GBR
8 2:28.59 Wede Josefin,87,SWE
50 METRES BUTTERFLY
1 25.73 Kammerling Anna-Karin,80,SWE
2 26.14 Moravcova Martina,76,SVK
3 26.27 Nadarajah Fabienne,85,AUT
4 26.38 Urbanczyk Aleksanrda,87,POL
5 26.49 Veldhuis Marleen,79,NED
6 26.65 Dekker Inge,85,NED
7 26.75 Draxler Judith,70,AUT
8 26.87 Brett Rosalind,79,GBR
Semifinal
1 26.22 Moravcova Martina,76,SVK
2 26.29 Nadarajah Fabienne,85,AUT
3 26.41 Urbanczyk Aleksanrda,87,POL
4 26.60 Kammerling Anna-Karin,80,SWE
5 26.60 Dekker Inge,85,NED
6 26.64 Veldhuis Marleen,79,NED
7 26.66 Draxler Judith,70,AUT
8 26.75 Brett Rosalind,79,GBR
9 26.94 Ottesen Jeanette,87,DEN
10 26.97 San Juan Angela,83,ESP
11 27.17 Jacobsen Mette,73,DEN
12 27.22 Dufour Fabienne,81,BEL
13 27.35 Petersson Lina,86,SWE
14 27.36 Chapman Lisa,84,GBR
15 27.46 Samulski Daniela,84,GER
16 27.59 Migliori Ambra,84,ITA
4X50 FREE RELAY
1 1:37.97 Netherlands,NED
2 1:38.52 Germany,GER
3 1:38.76 Sweden,SWE
4 1:39.68 France,FRA
5 1:40.35 Czech Republic,CZE
6 1:40.86 Denmark,DEN
7 1:41.96 Italy,ITA
8 1:42.18 Spain,ESP
Semi-Final Results
MEN
100 METRES FREESTYLE
Semifinal
1 48.04 Schreiber Jens,82,GER
2 48.10 Magnini Filippo,82,ITA
3 48.16 Bousquet Frederick,81,FRA
4 48.23 Barnier Romain,76,FRA
5 48.23 Yegoshin Yuri,85,UKR
6 48.51 Calvi Alessandro,83,ITA
7 48.59 Veens Mark,78,NED
8 48.62 Neviarouski Stanislav,81,BLR
9 48.63 Gasior Lukasz,86,POL
10 48.72 Venancio Tiago,87,POR
11 48.75 Puninski Alex,85,CRO
12 48.87 Syzonenko Denis,84,UKR
13 48.90 Cozens Chris,82,GBR
14 48.92 Gibbons Craig,85,GBR
15 49.08 Lorente Eduardo,77,ESP
16 49.10 Verner Martin,80,CZE
WOMEN
100 METRES IND.MEDLEY
Semifinal
1 1:00.97 Chapman Lisa,84,GBR
2 1:01.41 Urbanczyk Aleksanrda,87,POL
3 1:01.50 Rohmann Teresa,87,GER
4 1:01.86 Schreuder Hinkelien,84,NED
5 1:02.12 Seppala Hanna-M.,84,FIN
6 1:02.14 Rouba Tatiana,83,ESP
7 1:02.45 Klosova Petra,86,CZE
8 1:02.70 Dzerkal Ganna,87,UKR
9 1:02.86 Koivisto Anu,80,FIN
10 1:02.96 Aljand Triin,85,EST
11 1:02.99 Karpeeva Svetlana,85,RUS
12 1:03.00 Le Paranthoen Anne S.,77,FRA
13 1:03.05 Windeatt Claire,85,GBR
14 1:03.27 Koschischek Birgit,87,AUT
15 1:03.30 Jorgensen Katherine,83,DEN
16 1:03.60 ten Brink Melanie,81,NED