Sarah Sjostrom Puts World On Alert With 25.04 50 Fly In Stockholm: Dan Wiffen Goes 3:44 For Irish 400 Free Record
Sarah Sjostrom went 25.04 in the 50 fly – a time only she has bettered – and Dan Wiffen set an Irish 400 free record on day one of the Swim Open Stockholm.
Sjostrom’s time – inside the World Aquatics ‘A’ time for the World Championships in Fukuoka in July – ranks as her 17th swiftest performance headed by her shuddering world record of 24.43 back in 2014.
The 29-year-old – with four 50 fly world titles to her name – has been inside 25secs on 14 occasions and has swum the 19 fastest times in history, joined on 25.07 by fellow Swede Therese Alshammar back in 2009 at the super-suited worlds in Rome.
Teammates Sara Junevik (25.82) and Louise Hansson (26.09) were second and fourth respectively with Farida Osman going 25.98 for third.
It was the second gold of the evening for Sjostrom who’d opened her programme with a 28.10 victory in the 50 back ahead of Adela Piskorska (28.20) and Mary-Ambre Moluh (28.40).
Wiffen Rewrites Record Books Once More
Dan Wiffen: Photo Courtesy: Team Ireland
Wiffen has rewritten the Irish record books time and again in both the long and short-course pools and there’ll be another new entry after his performance over eight lengths in Stockholm.
The 21-year-old set his previous best of 3:46.62 when finishing fourth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where he won silver over 1500.
Coached by Andi Manley at Loughborough, Wiffen led throughout to touch in 3:44.35 despite a final 50 of 27.26 from Felix Auboeck who finished in 3:44.71 with Danas Rapsys third in 3:46.56.
Wiffen’s time puts him second in the 2023 rankings, eclipsed only by Lukas Martens‘ 3:43.32.
Mykhailo Romanchuk (3:46.66) and Max Litchfield (3:47.63) were the next home with all five men inside the ‘A’time.
Wiffen Splits: 54.00/1:50.52/2:47.46/3:44.35
Tokyo bronze medallist Matti Mattsson won the 200 breaststroke in 2:10.24 – 0.08 inside the A time for Fukuoka although outside his season’s best of 2:09.94 from the Helsinki Meet last weekend.
Paige Madden took control of the 200 free with a 29.89 third 50, overhauling leader Signe Bro to touch in 1:58.60, inside the A time with the Dane second in 1:58.83.
Oleksandr Zheltiakov of Ukraine won the men’s 200 back in 1:57.18 while Estonian Daniel Zaitsev took the 50 fly in 23.46, both men clocking ‘A’ times.
Lucie Hanquet was the only woman inside 17mins in the 1500 free timed final with a dominant 16:44.70