Adidas Hydrofoils and Jakeds Galore. In the 200m breaststroke at German trials in Berlin for the world championships in Rome, Marco Koch, 19 and of DSW 1912 Darmstadt, set a European record of 2:08.33. The standard had stood to Daniel Gyurta (HUN) since last year. The world record stands to quadruple Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) in 2:07.51.
Koch is now faster than Brendan Hansen ever was and third-best ever. The 2:10.16 world record of Mike Barrowman from 1992 had held on to 4th fastest ever by January 31, 2008. It is now 24th best ever.
Koch turned in 1:01.71. His best ever 100m until this season was 1:01.98. In the Berlin 200m, silver went to Johannes Neumann, Riesa, in 2:09.87, while bronze saw the German junior mark fall to Christian vom Lehn, 17 this year and racing for SG Bayer Wup/Uer/Dor, in 2:13.65. Neumann, in a Jaked01, looked up at the scoreboard, he pointed a finger at his head as if to say "crazy", looked across the lane at Koch. Both looked numb, dazed, for a moment. Then came the smiles. They had joined the new race. The new sport. At least until someone better wears something better.
Koch donned 100% non-textile on his way to a super-suited best. The best five German swims ever before today:
- 2:11.97 Losel, Andreas
- 2:12.25 Koch, Marco
- 2:13.93 Kasprowicz, Kamil
- 2:14.56 Neumann, Johannes
- 2:14.60 Kruppa, Jens
The new all-time top 6:
- 2:07.51 Kitajima JPN
- 2:08.25 Tateishi JPN
- 2:08.33 Koch GER
- 2:08.44 Barbosa BRA
- 2:08.50 Hansen USA
- 2:08.68 Gyurta HUN
There are now 21 men under 2:10. In January 2008, the number was 3. The German commentator cried: "That was a material result, of course: on breaststroke, these suits provide an unbelievable advantage in the glide phase". Indeed they do, expect that it is believable, for that it what is happening the world over for those who can get their hands on the fast suits of choice.
Franziska van Almsick, now a TV expert, added that with such times unfolding "we have to rethink and we can no longer compare what went before with what is happening now".
Big improvements also marked the women's equivalent. Caroline Ruhnau, SG Essen, clocked 2:26.14 to win the 200m breaststroke ahead of Karoline Degenhardt, SV Würzburg 05, on 2:28.88. Ruhnau's effort lifts her from 9th to 4th best German ever, the 25-year-old's improvement to a 2:28.87 in April this year following a 2008 Olympic-year best of 2:32.19. For Degenhardt, 21, it was up from 19th best German to a place in the top 10, her pre-championship best a 2:32.31, after a 2008 best of 2:36.74.
In the 100m backstroke, Helge Meeuw, SG Frankfurt, Hydrofoiled to a 53.08 German record and emerged to say that the suit may help but he was still feeling the pain. It looked like it. Second went to Dominik Keil, SG Essen, in 54.27.
The new 50m European record holder Daniela Samulski, SG Essen, was inside the continental record pace at 50m in the 100m but faded in the closing 25m ann stopped the clock at 1:00.46 to win by a large margin.
