2011 Best Performers (Long Course - Female)

100 METRES BACKSTROKE

#	Country		Time	Name	IPS	Meet
1		CHN	59.05	Zhao, Jing	993	WORLDJUL
2		RUS	59.06	Zueva, Anastasia	992	WORLDJUL
3		USA	59.12	Coughlin, Natalie	991	WORLDJUL
4		JPN	59.17	Terakawa, Aya	990	JPNLCAPR
5		USA	59.18	Franklin, Melissa	990	USALCAUG

Ryosuke Irie (JPN) led Americans Aaron Peirsol and Ryanh Lochte through to the semis of the 200m backstroke, all three men below 1:56. The 1:57.79 in which Peirsol went through fastest in Melbourne 2007 would have made him the only qualifier in Rome. The top three through in Rome were all fast enough to have won a medal in Melbourne - and two of them, Lochte and Peirsol, did indeed win a medal in 2007, and as they try to do so again, one thing is certain: they'll be faster, along with any others who make it into the final via semis tonight.

The race at the helm is like a beauty contest of aesthetic, technically teutonic backstroke, with Peirsol and Irie having the edge over Lochte on smoothness, perhaps.

Rome 2009: 

• Top 16 through: 1:55.20 - 1:57.97
• Inside 1:56: 3
• Inside 1:57: 8
• Inside 1:58: 16
• Inside 1:59: 21
• Inside 2:00: 25

Melbourne 2007:

• Top 16 through: 1:57.79 - 2:01.21
• Inside 1:56: 0
• Inside 1:57: 0
• Inside 1:58: 2
• Inside 1:59: 3
• Inside 2:00: 9